To (as in a destination): I am walking to my room. (M'ap mâché nan chanm m? or M'ap mâché al chanm m?) Or something else? Also I'm confused by how I would say "off of": Get off of me. Fall off of the table. Etc.

I.

I am walking to my room – “M’ap mache al nan chanm mwen” is correct

You can also say: M pral nan chanm mwen  (I’m going to my room)

Adding the Creole verb “ale” helps to indicate that you’re walking towards the room.

M’ap mache nan chanm mwen means “I am walking in my room”

 

II.

You may add the verb “ale” to indicate that you are moving to …a direction.

Examples:

N’ap kondi al Miami instead of N’ap kondi Miami (We’re driving to Miami)

Mwen te mache al lakay instead of Mwen te mache lakay (I walked home)

 

III.

As far as the preposition “to” is concerned, it may not be translated in Creole in these cases:

Mwen pral lekòl (I’m going to school)

Nou prale lavil. (We’re going to town)

Eske ou  prale legliz jodi a? (Will you go to church today?)

Nou prale lakay. (We’re going home)

 

 IV.

And sometimes we use “NAN”

Nan may indicate at, to, to the, in, or in the

Examples:

Li prale nan mache. (He’s going to the market)

Mwen pral nan magazen an. (I’m going to the store)

Mwen pral nan konsè a. (I’m going to the concert)

Mwen pral nan fèt la. (I’m going to the party)

Mwen prale nan reyinyon an. (I’m going to the meeting)

Li nan travay.  (She’s at work.)

Mwen te wè li lopital la. Or M te wè l nan lopital la. (I saw her at the hospital)

 

V.

And finally… a little correction in your sentence :)

Say “chanm mwen” instead of “chanm m”

We don’t usually use contractions after consonants

Chanm mwen, not chanm m (my room) We don't use the contracted “m” after “chanm” because of the ending consonant “m” in “chanm”

Liv mwen, not liv m (my book) We don't use contracted “m” after “liv” because of the ending consonant “v” in “liv”

Kabann ou not kabann w (your bed) We don't use contracted “w” after “kabann” because of the ending consonant “n” in “kabann”

Bagay li not bagay l (his thing)  We don't use contracted “l”  after “bagay” because of the ending consonant “y” in bagay)

Mwen prale avèk ou not Mwen prale avèk w (I will go with you)  We don't use contracted “w” after “avèk” because of consonant “k” at the end of “avèk”

BUT you CAN say Mwen prale avè w (I’m will go with you) We use contraction “w” after “avè” because we have a vowel “è” at the end of “avè”

You can also say:

Papa mwen or papa m (my father) because “papa” ends with a vowel “a”.  SO it's ok to use a contraction after a word that ends with a vowel.

Mwen renmen ou or Mwen renmen w (I like you) because “renmen” ends with the nasal vowel “en”

manman mwen or manman m (my mother) because “manman” ends with the nasal vowel “an”

Rele mwen or Rele m (call me) because “rele” ends with a vowel “e”   

 

VI.

OFF OF / OFF  may be translated with some Haitian Creole expressions.  We may use Haitian Creole terms "retire" or "wete" (to take away or take out), or "soti" or "sot" (out of)

Examples:

Get off of me  (Get off me?)– Soti sou mwen, wete (or retire) kò w sou mwen

   Soti sou mwen – get away from me

  Wete kò w sou mwen – remove your body from me, remove yourself from me, get away from me.

She fell off heaven – Li tonbe sot nan syèl

He fell off the horse – Li sot tonbe sou chwal la.

She fell off the bed. – Li sot tonbe sou kabann nan.

The spoon fell off the table . – Kiyè a sot tonbe sou tab la

Take your feet off the table – Wete pye w sou tab la

He took off his hat – Li wete chapo l.

He took the hat off the table. - Li wete chapo a sou tab la.

Keep off the grass – Rete lwen gazon an. (Rete lwen – Stay away)

Keep the car off the grass. - Wete machin nan sou gazon an.

Same as:

Get off me. - Wete kò w sou mwen or Sot kò w sou mwen or Soti kò w sou mwen.

