how to write "very nice of you"

It's very nice of you. - Ou fè byen. or

It's very nice of you. - Ou trè janti, Se trè janti.

You are very kind. - Ou trè janti.

You are very nice. - Ou trè janti.


It's very nice of you to clean the church - Ou fè byen pou netwaye legliz la.
Thank you, it's very nice of you. - Mèsi, ou trè janti.

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How can I ask a child if he or she needs to go the restroom?

Do you need to go to the restroom? - Eske ou bezwen ale nan twalèt?

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mandaly, can you translate "it's all talk and no action."?

It's all talk and no action. - Tout se pale met la.

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Look at ...Look for

Link to download audio clip: http://limanecasimi.audioacrobat.com/download/7a149fd1-376f-822e-4512-6cf6f9fa7d90.mp3




Bonjou Mezanmi!
Hello friends!

Look at - gade
look for - chèche, chache

Look at:

1.  Map gade ou.
     I am looking at you.

2.  Lap gade ou.
     He/ She is looking at you.

3.  Gade sa ou fè.
     Look at what you did.

4.  An nou gade verite a.
     Let's look at the facts.

5.  Kisa wap gade?
     What are you looking at?

Look for:

6. Kisa wap chèche?
    What are you looking for?

7. M tap chache ou.
    I've been looking for you.

8. Map chache yon travay.
    I'm looking for a job.

9. Eske ou jwenn sa ou tap chache a?
    Did you find what you were looking for? 

10. Non, m pa jwenn sa m tap chache a.
      Non, I didn't find what I was loooking for.

or short answer for #10.

10. Non, m pat jwenn li.
      No I did not find it.

Mèsi, se tout pou jodi a, e orevwa!
Thanks, that's all for today, goodbye!

Track: Pa fè mwen la penn o.

"When" as conjunction

We’ve asked questions with “when” before.
But what about “when” as a conjunction?

Sometimes “when” stands for as soon as, whenever, considering that, or at the time that, etc…
How do we translate it to Haitian Creole?

When - lè

Example:

1.  Call me when you get there.
     Rele m lè ou rive.

2.  When mom’s happy, the whole house is happy.
     Lè manman kontan, tout kay la kontan

3.  When there’s love, there’s pain.
     Lè gen lanmou, gen doulè

4.  I was in the car when I heard the news.
     M te nan machin nan lè m tande nouvèl la.

5.  When you have money, you have respect.     
     Lè ou gen lajan, ou gen respè

6.  When you got no money, you got no friends.
     Lè ou pa gen lajan, ou pa gen zanmi.

For Creole, click here.

Pou kreyòl, peze bouton sa.

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I was wondering what Mayi ak lepim (or legim) is in english.

Mayi ak legim - yellow corn meal with legumes.

'Legumes' in Haiti is a mixture of vegetables (eggplant, chayote, carrots, spinach, watercress) cooked with meat.

'Mayi' is sometimes considered food of the poor.

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gen lafos (gen la fos?) - Have strength? Be strong?

Yes.
Gen lafòs - to have strentgh.

You can also say,

Gen fòs - to have strentgh.

'fòs' is derived from the french word 'force'. 'lafòs' comes from the french word and its article 'la force' which means 'the strentgh'.

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Does the word "affair" in Haitian Creole command the same expression as in English?

For the most part, yes.

Haitian Creole word for 'affair' is 'zafè'
As in English it stands for personal business, business matters, personal concern, an engagement or an organized function. It could mean romantic or sexual relationship, but it does not imply extramarital relation.
example:

Yo fè zafè. - They're involved (romantically)

Sa se zafè pèsonèl mwen. - That's my personal business.

Zafè m pa bon. - Things are not going well for me.

Maryaj la te yon gwo zafè. - The wedding was grandiose.

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"It's good work to give education to children."

Se byen pou edike timoun yo.

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I love him too

m renmen li tou

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How do you express perfect tenses (have done, had done) in Creole? With 'te'? Adverbial expressions?

In Haitian Creole, we continue to use 'te' in past and perfect tenses.
*It's important to note that it's not uncommon for Haitians to omit the 'te' in past or perfect tenses, and speak of the past as if it was the present.

I have spoken to her. 
Mwen te pale avè l.

We've told her about it.
Nou te di l sa.

I had tried to help them, but they refused my help.
Mwen te eseye ede yo, men yo refize sipò mwen.

I have been here since 6 o'clock. - Mwen la depi sizè. (without "te")
I have been here since 6 o'clock. - Mwen te la depi sizè. (with "te")

He has done a terrible thing. - Li fè yon move bagay.
He has done a terrible thing. - Li te fè yon move bagay.

Thank you for all you've done. - Mèsi pou tout sa ou fè.
Thank you for all you've done. - Mèsi pou tout sa ou te fè.

I have been waiting for you for 2 hours. - M te ap tann ou pou dezè d'tan.

Has she been sleeping all that time. - Eske li te ap dòmi tout tan sa?

We know how you feel, we had been there. - Nou konnen kijan ou santi ou, nou te la tou.

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Are you well? You looked sad last week.

Are you well? - Eske ou byen?- Eske w santi w byen?

You looked sad last week. - Ou te sanble tris semèn pase.

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What you do is what you see.

Sa w fè se li w wè

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What are some useful Creole superlatives - eg. "fantastic", "awesome", "great"?

expressions:

Bèl bagay! - Wonderful, Awesome

Se gwo koze! - Wonderful!, Awesome!

Fòmidab! - Wonderful!

Enkwayab! - Incredible!

Anfòm kou bas! - Great!, Excellent!

Efreyan! - Scary!, Frightening!, Ugly!

Chokan! - Shocking!

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