Bonjou! Learn to Speak Haitian Creole

Bonjou! ...Mèsi! ...E Orevwa! Search for English or Haitian Creole words translation. Also search the whole site for expressions, idioms and grammar rules. And ask questions about the language in the ASK QUESTIONS HERE section.

Most requested translations added here for your convenience: I love you → Mwen renmen w. I miss you → Mwen sonje w. My love!Lanmou mwen!

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

and also at the beginning of a sentence as in "and also i didn't see you" translate as "tou mwen pa te we ou"?

meaning of egare?

Also 'li lolo l byen lolo' what does that mean, is lolo short for something since I can't find it anywhere (dictionary or online translators)

lolo (chouchoute, flate)  means to flatter, to butter up, to sweet-talk

Li lolo l byen lolo.
He/she did a good job seducing him/her...
He/she sucked up to him/her...

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Can you tell me what mouri poul mean please? what's the literal translation? kill chickens or kill for it? thanks

mouri poul is and expression which means to stay under the radar, to take it easy,to calm down
egzanp:
Misye mouri poul li pou l pa nan okenn lòt pwoblèm ak lalwa.
He calmed down to prevent further problems with the law.

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yon moun mande m kesyon li di "ki te premye fwa ou fè en kout pye nan peyi a?" Eske pou moun nan pa t di "ki premye fwa" enpi elimine 'te' patisip pase a?

Si se te mwen, m ta di ki premye fwa, paske se konsa m pale.  Men moun nan gen dwa se fason sa a l pale.  Se pa premye fwa m wè moun poze kesyon konsa...
Depi Kreyòl pa Franse sirèt, li se Kreyòl rèk :)

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what does it mean to say 'leve rad'?

In what context?
literally it means to lift one's clothes

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Tuesday, July 30, 2013

how do you use APA in Creole? when you ask a question with it what does it mean? For example someone asked me APA OU PA ALE? Is this question asking 'Why didn't you go?

"Apa" may be used in an interrogative sentence. In that instance it's more like and acknowledgement and question both in one.  "Apa w'ap kriye?" will translate "so you're crying?" and "How come you're crying?"

1. Apa ou pa ale?
   I see that you didn't go, how come?

2. Apa ou pa di anyen?
    So, you're not saying anything?

3. Apa ou la toujou.  Eske ou pa't gen pou w al travay?
   I see that you're still here? Didn't you have to go to work?

4. Apa w'ap manje vyann? M te kwè ou te di ou se yon vejetaryen.?
    How come you're eating meat?  I thought you said you were a vegetarian?

It is also used in non-question sentences.  It may be an interjection or an acknowledgement:
5. Ou di w t'ap chache liv la e ou pa't sa jwenn li.  Apa li la a.
     You said you were looking for the book and you couldn't find it.  There it is.

6. Apa nou!
    So here we are!

7. Apa tout moun ap mache san soulye.
    I see that everyone is walking barefoot.




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Sunday, July 28, 2013

can you explain DIRE in KOM KI DIRE

dire, here, mean to say

kòm ki dire - as if to say, that is to say, seemingly
and you'll also see it here:  andire (an dire, ondire, an dire ke)
and you'll also find too:  moun ta di, ou ta di → one would say

1. Andire pitit vwazen an ansent.
    It seems (it looks) as if the neighbor's daughter is pregnant.

2. Andire l pral fè lapli toutalè.
    Seems like it's going to rain soon.

3. Li gade m ak yon move rega, kòm ki dire m te fè yon bagay ki mal.
    She gave me a bad look as if I did something wrong.

4. Ti gason an ap manje.  Li kenbe asyèt la byen di.  Moun ta di li pa't manje depi yon semèn enpi li pè pou yo pa rale asyèt la nan men l.
    The boy is eating.  He's holding on firmly to his plate.  One would say that he hasn't eaten in a week and he's afraid they'll yank the plate from him.

5. Jan m wè w'ap pale a, andire ou fache.
    From the way you're talking, it seems as if you're angry.

6.  Jan m wè bagay yo la a, andire nou p ap rive.
     From the looks of things, it seems like we're not going to make it.


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Can you explain what 'bouke' mean when used at the beginning of a sentence?

It would mean the same thing as 'sispann', it would mean "to stop"

1. Bouke kriye.
    Stop crying.

2. Bouke fè jouda nan zafè moun.
    Stop meddling into people's affairs.

3. Bouke pale zanmi w mal.
    Stop 'badmouthing' your friends.

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What does "sak sik" mean, when referring to a person?

sak sik (you moun ki chita sou bouda l, ki p'ap leve ni lou ni lejè) - lazy

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What's the creole word for "gross"? Like, disgusting, but to a lesser extent...

gross - repiyan, rebitan

or the exclamation Eew gross! will be translated as wouch!