She got off the car. – Li te desann machin nan. (Get off – desann, soti)

I’m going to get off right here. – M’ap desann la a.

(check LABELS at the bottom)

 

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

I see that sometimes the word "to" is translated as "bay" which is the verb to give.

That happens sometimes when some verbs are followed by the preposition "to". That word "to" is then translated as "bay" or "pou":

Examples:

Bring it to me.

Pote l *ban mwen. (uncontracted)

Pote l ban m. (contracted)

or

Pote l pou mwen. *(no contraction after "pou" when it indicates possession)

Read the book to her.

Li liv la ba li.

or

Li liv la pou li.

Send them to me.

Voye yo ban mwen

or

Voye yo pou mwen.

Return it to them.

Retounen li ba yo.

She came crying to me.

Li vin kriye ban mwen.

Explain it to them.

Eksplike l ba yo.

Let me hear it. Sing it to me.

Kite m tande l. Chante l ban mwen.

*Rules for using: ba, ban, or bay
*Rules for using contractions
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is there a rule for when i should abbreviate the pronoun after a noun and when not to? For example, my friend corrects me and says that I should say lakay MWEN, not lakay m.

Yes, there's a rule.

Contractions don't follow consonants.

They only come after vowels (nasal and non nasal → a, an, e, è, en, i, o, ò, ou)

Follow this link about CONTRACTIONS: http://sweetcoconuts.blogspot.com/2011/11/contractions-contracting-haitian-creole.html

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Contractions: Contracting the Haitian Creole object pronouns "mwen, ou, li, nou"

In Haitian Creole you may contract the object pronoun if the word that precedes it ends with a vowel (nasal or non nasal vowels included)

Examples:
1. Leave me.
You may say: Kite mwen. or Kite m.

2. Write to me.
You may say: Ekri mwen. or Ekri m.

3. Kiss me.
You may say: Bo mwen. or Bo m.

*4. Talk to me.
You may say:  Pale avè mwen.   or  Pale avè m.

5. Look at her.
You may say: Gade li. or Gade l.

6. Walk under it.
You may say:  Pase anba li.  or  Pase anba l.

7. Save us.
You may say: Sove nou. or Sove n.

8. Turn it on.
You may say: Limen li. or Limen l.

9. I hear you. 
You may say: Mwen tande ou. or Mwen tande w.

10. Bring it back.
You may say: Retounen li. or Retounen l.

11. Give me one.
You may say: Ban mwen youn. or Ban m youn.

12. Give him one.
You may say: Ba li youn. or Ba l youn.

13. I was here before you.
You may say: Mwen te la anvan ou.   or  Mwen te la anvan w.


But if the word that precede the pronoun ends with a consonant, do not use contractions.

Examples:
1. I understand you.
Mwen konprann ou. (Do not say: Mwen konprann w.)

2. They beat her.
Yo bat li. (Do not say: Yo bat l.)

*Look back to example #4 above. There are three ways to say the word "with" in Creole: ak, avè, & avèk.  See how a contraction may follow the word "avè" (in number 4 above), but not "ak" and "avèk" (in number 3 below).  That's because the words "ak" and "avèk" end with a consonant.

*3. Talk to me.
Pale avèk mwen. (Do not say: Pale avèk m)

4. He's waiting for me. 
L'ap tann mwen. (Do not say: L'ap tann m.)

5. We submitted it.
Nou remèt li. (Do not say: Nou remèt l.)

6. I survived it.
Mwen siviv li. (Do not say: Mwen siviv l.)


* In the next four examples, you will see that we do not use contracted pronouns after the prep: nan, *pou, san, sou.
7. This is for you.
Sa se pou ou.  (Do not say:  Sa se pou w.)

8. I'm going without you.
Mwen prale san ou. (Do not say:  Mwen prale san w.)

9. Put your hand on it.
Mete men w sou li. (Do not say:  Mete men w sou l.)

10. Believe in Him.
Kwè nan li. (Do not say: Kwè nan l.)

*There's one instance when Creole speakers may have a contracted pronoun after the preposition "pou".  This would be when "pou" is used as conjunction and is equivalent to: "in order to", "so that" "to" "due to".

