Haitian Creole: but and conjunctions

Showing posts with label but and conjunctions. Show all posts

"unless" Google Translate translates this as "sof si" or "amwens" or "toutotan" but I don't think I've ever heard anyone say this. You've said that "si w pa" is the best way, which I understand, but can you help me understand the Google Translate version

Unless
sof si (literally 'save that', 'except if'. It's from the French 'sauf si')

sèl si (literally 'only if')

a mwens or amwenske (literally 'lest', 'except for')

toutotan (as long as)

Some examples with these expressions.

You will not pass the test unless you study.

Ou p'ap pase tès la sof si ou etidye.

Ou pa'p pase tès la sèl si ou etidye.

Ou p'ap pase tès la amwenske ou etidye.

As far as 'toutotan' is concerned, we tend to use it in negative sentences when we mean 'unless'

Unless you apologize, I won't come back to you.

Toutotan ou pa mande eskiz, mwen pap tounen avè w.

Unless you're done, we can't leave.

Toutotan ou pa fini, nou pa ka pati.

"Unless you bless me, I won't let you go."

"Toutotan ou pa beni w, mwen p'ap lage w."

As long as you still here, I'll help you.

Toutotan ou la toujou, m'ap ede w

Ask me anything

Depi → since, once, as soon as, as long as, for....

Haitian Creole conjunction DEPI is used to translate Since, Since after, for how long, as soon as, as long as, if, because, etc...

Depi as Since...

1. M’ap tann ou depi ganm maten.

I’ve been waiting for you since early this morning.

2. Mwen pa wè yo depi samdi

I hadn’t seen them since Saturday

3. Ane pase Toto ak Fifi te mare yon gwo goumen. Depi lè sa youn pa janm pale ak lòt

Last year Toto and Fifi had a big fight. Since that time they never talked.

4. Semèn pase mwen te wè yon sourit nan kizin nan. Depi jou sa mwen pa mete pye la!

Last week I saw a mouse in the kitchen. I haven't set foot in there since that day!

Depi as From...
5. Le dimanch, magazen an ouvè depi onzè nan maten jouk senkè nan apremidi.
On Sundays, the store's open from eleven in the morning until five in the afternoon.

6. Pou devwa nou aswè a, nou va li depi paj douz jouk paj ven.
For your homework tonight, you will read from page twelve to page twenty.

Depi as for how long...

5. Depi kilè ou la?

Since when have you been here?

6. Depi ki jou ou te wè yo?
Since what day did you see them?

7. Depi konbyen jou ou konsa?

For how many days have you been like this?

8. Depi konbyen tan w’ap touse?

For how long have you been coughing?

Depi as Once

9. Depi jij la parèt nan tribinal la, tout moun dwe kanpe.

Once the judge enters the courtroom, every one must stand.

10. Depi ou pase estasyon gazolin, ou preske rive

Once you pass the gas station, you almost there

11. Depi sezon lapli a koumanse, mwen etenn tou awozwa yo.

Once the rainy season starts, I turn off all sprinklers

12. Depi nou kwè, n’ap wè glwa Bondye

Once you believe, you will see the glory of God.

Depi as if, or as long as....

13. Depi se ou k di, nou kwè w.

If you say so, we believe you

14. Depi nou genyen jwèt la, nou prale nan konpetisyon final la

If we win the game, we’ll go to the final competition

15. Depi pa gen fanm, pa gen kriye

If there’s no women, there’s no cry

Did Bob Marley say that :)

16. Depi ou dakò sou pri a, n’a koumanse travay la.

As long as you agree on the price, we’ll start the job.

17. Depi ou pa sonnen sonnèt la, chen yo p'ap jape.

As long as you don’t ring the bell the dogs won't bark.

Depi as Based on...

18. Depi sou fason doktè a te gade mwen, mwen te konnen bagay yo te mal.

Judging from the way he looked at me, I knew things were bad.