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what does it mean to say 'ou genyen mizè rekonesans'?

genyen mizè rekonesans - to enjoy / like living in misery

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Thursday, July 25, 2013

how to you say "to" in Creole when saying -from the ceiling to the floor-? I'm tempted to say "de twati a a ate a", but the two "a" happening back to back here seems confusing..

You can use JOUK, JOUS, JISKA, RIVE in this case.

Depi nan plafon an jouk atè a.
Depi nan plafon an jisk'atè a.
Sot nan plafon an rive atè a. or sot nan plafon rive jous atè a*
The very last example is more like *"from the ceiling all the way to the floor"

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What are words for 'breakfast', 'brunch', 'lunch', 'dinner', 'supper', 'snack time'(if such a word for that exist) in creole? How does one say 'snack' and 'midnight snack' in creole?

breakfast - dejene, dejennen, ti dejene, dekoupe kòpyèz
lunch - lunch, manje midi
dinner - dine
supper - soupe
to have a snack - fè yon ti goute, pran yon ti soloba, pase yon bagay bò bouch ou.
meal - repa, manje, dine

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tapages (or tapagez) is what exaclty?

tapajèz - a rowdy or quarrelsome person (a female)

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"Ou pa konn sa m peze' seems to have nothing to do with weight or scale. am i right? if yes, what does it mean then?

Most likely it does not.  And you're probably asking because you realized that if you translated as "weight ....and such" it would not fit into whatever you're reading.
If this is the case, then it means "you do not know my strength /what I can do/ who you're dealing with/ etc..."
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Eske ou kapap di fraz sa konsa; "m pa poko fe li" or "m pa fe li poko"?

poko se yon mo negatif li ye.  Li vle di not .... yet.  Sètadi ou pa bezwen me te mo "PA" a lè w ap itilize l.

pa egzanp:
1. I have not eaten yet.
    olye pou w di
   M pa poko manje.
   ou va di
    M poko manje.

men yon lòt egzanp.
2. We have never seen anything like it.
     No poko janm wè yon bagay parèy.
    Nou pa mete "pa" nan fraz la.

Ou kapab wè mo "poko" a ekri diferan fason nan lang Kreyòl la.
Gen moun ki di poko, gen lòt ki di pako, gen lòt menm ki di ponkò; ou kapab menm jwenn moun ki di panko
Enpitou lè w ap itilize tan pase a ou va di patko oubyen pa te ko.

pa egzanp
3. Mwen patko wè fim nan, se pou sa mwen te vle ale wè l avèk nou.
    I had not seen the movie yet, that's why I wanted to go see it with you.
   


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can you tell me what 'gwo' means when you say, 'gwo lajounen'? thanks

Monday, July 22, 2013

"I need to recharge my phone, the battery is dead." "I laughed so hard, I peed my pants!" ;)

o o mezanmi o.....

"I need to recharge my phone, the battery is dead."
Mwen bezwen chaje telefòn mwen, telefòn mwen dechaje."

 "I laughed so  hard, I peed my pants!" ;)
"M tèlman ri m pipi sou mwen."

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I will trade the laptop for the art work.

"M ap boukante laptap la pou tablo a."

laptop - laptap, òdinatè pòtab 

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Sunday, July 21, 2013

Does 'raje' translates 'empty land', 'empty lot' or 'empty green space'? Creole lingo gives definitions like 'backwoods', 'field', 'forest', etc. which could be used in the following context, but I am not sure. For example, "Back in the fifties, this neighborhood used to be nothing but empty land(or land)." or "Back then, this part of the beach, used to be an empty lot before they build a store there." Does 'raje' translates 'wasteland' as well? For example, "Ten years of drought had left the area a wasteland" Because I would hear Haitians used 'raje' for wasteland. If it is not the case, than what are some approriate words for 'wasteland'?

raje - brushwood, thicket
example: 
Yo te netwaye lakou a, yo te retire tout raje yo.
They cleaned the yard and removed all the shrub thickets

raje - sometimes people use it as synonymous to 'rak bwa'
example:  
Mesye a sove.  Li pran raje pou li.
The man ran away.  He took to the woods.