1.  Call me so that we can talk.
     Rele m pou n ka pale. (you may contract the pronoun that comes after "pou" if you wish)

2.  Open the door so that I may enter.
     Ouvè pòt la pou m ka rantre.

3.  In other to be saved, you must believe in Him.
     Pou w sove, fòk ou kwè nan Li.

4. He needs to wear his glasses to drive.
    Li bezwen mete linèt li pou l kondui.

5.  Turn up the volume  so I can hear.
     Monte volim nan pou m ka tande.

6. I will ask her to do this for me.
    Ma mande l pou l fè sa pou mwen.
Other Creole contractions

"map, wap, lap, nap, yap" means what in Creole?

map or m'ap are contractions for mwen ap
wap or w'ap are contractions for ou ap
lap or l'ap are contractions for li ap
nap or n'ap are contractions for nou ap
yap or y'ap are contractions for yo ap

Subject pronoun + ap is an indication for progressive or future tense.

Examples:
M'ap manje.
I am eating

L'ap dòmi.
He/she is sleeping.

N'ap wè ou pita.
We will see you later.

Y'ap danse paske yo kontan.
They're dancing because they're happy.

W'ap kondi twò vit.
You're driving too fast.

Let (in Creole). Is it "an" or "kite"

Let → kite, lèse (from the French "laissez".  You may be familliar with the term "Laissez Faire")

Let me in.
Kite m antre. or
Lèse m antre.

Let me watch this.
Kite m gade sa.

Let me go.
Kite m ale.

Let me help you.
Kite m ede ou.

Let us help you.
Kite nou ede ou.  or
Kite n ede ou.

She let him do whatever he wants.
Li kite l fè nenpòt sa li vle.

They let us eat whatever we want.
Yo kite nou manje nenpòt sa nou vle.

I will not let you go.
Mwen pap kite w ale.

Don't let anyone bring you down.
Pa kite okenn moun atriste w.

Don't let that bother you.
Pa kite sa anniye w.

Don't let him see you.
Pa kite l wè w.


Let us or  Let's...
Let's → an nou, ann, or an'n. (ann or an'n are contractions for "an nou")

Let's walk.
An nou mache. (uncontracted)
Ann mache. (contracted form.  Sometimes you'll see "ann" or "an'n)

Let's go.
Ann ale.

Let's hurry.
An nou fè vit.

Let's talk.
An'n koze.

Let's not tell him about that.
An nou pa di l sa.

Let's not leave that alone.
Ann kite sa.

Do I have to use the contraction "w" or can I always use "ou?"

No, you don't have to always use the contraction "w".You can always use "ou" if you feel safe with it for now.

If you hang around Creole speakers, listening to their diction all the time, you'll automatically pick up the usage of "w" and "ou", eventually.

Kenbe la!

Keep it up!

☺

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is it like an english that if you are writing something more formal you don't use conjugations, you would use "ou" instead of "w" ?

Actually you could use contractions as long as you follow the rules.

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Some Creole Contractions

m contraction for mwen (i, me, my)
w contraction for ou (you, your)
l contraction for li (he/her, him, his)
n contraction for nou (we, our, us)
y contraction for yo (they, their, them) (Contraction only used with subject pronoun "they")


Rule 1:  When placing contractions after a word, place them only after words that end with a vowel.
Example:
Koute m. → Listen to me
Mwen konprann ou. (Instead of: Mwen konprann w) → I understand you.
Sa se manman m. (the word "manman" ends with nasal vowel "an") → This is my mother.
Sa se liv nou. (instead of: Sa se liv n) → This is our book.
Chyen an te mòde l. → The dog bit him.


Rule 2:  Do not place contractions after the prepositions: sou (on), nan (in,at), and pou (for).
Example:
The coffee spilled on me.
Kafe a tonbe sou mwen.
(instead of: kafe a tonbe sou m.)

This gift is for her.
Kado sa se pou li.
(instead of: Kado sa se pou l.)

Believe in me.
Kwè nan mwen.
(instead of: Kwè nan m.)


Have ever seen these contractions in a sentence?
k contraction for ki (who, that)
p contraction for pa (negative marker)
t contraction for te (past tense marker)

Example:
1. Sa'k pase?
(instead of: Sa ki pase?)
What's happenning?