19. Depi sou jan li abiye, nou te konprann li te yon moun pòv.

Judging from the way she dressed, we could tell she was poor.

Until → jis, jiska, jiskaske, jouk, jous, jouska , jouskaske

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Bonswa tout moun!
Hello everyone!

Kouman nou ye?
How are you?

M espere tout moun trè byen.
I hope that everyone is doing well.

Until → jis, jiska, jiskaske*, jouk, jous, jouska , jouskaske*

Until…

1. Nou te danse jouk kò nou te fè n mal.

Nou te danse jiskaske* kò nou te fè n mal.

We danced until our body hurt

2. Li te mache jouk li te bouke.

Li te mache jiskaske* l te bouke.

She walked until she was tired

Until as To/till

3. Chak jou yo te travay depi maten jouk aswè. Men yo pa't janm peye yo.

Every day they worked from morning till night. But they were never paid.

4. Biwo a ouvè depi nevè jouk senkè nan apremidi

The office is open from nine to five in the afternoon.

5. Yo te gade mandyan an depi nan tèt jouk nan pye, e yo pa’t ba li anyen.

They looked at the beggar from head to toe, and they gave him nothing.

Until as Down to

6. Mwen te mouye jouk nan zo lè mwen te mache nan lapli a.

I was drenched to the bone when I walked in the rain.

7. Tout moun dwe prezan nan reyinyon an, depi pi gran an jouk pi piti a.

Everyone must be present at the meeting, from the oldest to the youngest.

Until - As far as

8. Fanmi an te tèlman dezespere, yo t’al wè yon doktè jouk nan peyi Lachin

The family was so desperate, they went to see a doctor all the way to China.

9. Zette abite Philadelphia, men chak maten l’al travay jouk New Jersey.

Zette lives in Philadelphia, but each morning she goes to work all the way to New Jersey.

Until as Up till, up to

10. Peyi a toujou menm. Jouk jounen jodi, bagay yo pa janm chanje .

The country is still the same. Up to today, things have never changed.

11. Jouk kounye a, mwen te panse li te toujou New York

Up until now I thought she was still in New York

12. Jouk jounen jodi a, li pa janm pale avè m.

To this day, she’s never talked to me.

Until the time, until the day
13. Li pa't janm pale ankò jouk jou li te mouri

She never spoke again until the day she died.

14. Ti bebe a te kriye depi lè l leve jouk lè l’al dòmi.

The baby cried from the time he woke up till the time he went to sleep.

Enben se tout. Mèsi, e pase yon bon jounen.
Well that's all, Thanks, and have a good day.

*jiskase or jouskaske is used as a conjunction since it means "until the time that"

What about jiska and jouska? Are there instances where you can't use them?

Well since the words jiska and jouska end with a vowel, I would only recommend that you avoid using them in front of words which begin with a vowel.

because of / thanks to

Download link for this audio clip: http://limanecasimi.audioacrobat.com/download/6caf806c-b32e-6346-824f-98383fb3d7d2.mp3

To listen to this audio, press the play button and follow along :)

Bonswa tout moun! Hello everone!
Kouman nou ye? How are you?

because of (as a result of) → akòz (from French: A cause de)
because of (as a result of ) → poutèt
Thanks to (with the help of, as a result of) → gras a, granmesi

1. Se akòz ou menm mwen vini jodi a.
    Se poutèt ou menm mwen vini jodi a.
    It's because of you that I've come today.

2. Yo revoke li akòz maladi li a.
    Yo revoke li poutèt maladi li a.
    He/She was fired because of his sickness.
In this sentence the passive voice in English is translated as an active voice in Creole.

3. Li te mouri akòz sa nou te fè.
    Li te mouri poutèt sa nou te fè.
    He died because of what we've done.

4. Akòz neglijans manman an timoun nan te tonbe malad.
    Poutèt neglijans manman an timoun nan te tonbe malad.
    Because of the mother's carelessness the child fell ill.