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What are some verbal expressions 'to be admitted to [hospital, etc]' and 'to be released/discharge from [hospital]'? For example, "My mother was admitted to the hospital on May 12 and she was released on June 8." Also, are there words for 'inpatient' and 'outpatient'? an outpatient is a patient who is not hospitalized for 24 hours or more but who visits a hospital, clinic, or associated facility for diagnosis or treatment. An inpatient is a patient who is "admitted" to the hospital and stays overnight or for an indeterminate time, usually several days or weeks (though some cases, such as coma patients, have been in hospitals for years). And one last thing, how does one translate 'nursing home' in creole?


to be admitted to the hospital - entène
an admitted patient - - pasyan entène, pasyan ospitalize
to be discharged from the hospital - egzeyate
nursing home - mezon retrèt
ambulatory patients - pasyan anbilatwa
outpatient - anbilatwa


"My mother was admitted to the hospital on May 12 and she was released on June 8."
Manman m te entène lopital douz me e l te egzeyate uit jen,


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Saturday, July 20, 2013

ou jwenn bout mwen?

boutend, edge, temperament

Ou jwenn bout mwen
lit:  You've found my edge/temperament
meaning: You get me; you understand me, you know how to deal with me

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onetete?

onètete (lonètete) - honesty
malonètete - defiance, arrogance

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what does pliye ko w mean? and also i saw that u used the word boukante to mean change. is this a word that can be used in everyday language?

pliye kò w (ploye kò w) → lit. to fold your body, to bend the body, also can mean to snuggle up

boukante is everyday language for to exchange, to swap in Haitian Creole

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definition of gouyad please?

gouyad - sexually suggestive dance moves, sensuous body movement (basically)

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bagay la mangonme - sa vle di kisa?

Bagay la magonmen (jwèt la mare)Things are tense

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What are names for these devices people use when they cannot walk: 'cane', 'crutches', 'walker', 'wheelchair', and 'scooter' respectively in creole?

cane, walker  - baton oubyen badin, also machèt
wheelchair - chèz woulant
crutches - beki
scooter - scooter, twotinèt (pou ti mopèd de pye yo)

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Eske cho devan bann nan se menm bagaille avek cho pase leve danse?

Sa pral depann jan ou vle itilize li.  Toude ekspresyon endike gen yon moun (oubye nenpòt kisa) ki antyoutyout.
Li cho devan bann nan  (li pi prese pase tout moun; li se nimewo en nan yon aktivite l ap antreprann; se limenm ki sesi seli menm ki sela)
Li cho pase leve danse (li pa ka tann; li eksite; li zele, ...)

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How does one translate 'shift' as a noun regarding employment in creole? For example, "We'll work three shifts a day till the job's done." or "She prefers the morning shift." or "The night shift reported." or "One day last June, nine hours into his shift, Mr. Zamora was coughing and asked to go home, complaining of a fever, he said." or "As the night shift leave/leaves, the day shift arrive/arrives." or "Are you on the night shift or the day shift?" or "He's working the afternoon/evening shift this month." or "The morning shift came into work looking sleepy." What are verbs and/or verbal expressions for 'to change shift' or 'to rotate shift' or 'to alternate shift' in creole? For example, "Myself and my colleges currently work a rotating shift pattern of 6am-2pm and 2pm-10pm, alternating between the two shifts every two weeks." or "My friend changes/rotates/alternates shift with me from time to time."

Lè m'ap pale Kreyòl mwen toujou di "pòs"
shift - pòs

"She prefers the morning shift."
Li pito pòs maten an.

"Are you on the night shift or the day shift?"
Eske ou travay pòs aswè oubyen pòs maten?

"My friend changes shifts with me from time to time."
Zanmi mwen boukante pòs travay avèk mwen detanzantan.

Dakò.

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Mandaly. As I am fine-tuning my Kreyol Ayisyen, I have a simple question: In "Ki kote fanmi ou ye (an/nan) Ayiti?" Are both of these Kreyol words interchangeable in brackets? If not, then are there rules in Kreyol on which one to use at a given time? Mesi anpil.

This "an" acts as a preposition and translates in, of, or from
egzanp:
 M'ap rantre an Ayiti demen. → I'm coming to Haiti tomorrow.
Kote frè w la?  Li an Ayiti? → Where's your brother?  Is he in Haiti?
Mwen fèk soti an Ayiti semèn pase a. I just came from Haiti last week.
Li te gen yon bèl bag ki fèt an ajan. She had a beautiful ring made of silver.
etc...

Regarding your question... yes we might say:
Ki kote fanmi ou ye an Ayiti?
or 
Ki kote fanmi ou ye nan Ayiti?

we will also say:
Ki kote fanmi w ye Ayiti?

Dakò?

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hi, i've asked you before about the term 'ou pap sis' ... I understand what it says, but are there other equivalent Creole sentences - I want to understand what I'm saying....

Men wi. ou kapab di "Ou pa ladan l." oubyen "Ou p'ap reyisi" oubyen "Ou p'ap rive." selon kontèks la.