2. Mwen p'ap chante.
(instead of: Mwen pa ap chante.)
I will not sing.

3. Mwen t'ale wè yo.
(instead of: Mwen te ale wè yo.)
I went to see them.


Some contractions for a few Creole words:
al contraction for ale (to go)
vin contraction for vini (to come)
fin contraction for fini (to complete)
konn contraction for konnen (to know)
ka, kab contraction for kapab (to be able)

Examples of some sentences in which contractions are used.  See if you can translate them.  Scroll down for answers.
1. Mwen t'al wè w.  Ou pa't la.
2. Ede m pote malèt la. Mwen p'ap ka pote l pou kont mwen.
3. Poukisa w'ap meprize m konsa?
4. Papa n rete Ayiti.
5. Y'ap pale avè n lè yo pare.











1. I went to see you.  You weren't there.
2. Help me to carry the suitcase.  I won't be able to carry it on my own.
3. Why are you ignoring me?
4. Our dad lives in Haiti.
5. They will talk to us when they're ready.

when do you use "ave" and when to use "ak" or "avek"?

avèk and its contractions: avè, ak, and sometimes a are used interchangeably.

You can say:

you and I

ou menm ak mwen

ou menm avè mwen or

ou menm avèk mwen or

or

I'm going with you.

Mwen pral ak ou. or

Mwen pral avè ou. or

Mwen pral avèk ou.

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Using "va" instead of "pral" in the Haitian Creole future tense

va → to be going to

"pral" is used to indicate the future tense in Creole.
"va" is also used to indicate the future tense in Creole.
Example:
Mwen va pale avè li. - I will talk to her.
Ou va wè li demen. - You will see him tomorrow.
Nou va wè demen. - We will see you tomorrow.


Contractions of subject pronouns and "va"
Sometimes you will encounter the contracted form a subject pronoun and "va".

Mwen va is contracted to ma, m'a

ou va is contracted to wa, w'a
li va is contracted to la, l'a
nou va is contracted to na, n'a
yo va is contracted to ya, y'a

Example:
Mwen va kontan wè w. or
M'a kontan wè w.
I will be happy to see you.

Nou va wè pita. or
N'a wè pita.
We will see each other later.

You jou, nou va konprann pouki.  or
Yon jou, n'a konprann pouki.
One day, we'll understand why

Si ou etidye, ou va pase egzamen an. or
Si ou etidye, w'a pase egzamen an.
If you study, you will pass the exam.

Kilè mwen va wè w?  or
Kilè m'a wè w.
When will I see you?

I have such trouble hearing how to say the "w" at the end of the sentence. It means "ou"?

Yes.
"w" is the contracted form of Haitian Creole "ou".

Part1

"w" or "ou" both translate the words 'you, your, and yours'

Examples:

papa ou - your father

papa w - your father

M renmen ou - I love you

M renmen w - I love you

Ou ap dòmi. - You're sleeping.

Wap dòmi. - You're sleeping.

Sa se pa ou la. - This is yours

Sa se pa w la. - This is yours

Part 2

Haitian Creole speakers often use "w" instead of "ou" in writing and speaking.

"w" comes after words that end with nasal and non nasal vowels only.

Examples:

manman w - your mother

kò w - your body

chapo w - your hat

M rele w - I call you

Nou kwè w. - We believe you.

Part 3

"w" does not come after words that end with a consonant.

"ou" is used instead.

Examples:

pitit ou - your child

tèt ou - your head

machin ou - your car

pawòl ou - your word

M konprann ou - I understand you

Part 4

Examples:

Listen to the "ou" and "w" sound after the words in the list below.
Feel free to repeat after me.

Click on the play button and listen:
1. Papa w - your father

2. Kò w - your body

3. vwazen w - your neighbor

4. kabann ou - your bed

5. liv ou - your book

6. M ekri w - I write to you

7. M renmen w. - I like you.

8. M konprann ou. - I understand you

9. Sa se manman w. - This is your mom.

10. Lave figi w. - Wash your face

See other lessons with "OU" and "W"

Learn more about Nasal and non nasal vowels

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