5. Eske w'ap kriye akòz sa ki pase a?
    Eske w'ap kriye poutèt sa ki pase a?
    Are you crying because of what happened?


Thanks to (with the help of) → granmesi, gras a

6. Tansyon mwen desann gras a remèd e yon bon rejim.
    Tansyon mwen desann granmesi remèd e yon bon rejim.
    My blood pressure came down thanks to medicines and a good diet.

7. Ane pase mwen te san kay, men gras a yon zanmi, mwen pa't dòmi nan lari..
    Ane pase mwen te san kay, men granmesi yon zanmi, mwen pa't dòmi nan lari.
    Last year I was homeless, but thanks to a friend, I did not sleep in the streets.

8. Mwen gen lajwa gras a lanmou Li.
    Mwen gen lajwa granmesi lanmou Li.
   I have joy thanks to His love.

9. Mwen la gras a ou menm.
     Mwen la granmesi ou menm
     I'm here thanks to you.

10. Mwen trè byen gras a Dye*.
       Mwen trè byen granmesi Bondye*.
       I'm very well thanks to God.

Enben, se tout. Mèsi e orevwa.
That's all. Thanks and godbye.

Note*
Dye is God (literally)
Bondye is good God (literally)

Track: Jezi, Ou Merite Tout Glwa by Jubau Group

how do you say but in haitian creole

There are many ways to say "but" in Haitian Creole.

You will often hear "men"

example:

I like them but they don't like me.
Mwen renmen yo men yo pa renmen m.

I am lying down but I'm not asleep.
Mwen kouche men mwen p'ap dòmi.

Other Haitian Creole words that you will hear for "but" are: epoutan, poutan, sepandan

See more on Haitian Creole translation for the conjunction "but"...

Ask me anything

Besides "men" is there another word for "but"?

Yes.

men → but, however, and

Other conjunctions that may be used instead of "men" are:

epoutan or poutan

sepandan

tandiske

aloske

example:

She says she quit smoking, but she keeps buying cigarettes.

Li di li kite fimen, men l'ap kontinye achte sigarèt.

Li di li kite fimen, tandiske l'ap kontinye achte sigarèt.

Li di li kite fimen, sepandan l'ap kontinye achte sigarèt.

I was going to loan her my book, but she already bought her own.

Mwen ta pral prete l liv mwen an, epoutan li gentan achte pa l.

Ask me anything

deske (in English)

Deske → since, for, because

1.
Thank you for coming.
Mèsi deske nou vini.

2.

Thank you for giving me these words. Now I have strength to turn the page.

Mèsi deske ou ban m mo sa yo. Kounye a mwen gen fòs pou m vire paj la

Ask me anything

Mwen kontan que mesaj ou an ekri an kreyol. Mesi deske nou se zanmi.

Translation:
I am glad that your message is written in Creole. Thank you for your friendship.

Ask me anything

thank you

Thank you.

Mèsi

Thank you sweetie!

Mèsi cheri

Thank you, my sweetie

Mèsi cheri mwen an

Thank you very much.
Mèsi anpil

I thank you.
Mwen remèsye ou.

I thank you so much.
Mwen remèsye ou anpil.

I thank you so much for helping me.
Mwen remèsye ou anpil deske ou ede m.

Ask me anything

Whats the difference between "paske" and "deske"? Also "juske" and "jiskaske"?

Paske → because (on account that)
Example:
Mwen renmen w paske ou renmen m.
I love you because you love me.

Deske → because, for, since, in view of, considering that, for (it's a lot like because)
Example:
Mèsi deske ou pa di tout moun erè mwen te fè.
Thank you for not telling everyone about the mistake I made.

Another synonym for 'deske' in haitian Creole is' piske' from the French word 'puisque'. You will also encounter that word in Haitian Creole.

Jiske and jiskaske, jouk, jouska → until

Example:
M mache jiskaske m bouke.
I walked until I was tired.

Ask me anything