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Friday, July 19, 2013

This is what i read - zafe l pa t korek donk li mouri ko l yon kote pou l pa tonbe nan si m te konnen....so i thought 'mouri' meant to die and 'mouri ko' to kill himself, only to find that he s still alive in the story? Can you explain that please? mesi

Keep in mind I do know the context of what you're reading...

mouri kò is an expression which means to lay low, to take it easy
and Si m te konnen in that sentence means regret

zafe l pa t korek donk li mouri ko l yon kote pou l pa tonbe nan si m te konnen
His affairs weren't right (legal?) so he laid low so that he doesn't regret his actions

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bonjou,to say to die suddenly, how do you translate "suddenly"?

suddenly - sibit, bridsoukou

sudden death → mò sibit, mò frèt

He died suddenly.
Li mouri sibit.
Li mouri mò sibit.
Li mouri sibitman

You can die suddenly.
Ou ka mouri mò sibit.

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pou mo "defi" ou fek ekri, eske ou ka di "M defi ou fe sa" (I challenge you...)

Ou kapab di pito:

M ba w defi fè sa.
oubyen
M defann ou fè sa.

itilize "bay defi" tankou yon vèb.

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please tell me what these things mean 1) sibi 2) byen jwe 3) se jwe pou w genyen thanks

1) sibi - to go through, to suffer
    Li sibi yon move maladi - He suffering from gave disease

2) byen jwe - to play well
     Ou byen jwe jwèt la. - You played the game well.

3) se jwe pou w genyen - you must have a play/game

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what does defi and rasi mean?

defi (n)  is a challenge
rasi (adj) → stale (bread), short (person);
you moun rasi → a short person

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Wednesday, July 17, 2013

Is this dialog correct? I've been using your blog to help construct a brief exchange for a story I'm writing in which an amnesiac (K) speaks with a friend (R) who he doesn't remember. K is still a little bit out of it, so it's alright if his dialog is off, but I wanted to know if the rest is correct, and whether it sounded natural: ........


R: "Bonjou, zanmi'm. Depi tanndat m pa wè w."
(Hello, my friend. It's been a long time since I've seen you.)
K: "Zanmi? Eske m konnen w?"
(Friend? Do I know you?)
R: "Ou te konn."
(You did once.)
K: "Oh...eskize mwen. Mwen pa sonje."
(Oh...I'm sorry. I don't remember.)


So far so good :)
On the highlighted part, it's better to write "konnen" instead of "konn".
You may have the sentence as: "Ou te konnen m - You knew me"; or "Ou te konnen m yon lè - You knew me once."
and if you really don't want to have the whole sentence and you want a phrase similar to "You did once", then you could write:  "Wi, yon lè" or "Wi, yon fwa", or simply "....yon lè".

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Tuesday, July 16, 2013

Madanm. It is getting somewhat confusing where to place the adjective in sentences. Pou egzanp: Yon tranzaksyon presi. oswa, Yon presi tranzaksyon. Se vreman bon. oubyen, Se bon vreman. What has "thrown" me is: "Gran fi yo ak gran gason yo." I know this is correct, but here the adjective is in front of the noun. Up above it is not. Are there specific rules in Kreyol for this, or is it by sound only? I believe the first examples above are correct, "Yon tranzaksyon presi." for example. Mesi anpil.

Only a handful of adjectives are placed before the noun in Creole.
They are not too many, so you can even memorize them.

A.
Some adjectives that describe size: gwo (big), gran (great, older), katafal (huge), manman (huge), potorik (brawny), ti (small), ti zing (tiny), ti kras (small).  ("laj" → large doesn't belong in this group)
egzanp:
yon gwo gason
yon manman fanm
yon ti zwazo
yon ti kras pen
Li te achte yon gwo manman kabrit.

B.
Some adjectives that describe order: premye (first), dènye (last), senkyèm (fifth)
premye bagay la
yon dènye fwa
Yon senkyèm machin te antre.

C.
Some adjectives that describe age: vye (old, shabby), [ansyen (ancient), jenn (young), nouvo (new) can go before or after at times]
yon jenn fi
yon vye kay.
yon ansyen legliz oubyen yon legliz ansyen


D.
Some adjectives that describes  state /condition : bèl (beautiful, pretty, nice), bon (good, compassionate), move (bad)
He gave me a beautiful ring.
Li te ban m yon bèl bag.

Ou konpoze yon move nimewo.
You've dialed the wrong number.

Li se yon bon moun.
He is a good person.

