M genyen yon kesyon gramatikal. M ap li yon liv ki rele "Epi yon jou konsa tèt Pastè Bab Pati." Gen yon fraz (paj 48)"..otorite sou katye a te reyini ap jwe kat, bay blag, epi bwè gwòg yo." Yo itilize "ap" aprè yon vèb. Eske sa gen sans? Kisa sa vle di?

Mezanmi o!  Tit liv sa a long :)
Li sanble yon liv trè enteresan.

Konsènan kesyon ou an, mwen ta renmen ou gade plasman 'AP' nan yon lòt fason.
Pa panse yo mete 'AP' apre vèb reyini,
Men, panse pito yo mete 'AP' anvan vèb jwe, bay blag, ak bwè .

look at it this way:
Otorite | sou katye a | te reyini |  ap jwe kat  | ap bay blag |epi | ap bwè gwòg yo.
The big shots on the neighborhood got together playing cards, giving jokes, and drinking their beer.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Is, I believe it is "manman-ou pi gran pase gran-n ou" an insult or something bad? I know it means the mother is older than the grandmother, but that can't be right... thanks.

Well, you're right about the translation.
Manman'w pi gran pase grann ou means that your slip is showing.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Your blog is fantastic, thanks for doing it. Have you ever thought of uploading your audio lessons to itunes as a podcast? thanks smile ask

Mèsi anpil :)
No, I haven't really thought of that.  Maybe one day I might.
Chapo ba!

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

Moun ki chache pwoteksyon bo kote BD ki anwo nan syel la, moun ki rete kache anba zel BD ki gen tout pouvwa a...tanpri esplike "bo kote" na vese sa...does it mean person who searches for protection close to God? Mesi anpil!!

Wi.  Ou kòrèk.  Tradiksyon ou egzak.

Bò kote (literally around the sides) means close to, beside, nearby, alongside
Haitian Creole speakers will use the following words to say near, next to, or close to: bò, bò kote, bò kot, pre, tou pre.
Please see this audio post which includes bò kote
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

beautiful things → bèl bagay
so many beautiful things → anpil bèl bagay
too many beautiful things → twòp bèl bagay
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

King → wa
King David → Wa David
king of the castle → wa chato a
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

How do you say..today is my birthday...in creole?

2 comments:

1. 
   AnonymousAugust 9, 2012 4:50 PM

   How do you say.today is my birthday...in creole?

   ReplyDelete
   Replies

   
   MandalyAugust 9, 2012 5:05 PM
   Today is my birthday.
   Jodi a se jou fèt mwen.
   
   Haitian Creole speakers also say:
   Jodi a se anivèsè nesans mwen
   or
   Jodi a se fèt mwen.
   Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

i have seen the word "koze" used what seems like 15 different ways... can you tell me some of the ways it is used

Yes :)
The word koze can mean so many different things in Creole, and it is used in hundreds of expressions too.

Koze n., in Haitian Creole, can be translated as: chatter, dialogue, story, situation,  business, personal affairs, gibberish, double talk, baloney, crap, blah-blah, dispute, etc...

Using koze in a sentence:

1.  Mwen gen yon koze pou'm di'w.
     I have something to tell you.

2.  Koze lanmou sa se tèt chaje!
     This affair of love is a headache!

vye koze can mean filth, dirty talk, offensive language, obscenities, sexual stuff

3.  Chak fwa mwen wè Nancy, se vye koze sèlman li vle pale.

     Every time I see Nancy, she only wants to talk about obscenities.

Koze, as verb, can mean to chat, to talk, to talk gibberish, to court a woman

4.  Frantz gen dezan depi l'ap koze ak Myrlene.  Yo resi renmen.

     Frantz has been courting Myrlene for two years.  They're finally going out.

And, here are some expressions with koze that you will hear often.
5. Ki koze sa?
    What the hell is this?
     What is this?

6. Men koze papa!
    There it goes.
    Oh no, there it goes.

7. Nan ki koze mwen ye la?
    What did i get myself into?

8. Vin tande yon koze
    Come and listen to this

9. Se gwo koze
    It's a big deal

10. Ala de koze!
      Ala de koze papa!
      What baloney!
      What nonsense!


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

se sa ki fe...eske se lot jan mwen met di se poutet sa? Li sanble li vle di nan angle: it is what is doing?? Mwen pa byen konprann.

Wi zanmi'm, ou kòrèk.

Se sa'k fè (se sa ki fè) is yet another way to say That is why.
It literally means It's what that makes :)

Here, below, is a link to an audio post about the many ways to say That is why.
Take a look:
Many Ways to Say That is Why

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

Sa zye' pa we, tse pa ka-fe' mal

You have this in an older Creole form.

We generally say this proverb as:
Sa je pa wè, kè pa tounen. 
What the eyes don't see cannot make the heart queasy.
or
You cannot feel queasy about what your eyes haven't seen.

The idea is about "Ignorance is bliss."
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

"Ou konn sa w ap kite; ou pa konn sa ou pral jwenn." What is the thought behind this proverb?

Ou konn sa w'ap kite, men ou pa konn sa'w pral jwenn.
You know what you're leaving behind, but you don't know what you will find.

Haitians also say:
Ou konn kote'w soti, men ou pa konn kote'w prale.
You know where you've been, but you done know where you going.

Both sentences are the same ideas.  They're about not knowing what the future holds.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

poutet...kisa mo sa vle di nan fraz la: Se poutet sa...

se poutèt sa ... → that is why ..., that is the reason why, it's because of that (literally)

poutèt (on its own) means because, because of

example:
Mwen malad.  Se poutèt sa mwen pa't ale travay.
I'm ill.  That's why I didn't go to work.

Yo grangou.  Se poutèt sa y'ap kriye.
They're hungry.  That's why they're crying.

or check this out :)

Y'ap kriye poutèt manje.
They're crying because of food

Li kite travay la poutèt timoun li yo.
She left the job because of her kids.

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

pou kont....pou kont ou, pou kont li, pou kont mwen....I understand this to mean for yourself, her/himself, myself...I thought ou menm, li menm, mwen menm was yourself, her/himself, myself?? Can you use either?

You are right about ou menm, li menm, etc... meaning yourself, him/herself

Pou kont ... in Creole translate by self, which means alone.

pou kont mwen (literally on my own account) - by myself
pou kont li - by himself
pou kont nou - by ourselves
Example:
Li te aprann kondui pou kont li.
She learned to drive by herself (She learned to drive on her own, with no help)

Li te kite timoun yo nan kay la pou kont yo.
He left the kids in the house by themselves (alone, with no supervision)

See these helpful links:
Alone, unattached, by oneself
Mwen menm, ou menm - myself, yourself?


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

Se pou nou renmen tout bon vre...it is for us to love (all good true)??? I struggle only knowing the literal translation sometimes...what it this saying in the context of the Creole language? Mesi Mandaly!!

Dakò :)

Se pou ... denotes obligation, duty, requirement
example:
Se pou ou vini wè mwen. 
You must come see me.

Se pou yo netwaye kay la anvan yo pati.
They should clean the house before they leave.

notice how the subject is placed after SE POU.
See more on SE POU link

Tout bon vre means for real, for good, genuinely, truly
see link for posts on tout bon vre

Se pou nou renmen tout bon vre...
You must love for real... (literally)

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

Mwen pa konpran mo la: piga. Nan vese sa li di: Pitit mwen yo, piga nou renmen selman nan bouch, nan bel diskou ak bel pawol. Kisa mo sa piga vle di? Mesi anpil :)

Piga or pinga means don't, do not (used when giving advice or a warning)
See link to posts about PINGA
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words