December → desanm
He was born in December.
Li te fè nan mwa desanm.
I'll be back in Decenmber.
M'ap tounen an desanm.
Her birthday is in December
Fèt li se an desanm.
Friday, November 4, 2011
Sak gen la
Sa'k gen la?
What's going on here?
What's going on here?
Other ways to say "what's going on here?"
What's going on here?
Sa k genyen la?
Sa k'ap pase la?
Sa k'ap fèt la?
The letter "k" in the above sentences is a contraction for Creole relative pronoun "ki".
wap vin la
W'ap vin la?
You're coming here?
You're coming here?
The letter "w" in "W'ap" is a contraction of Haitian Creole pronoun "ou".
I live *far* to the north and west of Haiti. At what kind of markets do you suggest looking for djon-djon, and by what name should I ask for it?
Ask for "dyondyon"
The best place to find dyondyon in Haiti is in the outdoor produce markets, usually very crowded on Wednesdays and Saturdays depending on your location.
Some dyondyon are fresher (and cleaner) than others. Look for the ones with a rich darkish color.
party time
Party time → lè fèt, tan fèt, tan banbòch
It's party time!
Se lè fèt!
Se tan fèt!
Se tan banbòch!
It's time to party
Se lè pou fete (pronounced fay-tay)
Se tan pou fete (pronounced fay-tay)
Se tan pou banboche (pronounced buh-beau-shay)
Let's party!
An nou banboche!
An nou pran plezi nou!
An nou fete!
Let's have a party.
An nou fè yon fèt.
Let's have a party.
An nou fè yon fèt.
It's pure delight!
It's euphoria!
Se banbòch nèt!
Se fèt!
12 reasons why you shouldn't ignore the accents in Haitian Creole
Do you sometimes forget to put the accents on the letters in Creole?
Or, if you're like me, you can't figure out how to type an accented character on a Blackberry or an Android phone.
Nevertheless, a letter which is usually accented would be imperfect and naked if the accent is omitted.
It is like writing an undotted "i", or an uncrossed "t".
The accented letters in Haitian Creole, and I imagine in other languages too, are pronounced very differently than their non-accented counterparts. Check out these letters in the alphabet song and listen to the variance in sound: Haitian Creole alphabet song.
Here are some links on how to create accented characters on your PC.
Windows ALT KEY codes
French accents codes
Making accent marks on your computer
Compare these twelve accented Haitian Creole words below and their non-accented counterparts. See how their definition is very different
1. bo → kiss (n.), kiss (v.)
1. bò → side, border, edge
2. fo → fake (n.)
2. fò → strong, skilled
3. klete → to lock (v.)
3. klète → clarity, brightness
4. me → the month of May
4. mè → mother, nun
5. ke → tail
5. kè → heart
6. te → tea
6. tè → earth, soil
7. po → skin (n.)
7. pò → port, dock (n.)
8. ne → knot
8. nè → nerves
9. manto → coat, cloak
9. mantò → liar
10. vole → to fly
10. vòlè → burglar
11. twaze → to look down on
11. twazè → 3 o'clock
12. pan → peacock
12. pàn → failure, mishap, trouble
Or, if you're like me, you can't figure out how to type an accented character on a Blackberry or an Android phone.
Nevertheless, a letter which is usually accented would be imperfect and naked if the accent is omitted.
It is like writing an undotted "i", or an uncrossed "t".
The accented letters in Haitian Creole, and I imagine in other languages too, are pronounced very differently than their non-accented counterparts. Check out these letters in the alphabet song and listen to the variance in sound: Haitian Creole alphabet song.
Here are some links on how to create accented characters on your PC.
Windows ALT KEY codes
French accents codes
Making accent marks on your computer
Compare these twelve accented Haitian Creole words below and their non-accented counterparts. See how their definition is very different
1. bo → kiss (n.), kiss (v.)
1. bò → side, border, edge
2. fo → fake (n.)
2. fò → strong, skilled
3. klete → to lock (v.)
3. klète → clarity, brightness
4. me → the month of May
4. mè → mother, nun
5. ke → tail
5. kè → heart
6. te → tea
6. tè → earth, soil
7. po → skin (n.)
7. pò → port, dock (n.)
8. ne → knot
8. nè → nerves
9. manto → coat, cloak
9. mantò → liar
10. vole → to fly
10. vòlè → burglar
11. twaze → to look down on
11. twazè → 3 o'clock
12. pan → peacock
12. pàn → failure, mishap, trouble
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Best way to translate "legitimate" in: Are all your papers legitimate?
Legitimate → anrèg ( from French: En règle which means valid, in order)
Are all your papers legitimate?
Eske tout papye ou anrèg?
Others words that translate legitimate in Creole: bon, anfòm, kòdyòm, otantik, kòrèk
Are all your papers legitimate?
Eske tout papye ou anrèg?
Others words that translate legitimate in Creole: bon, anfòm, kòdyòm, otantik, kòrèk
what is a "famine" in kreole?
famine → grangou, famin
hunger → grangou (n.)
hungry → grangou (adj)
Grangou is used as adjective and noun.
example:
I am hungry
Mwen grangou.
There was a great famine throughout the whole region.
Te gen yon gwo grangou nan tout rejyon an.
"to lead" as in: "to lead a life"
To lead → mennen
She lead a peaceful life.
Li t'ap mennen yo vi pezib.
They lead a miserable life.
Yo t'ap mennen yon vi mizerab.
She lead a peaceful life.
Li t'ap mennen yo vi pezib.
They lead a miserable life.
Yo t'ap mennen yon vi mizerab.
I want to go somewhere where nobody knows me, where i would have freedom to be myself.
Translating that...
Mwen vle ale nan yon plas kote okenn moun pa konnen mwen, kote ma va gen libète pou m devni nenpòt sa mwen vle.
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