E.
And also some adjectives that describe quantity: anpil, kèk, enpe, etc...
____________________
Yes, you are correct about "TRANZAKSYON PRESI", "presi" comes after "tranzaksyon" because
The other adjectives come after the noun- ...If I were to pick any random ones:

1. I like Haitian bread.
    Mwen renmen pen Ayisyen. (adjective "Ayisyen" come after the noun "pen")

2. The police car was speeding.
    Machin polis la t'ap fè vitès(adjective "polis" come after the noun "machin")

3. I like the blue dress.
    Mwen renmen rad ble a. (adjective "ble" come after the  noun "rad")

If you were to have two or more adjectives:

4. I like the beautiful blue dress
    Mwen renmen bèl rad ble a. (adjective "bèl" comes before the noun "rad" and adjective "ble" comes after the noun "rad")

5. She bought the small red car.
    Li te achte ti machin wouj la (adjective "ti" comes before "machin" and adjective "wouj" comes after "machin")

6. A great wonderful God rules over the whole universe.
    Yon gran Bondye mèveye ap reye sou linivè antye. (adjective "gran" belongs before and adjectives "mèveye" and "antye" belongs after the noun)

7. A beautiful attractive woman was asking for you a few minutes ago.
    Yon bèl fanm atiran t'ap mande pou ou sa gen kèk minit. ("bèl" belongs before and "atiran" belongs after the noun.)

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Hey I have been hearing "Pa fem sa" lately but can't quite figure out what it means.

I know what 'moun pa se dra' mean because you told me - now where does the meaning come from?

Well it's a proverb.
I'm not sure if you're looking for literal translation:
Moun pa ("pa" being possessive) → your own people, your esteemed friends
Se dra → are covers/blanket

the term "moun pa" also translates favoritism

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Monday, July 15, 2013

Question: Mandaly, in phrases such as: "ti moun yo", "gason yo", "fi yo", nimewo yo Is this fairly much the case in Kreyol for making plurals? Would you say "Kreyol Ayisyen yo" for "the Haitian Creoles", or "Kreyol yo" for "the Creoles"? Am I on track here? Mesi anpil.

Yes :)
You are on track.

As far as "Kreyòl Ayisyen yo" is concerned; it's grammatically correct  as an example -
But since there's one Haitian Creole, you would probably mostly see this term in singular form  (like Kreyòl Ayisyen an)

For "Kreyòl yo"; yes, you will find that a lot :)
some additional examples on top of what you have are:
Kreyòl karibeyen yo
Kreyòl Antiy yo
Kreyòl Afriken yo

Dakò?
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Here's another question I meant to ask you Mandy, when Haitians keep saying 'pa fe fo! pa fe fo!' do they mean 'pa fe zefo'?

They mean Pa fè fò - to be frugal, to go slow, to conserve more

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Sunday, July 14, 2013

leu yon moun semante 'anverite trois fois' eske o gen rezon pou pike zotey yo? eske se menm bagay avek leu yo cross your finger?

Sèl rezon ki pou ta fè yon moun pike zòtèy li anba tè lè l'ap sèmante se si l'ap bay manti.  Se sa m konn tande yo di.
Zafè kwaze dwèt dèyè do w la, se nan peyi Etazini m te vin aprann sa.  Ameriken fè sa paske yo swete yon sityasyon ta rive tout bon vre.
Men lè yon moun pike zòtèy li anba tè pandan l'ap sèmante (dapre sa m konnen), moun nan fè sa paske li pa vle malè rive l.  Pa egzanp, si moun nan sèmante konsa, "Tonnè kraze m....!" oubyen "M mande Bondye machin frape m....!" - moun nan va pike zòtèy li anba tè pou tonnè pa boule l ak pou machin pa frape l; sitou si l'ap sèmante pou twonpe moun.

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"If.... you wouldn't be in this MESS" - Will "dezod" work her for "MESS"?

I am not sure if I get this entirely. The word "mess" seems to describe a dilemma, a bad situation?
if yes, then my first choice would be "meli melo" or "antrav".

Si m ta vle pran yon egzanp, m ta di l konsa:
Si w te fè respè w ou pa ta nan tout antrav sa a ( or antrav sa yo).

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Where should I put the article in this sentence: kote dlo "a" te ye te lwen ORR kote dlo te ye "a" te lwen ORR kote dlo te ye te lwen an?

put it after "dlo" and also after "ye".
Kote dlo a te ye a te lwen.

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Saturday, July 13, 2013

I am using Google Translate to say the following: "you need to give me an installment of 175 monthly until it's paid off". Can you tell me what's the creole word for installment and paid off

installment (of payments) - vèsman
to pay off - fin peye

"You need to give me an installment  of 175 monthly until it's paid off."
"Ou dwe ban m yon vèsman 175 (san swasannkenz) dola pa mwa jouk ou fin peye l."

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pouse dife in English

pouse dife (chofe, eksite) - to excite, to provoke

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"we" with no accent on "e" (I'm sure). 'li we m anba chaplèt"

we (also bimen) v. → to hammer, to beat up, to pound on

Li we m anba chaplèt.
He/she beat me up with a stick.

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Give me some suggestions or books "How broadcasting has impacted Haitian culture?"

You might find
some information on the internet if you google it.  I'm not familiar with any books on that specific subject.
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What's the meaning of "tape" here. Li tape kontinye kouri sou wout la?

tape (te ap, t'ap, t ap, t'ape) - Past progressive

Li tape (t'ape) kouri.
He was running.


