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Wednesday, March 23, 2011

should be

should be - ta dwe

example:

you should be happy - ou ta dwe kontan
I should be there - m ta dwe la
the car should be red - machin nan ta dwe wouj

pronouns

RIP Liz Taylor - Repoze an Pè

RAP: Repoze an pè  - Rest in peace

kòdoleyans bay tout fanmi ak fanatik ou yo -Condolences to your family and your fans.

what does gwo jou mean?

gwo jou - big day
"gwo jou" is a significant day in your life. Days such as your wedding day, graduation day, day you met someone special, etc...
Haitian people also say, "gran jou".

What is life about?

Asking questions with what.

Kisa lavi a ye? - what is life?
De kisa lavi a ye? - what is life about?

Kisa sa ye? - what is this?
De kisa sa ye? - What is this about?

Kisa wap di? - what are you saying?
De kisa wap pale?- what are you talking about?
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So, what is life about?
I think life is about the quest for finding out what life is really about.  We may never find the answers in this lifetime, if we did, how else would we occupy our minds? But we do have moments of clarity about what life is certainly not about.
what do you think life's about?

Tuesday, March 22, 2011

Love and peace to you!

Love and peace to you! - Rete nan lanmou ak lapè!

Peace to you!

Peace to you! - Lapè avè w ! (or)

Peace to you! - Rete ak lapè!

I am thinking of you!

I am thinking of you! - Map panse ak ou!

be happy

Be happy! - Se pou kontan!

smile

smile - souri

put a smile on your face - mete yon souri sou figi w

Is it 'Bonjou' or 'Bonswa'? Which is more appropriate?

Bonjou or Bonswa?
bonjou! - good morning! (say it anytime before noon)
bonswa! - good afternoon! and good evening! (say it any time after noon up until midnight)
bònn nwi! - have a good night! ( say it to wish someone a good night)

Mesye, madanm,  or madmwazèl?
mesye - mister (title for married and unmarried men)
madanm - Mrs. (title for married women.  They are called by the last name of their husband)
madmwazèl - Miss (title for unmarried women)

Silvouplè or Tanpri?
Either one is good to use when you want to say 'please'.
Example:
Ban m yon ti dlo silvouplè  -give me some water please
Ban m yon ti dlo tanpri - give me some water please

Kijan, kouman, or kòman?
All three words mean 'how'
Use them interchangeably. 
Example:
kouman ou ye? - how are you?
kijan ou ye? - how are you?
kòman ou ye? - how are you?

ki kote, kote, or kibò?
All three words mean 'where'
Use them interchangeably.
ki kote ou ye? - where are you?
kote ou ye? - where are you?
kibò ou ye? - where are you?

ki moun, kiyès, or kilès?
All three words mean 'who'
Use them interchangeably. 
Example:
kimoun ou ye? - who are you?
kilès ou ye? - who are you?
kiyès ou ye? - who are you?

timoun, tipitit, or pitit?
all three words mean 'child'
timoun nan - the child
ti pitit la - the child
pitit la - the child

How long does it take to learn the Haitian Creole language?

How long it takes depends mainly on your reason and motivation for learning it.  And that's true for all languages.

plate

plate (a dish for food) - plat or asyèt
example:
yon plat manje - a plate of food
yon asyèt manje - a plate of food
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plate (flat or thin piece of metal) - plak
example:
plak machin nan - the car's tag

If you won a million dollars what would you do with it?

This is never going to happen to me. So why plan on it?

Ask me anything

le maten le soley leve,se kok la mape tann chante,pou madanm pote kafe pou mwen,se le sa lape di mwen,yereswa mwen pa domi,tout lannwit la kok la ap chante,ay mwen pa kapab anko,edem kriye edem rele,kokoriko...

This looks like a lyric to a song...

"When the sun comes up in the morning, the rooster crows for my lady to bring me coffee. She says she did not sleep well last night, 'cause all night the rooster crows ----- I can't any more, help me...."

Well this is definitely a song. I wish i could hear the music though.
Don't you think roosters make the nicest alarm clocks?
I didn't mind them during my school days in Haiti, except that sometimes they'll crow all day long.  God bless them.