Haitian Creole

Thursday, March 15, 2012

Mwen swete mwen te konnen kisa w dwe fe

Mwen swete mwen te konnen kisa w dwe fè.
Mwen swete m te konnen sa w dwe fè
I wish I knew what you should/must do.

Ask me anything

will i see you tomorrow

Will I see you tomorrow?
Eske m'a wè w demen?
Eske m' va wè w demen?
Eske m'ap wè w demen?

Ask me anything

Do whatever you want but don't hurt anyone

hurt? (frape, blese, touye?) - The word hurt here could be anything.

I wish I knew the gist of this conversation. It would have inspired me to translate it better.
I'll try anyway :)

Do whatever you want but don't hurt anyone

Fè nenpòt sa w vle, men pa mete okenn moun an danje. (do not put anyone in danger?)
Fè nenpòt sa w vle men pa al mete okenn moun nan traka. (Do not trouble or upset anyone?)
Fè nenpòt sa w vle, men pinga m tande kriye sèlman. (I better not hear any cries)
Fè nenpòt sa w vle men pa al lage tèt ou nan pwoblèm. (Don't get yourself in trouble)

Ask me anything

pronounce Ti Moune

timoun or ti moun (tee-moon) → kid, child

Ask me anything

reburk

Reburk?
Did you mean rebuke?

Rebuke → reprimande, rale zòrèy, kritike

Ask me anything

What does wap gentan konen mean

Same as "W'ap konn Jòj."

Ask me anything

Wednesday, March 14, 2012

What do Ban bagay mean

ban is bench
bagay is thing
ban bagay → bench thing (doesn't make much sense)

Could it be "bon bagay" which means "good things"?

Ask me anything

"sharp" -- a blade, a needle, and a chastisement

a sharp blade → yon jilèt file, yon razwa file
a sharp knife → yon kouto file
a sharp needle → yon zegui pwenti, yon zegi pwenti
a sharp chastisment → yon pinisyon sevè
a sharp voice → yon vwa pike
a sharp turn → yon vire tou sèk
a sharp pain → yon doulè atwòs, yon doulè tranchan

also

a sharp tongue → lang anmè, lang file, lang malveyan

Ask me anything

how do haitians express pain?

Haitians are not shy about screaming "anmwey! Woy!" when they are in physical or emotional distress. But we cannot put everyone in ONE basket. Women tend to be more vocal than men, I've noticed. Still everyone, Haitian or not, express pain in their own unique way.

Ask me anything

how do you say "i didnt know all of you guys spoke creole" in creole

I didnt know all of you guys spoke creole
Mwen pa't konnen nou tout te pale Kreyòl.

I didnt know you guys spoke creole.
Mwen pa't konnen nou te pale Kreyòl.

Ask me anything

"I don't use an ice-pick; I use a tray to make cubes of ice."

Ice-pick → pik, pik pou kase glas, pik a glas
ice tray → plato pou fè glas
ice cubes → glas, glason

I don't use an ice-pick.
Mwen pa itilize yon pik.

I use a tray to make cubes of ice
Mwen itilize yon plato pou fè glas yo.

Ask me anything