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monte bourik a homme et a femme- se diferan?

A homme, ou monte tankou gason.  Ou mete yon janm ou sou chak bò vant bourik la.
Si w monte l "a femme", toude janm ou va sou yon sèl bò vant bourik la.

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kisa foumi fou ye?

foumi fou - black ants; usually with erratic behavior

egzanp
M'ap mache kou foumi fou nan lari a. M pa konn kote m prale.

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tout moun mache sou menm pye??? Is this an expression

I think it's "...tout moun mache sou yon pye"; it means to join in and not stand out.
Usually, it goes something like::
Ou rive yon kote ou jwenn tout moun ap mache sou yon pye, ou mache sou yon pye tou.

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Thursday, July 11, 2013

Why not use th articla "an" in the sentence "Chen ki mouri a" if the article modifies "chen"?

The article you use depends on the words that come before the article. In that case it's "mouri".
FYI: the article 'an' may follow the word "mouri" also because of the nasal  "ou" sound in "mouri"
so you can also say "Chen ki te mouri an".

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'Pa mete bouch ou sou mwen' would this be the same as 'don't meddle in my affairs'?

No.
If you want to use the METE BOUCH to say STOP MEDDLING, then you an say Pa mete bouch ou NAN zafè m.

Mete bouch SOU means to jinx or give bad luck in this original sentence.

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degobye an englais.

Ou kapab di "degobye" oubyen "degobe" - Nou menm Ayisyen konn di "rann gaz" tou.
Nan lang Angle a, se belching, burping

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Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Kile ki vle di "of" an Kreyol: "nan" oubyen "de"?

Dabitid "of" tankou yon prepozisyon pa tradui an Kreyòl.
Nou kapab pran kòm egzanp:
The dance of death
Nou tradui li
Dans lanmò

Men yon lòt egzanp:
She made a bunch of friends while she was at camp.
Nou tradui li konsa:
Li fè yon bann zanmi pandan li te nan kan an.

Gendelè nou kapab tradui li avèk Kreyòl's "nan"
Pa egzanp:
I only want one of them.
Mwen sèlman vle youn nan yo.

Three of the children became doctors.
Twa nan timoun yo te vin doktè.

Apre sa, malgre nou eseye pa itilize "de" kòm prepozisyon nan Kreyòl, sa pa anpeche kèk moun itilize li nan fraz tankou sila yo:
Sa'w panse de sa?
Pale m de ou.
Yon seri de moun.
etc....
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what is "lotrejou la a"?

lotrejou (lotrejou la a, lòt jou) → the other day

yon egzanp:
Lotrejou la a m kontre bab pou bab ak yon gwo papa koulèv sou wout mwen. Se konn kouri m ki sove'm.
The other day, I came across a huge snake on my way.  Knowing how to run saved me.

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Monday, July 8, 2013

eske ou tabde mo SALTENBANK deja? KISA li vle di?

Wi m konn tande li.
Saltenbank se conniver, charlatan
Se vakabon sansal ki ap pran avantaj sou moun.

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Can you please tell me how to say "have you been" in 3 different contexts? The first is "How have you been?" as you would ask someone you haven't seen in a while. The second is "Have you been practicing English?" or "Have you been reading your Bible?" - implying an ongoing activity. And the third is "Have you ever been ...to the beach, on an airplane, etc." Thanks so much. Your site is so helpful. I visit often!

Dakò :)
Mèsi


I. How have you been? (sounds like you're asking someone what he/she's generally been up to from the time you hadn't seen him/her to the present)
The three best ways to say this would be:

Ban m nouvèl ou.

Kisa w regle (or Sa'w regle?, Sa'w regle menm?)
Kisa w fè? (or Sa'w fè?, Sa'w fè menm?)
But you can also say:
Kouman ou ye
Kouman ou ye menm?
Kijan ou ye?... etc



II. See verb tense in Creole; perfect tenses

Have you been practicing your English?
Eske w'ap pratike Angle ou?

Have you been reading your Bible?
Eske w'ap li Bib ou?



III. With these types of questions, you do fall into the passive voice which is hard to do in H. Creole.  So you will focus on the main verb and how it's translated in Creole.  Here is a variety of examples"

Have you ever been...
Eske ou janm...?

1.
to go to the beach → ale nan plaj, ale laplaj
Have you ever been to the beach?
Eske ou janm al nan plaj?

2.
to be on an airplane → monte avyon
Have you ever been on an airplane?
Eske ou janm monte avyon?

3.
to be in love → renmen, tonbe damou
Have you ever been in love?
Eske ou janm renmen?

4.
to be fired → revoke
Have you ever been fired from a job?
Eske yo janm revoke w nan yon travay?

5.
to be heartbroken → atriste, gen kè brize
Have you ever been heartbroken?
Eske w janm gen kè w brize?

6. 
Have you ever been on TV?
Eske w janm parèt nan televizyon?

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How do you say that a little kid is throwing a temper tantrum or throwing a fit?

The kid is throwing a temper tantrum.
Timoun nan ap pike yon kriz kòlè.

temper tantrum → kriz kòlè

The kid is throwing a fit.
Timoun nan ap fè kòlè.
Timoun nan ap fè dezagreyab.

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Mandaly, "Way back there." Se an Kreyol Ayisyen "lotbo la" ak aksan grav nan kou. Se korek? In the course I am using, they say "lotbo la". Would it not be "lotbo a" instead? Would you write it for me? Also, "an/ann" are both interchangeable, pa vre? The "an" is more used, pa vre? Mesi anpil, Jan Rachal

-Yes, I usually say lòtbò a (over there); but yes, some people do say lòtbò la a or laba a
I am assuming that by way back there you mean "beyond the bounds of a certain limit', right?
-all the way over there → jis lòtbò a, jouk laba a

Regarding an/ann,  do you mean as in ann/annou (let's)?
That would be the only instance where we use "ann".  You will see it as ANN, AN'N contraction for AN NOU or ANNOU.

Dakò.

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Sunday, July 7, 2013

what is twa santyem

It is three hundredth (300th)
depending on context it can also translates 3/100 also.

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Friday, July 5, 2013

Bonjou! Ann Ayiti mwen konn wè yon fwi ki rele kenèps. Mwen pa janm wè yo Ozetazini. Eske ou konnen koman yo rele sa yo ann Angle?

Yo rele yo Spanish limes.  Ou kapab Google li.
M panse ou kapab jwen kèk plant kenèp nan zòn Sid Florid la.  Apa sa, se nan zòn Sid Lamerik la ak nan ti Zantiy yo w'ap jwenn yo plis.
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Thursday, July 4, 2013

For 'fom figi' as in 'mwen pa renmen fom figi l', is it like 'I don't like the shape of her face'?

Basically yes.

M pa renmen fòm figi l
I don't like him/her.

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what does KOMISYON PA CHAJ mean?

It means that one is JUST relaying a messageone is JUST a messenger, do not blame him for bringing the news.

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i'm just not having any luck with my translator :) Could you translate 'Pa foure m nan zen' please. mesi

Pa foure m nan zen.
Pa rantre m nan zen.
or
Pa mete m nan zen.
Don't get me involved.
Don't get me involved in the scandal.


zen, here, means gossip,
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translate please; " men mwen sa pou fe m ". my translator says " but i do this for me "

I wonder if the translator could not translate this because it's missing punctuation and an accent. Or maybe the "translator" (I assume it's a machine) translated it word for word.

Men mwen.  Sa pou w fè m?
Here I am.  What do you want of me? (or what do you want from me?)

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what would "monte alaso" mean in Creole?

Your post on using "pase pou" leads me to ask how to say "I'd rather not." in response to a request to do something.

pase pou → rather than,  instead of (conjunction)

For sentences such as:
I'd rather not, I would prefer not to  
We use H. Creole verb PITO (to prefer)

I'd rather not.
I'd rather not go.
M ta pito pa ale.
You'd have to repeat the verb ("ale" for instance) after "pa".  We could not just say "M ta pito pa" in Creole.

I'd rather not.
I'd rather not stay too long.
M ta pito pa rete twò lontan.

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Mandaly, M konnen "La se che" se korek. Men se "Se che la" korek? This second sentence does not sound right to me. But what do I know? You Haitian Creoles have been speaking MY language longer than I have. In all seriousness, Is the second sentence all right or is it awkward an Kreyol? Mesi. Jan

It's kind of hard to know exactly what these sentences mean, (from my perspective), without the context in mind.

la se che (is it l'a seche as in It will dry up...?)
or perhaps we are talking about "chè"expensive...?
In that case, it would be La a chèThis location/place is expensive (in the context of  a place where they sell expensive items) 

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Tuesday, July 2, 2013

i can't find this word anywhere 'touskilfo', what is it?

touskilfo (from French "tout ce qu'il faut") → all that one needs

1. Se touskilfo.
    It's all that you  need.

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Monday, July 1, 2013

'soon after that' in Creole please. Thanks Mandy

"Everyone was spech less" - can i use chat pran lang here, if no what can i use best?

Yo te "speechless" (Yo pa't ka pale tèlman to te sezi / etone?)

Everyone was speechless.
Chat pran lang tout moun (if you really want to use that)
Tout moun te rete bouch be.
Tout moun te rete bèbè.

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M vle pral di, "We can expect tribulations but we cannot escape them by compromising our faith. We must encourage one another and we must fortify our own faith. " Doe this sound right? Nou ka atann tribilasyon men nou pa ka chape anba yo pa konpwomèt lafwa nou. Nou dwe ankouraje yon lòt ak nou dwe fòtifye lafwa pwòp nou.

How about:
Nou kapab atann nou ak tribilasyon, men nou pa ka mete lafwa nou andanje pou nou chape anba yo. Nou youn dwe ankouraje lòt, enpi nou dwe fòtifye pwòp lafwa pa nou.

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"Pase pou kanpe p ap fe anyen an pouki w pa ede m" - Kisa "PASE" vle di la a?

PASE POU → INSTEAD OF, THAN TO, RATHER THAN

1. Pase pou kanpe p ap fè anyen an pouki w pa ede m
     Instead of standing around doing nothing why don't you help me

2. M ta pito mouri pase pou m ta viv nan esklavaj.
    I rather die than to live in slavery.

3. Pito m mande pase m vòlè. Pito m travay pase m mande.
    I rather beg than steal.  I rather work than beg.

4. Joel pa renmen pataje. Pase pou l fè w kado machin li li ta pito vann ni.
    Joel does not like to share.  Rather than to give you his car he would sell it instead.

5. Sa rive anpil fwa ant paran k'ap divòse e sa byen tris.  Pase pou yo pataje timoun yo avèk ansyen epou yo yo pito fè yo mal.
     It has happened a lot between divorcing parents and that's truly sad.  Instead of sharing the children with their ex-spouse they rather hurt them.

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Question: Mandaly, I have noticed in my travels with Kreyol Ayisyen that sometimes there are two different meanings to a sentence. I cannot think of a HC example, but in english, "Did you miss me?" This could mean "Did you miss making contact with me?" or, "Did you miss (emotionally speaking) me?" Would you possibly give me a HC example of this (or perhaps maybe two examples)? Mesi, Jan

Yes, your sentence is a good example where SONJE can translate to miss or to recall / remember
But as you may already know sometimes it's the context that guides you in these cases:

1.
Ou sonje mwen?
or more specifically
Eske ou sonje ki moun mwen ye?
Do you remember me?
Do you remember who I am?

or

Ou te sonje mwen?
or more specifically
Eske ou te sonje mwen?
Did you miss me?

There are many other instances where this happens in Creole.  Unfortunately I cannot think of any of them right now :)  I'll add to this post as they come to mind.  Dakò?

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someone says 'ou we lwen' , does that mean you see far??

ou wè lwen → yes "you see far" lit.  It means that you are intuitive or claivoyant

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what is manti kouchen?

You mean manti kou chen?

Manti kou chen → to lie like a dog :)

egzanp
Ou fout manti kou chen.
You're a liar.

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Mwen te rankontre avek fraz sa a "kite koze pran pawòl". Kisa li vle di? Eske ou ka ize li nan yon fraz?

Kite koze pran pawòl se menm bagay ak Kite kantik pran priyè → Let's talk about something else,  (changing the conversation)

Yon egzanp (Ou gen dwa ap pale sou yon sijè, enpi lè w kite koze pran pawòl, w'al tonbe sou yon lòt sijè):
Joel jwe gita nan yon gwoup.  Yèswa mwen t'al asiste pèfòmans gwoup la.  Se pa ti anfòm yo t'anfòm non. Tout mizisyen yo te jwe trè byen.  Men kite koze pran pawòl, kilè Joel ap deside marye menm?

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Alo! Eske w ta ka dim kek liv Kreyol yo ki bon pou timoun yo?

Si w'ap chache liv an Kreyòl pou timoun, se sa ki pa manke nan libreri Kreyòl nou yo.
Si ou tcheke sit Librerimapou.com oubyen Educavision.com w'ap jwenn tout kalite liv.
Epitou tcheke Koleksyon Sanmba (kebèk, Kanada). Yo gen yon seri liv istwa ak kont pou timoun.  Libreri Mapou nan Miami genyen liv Koleksyon Sanmba yo.
Techke Tatézoflanbo, an Kreyòl (Collection Jeunesse);
Bobo Chen Odasye A (Mancy's Haitian Folktale Collection);
ak Chansons d'enfants En Français et Créole.  
Si ou bay Libreri Mapou yon kout fil mwen byen sèten yon va ba ou lis liv pou timoun yo pote pou lemoman.

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I just heard today a conversation my mother had with an acquaintance of ours. They said the word ''bonn''. I think it means 'helper' or 'maid' or 'butler' but I'm not sure because that is the first time I heard this word. So, what does "bonn" mean? Also, what are some synonyms for "bonn"?

Sure, in H. Creole we say bòn (or sèvant, restavèk, domestik) → servant, maid

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