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Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Is there a traditional protestant pre-meal blessing in Haiti that you could share?


Unfortunately no, we do not have a traditional pre-meal blessing.
Here's a few that I got from a couple of pastors:

"Senyè, beni repa sa a, e sa yo ki te prepare li.
Aprann nou pataje ak sa yo ki pa gen anyen.
Se konsa nou priye Amèn."

"Senyè, nou mande’w pou beni manje sa nou pral manje a.
Nou resevwa li ak anpil gratitid.
Ede sa yo ki grangou kapab jwenn manje tou
Nan non Jezi, Pitit Ou. Amèn"

"Bondye, mèsi pou manje ou ban nou an.
Beni sila yo ki te prepare li.
E bay sila yo ki pa genyen tou
Nan non Jezi nou priye’W. Amèn"

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

Attach the AED pads to the victims bare chest.


Tache tanpon AED yo sou po kòf lestomak viktim nan
or
Plake tanpon AED yo sou po kòf lestomak viktim nan.

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

Don't worry about it


Don't worry about it.
Pa enkyete'w pou sa.
Pa okipe'w de sa.
Pa trakase'w pou sa.

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Monday, September 3, 2012

What does "bat ba" mean? Some context: "Lesèk tonbe. Gazon sèch... Zèb ginen bat ba. ... Lesèk bat ba." Zig Lavi pg 49

bat ba → to give up, to surrender, to quit
zèb ginen → type of wild grass, tough grass, or  "true grasses" which can survive very hot climates real well.

Lèsèk tonbe → drought has come , or the dry season has come
Gazon sèch.... →  The grass (lawn) has dried out, or the grass had died
Zèb ginen bat ba. → The zèb ginen have given up, or stopped growing, or succumbed to the heat?
lèsèk bat ba ... →  The dry season has surrendered

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

How to say: "We got married in July!"

Nou te marye nan mwa Jiyè! (We got married in July)
Nou te marye nan mwa Jiyè a! (We got married in the month of July!)
Nou te marye an Jiyè! (We got married in July!)
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Tale is a contraction of te + ale past tense marker "te" plus the verb "to go" ale. So which is the correct way to say "I went to Haiti" because I've seen it done several ways! 1.) Mwen te Ayiti. 2.) Mwen te ale Ayiti. 3.) Mwen tale Ayiti.

Don't forget that the H. Creole ale can be contracted to al also.
I went to Haiti.
Mwen te ale Ayiti.
Mwen t'ale Ayiti.
Mwen t'al Ayiti.
and you can contract the subject pronoun mwen.  So that makes six different ways to say that sentence in Creole :)

now,
Mwen te Ayiti would translate I was in Haiti.
You'll either see it as:
Mwen te Ayiti
or
Mwen te an Ayiti.
both above sentences are correct to translate I was. in Haiti
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Can "Sousi" mean something other than eyebrow? A creole book has the question "Eske Bondye gen sousi pou ou toutbonvre?" and the english version say's "Is God really interested in you?" Does sousi mean something else to or is that an expression?

Yes, it does mean translate to something other than 'eyebrow'
sousi (from the French noun souci - worry or care; and the French verb soucier - to care about, to worry about)

sousi n → care, concerns
sousye v. → to care for, to be interested in
gen sousi pou → to care for

1. Eske Bondye gen sousi pou ou?
   Does God care about you?

2. Mwen gen anpil sousi pou ou.
    I care a lot about you.

3.  Moun sa yo pa sousye de anyen.
     These people don't care about anything.
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Sunday, September 2, 2012

I'm wondering about how to use an adjective modifier on a groups of nouns such as "your Christian brothers and sisters" without having to repeat the adjective.

Place the modifier (adj.) before or after the groups of nouns according to the rules of the adjectives in Creole

1. your Christian brothers and sisters
   frè ak sè Kretyen ou yo

2. your Ameriken brothers and sisters
   frè ak sè Ameriken ou yo.

3. your big brothers and sisters
    gran sè ak frè ou yo

4. I saw your little brothers and sisters during my trip.  They are fine.
   Mwen te wè ti frè ak sè ou yo pandan vwayaj mwen.  Yo byen.

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how to say i hope it went well

I hope it went well.
Mwen espere sa te pase byen.
Mwen espere li te pase byen.
M'espere l'te pase byen. (with contractions)

I hope everything went well.
Mwen espere tout bagay te pase byen.
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can i see you tonight?

Can I see you tonight?
Eske mwen ka wè'w aswè a?
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Which is the best way to translate 'lift high, lift it real high', do i say 'leve li anlè' or 'leve li wo'? thanks

Lift it high, lift it real high.
Leve'l wo, leve'l byen wo (lift it up high)
Leve'l anlè, leve'l anlè nèt (lift it in the air)
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Saturday, September 1, 2012

Kisa vle di 'gen dwa'? Mwen wè li anpil nan liv istwa mwen. Mwen panse li vle di 'HAVE RIGHTS', men mwen vle konfime sa avè ou.

Wi, sa'w panse a se sa. (Yes, you're right)

Ou gen dwa itilize gen dwa pou di: have permission, be allowed to, may, have the right to.  Tankou egzanp sa yo:

1.  Eske yon moun gen dwa monte avyon avèk yon boutèy dlo nan valiz li sèjousi?

2.  Ou pa gen dwa kondi machin san lisans.  Si'w fè sa lapolis va arete'w.

3. Lalwa Etazini di yon komèsan nan yon magazen pa gen dwa vann alkòl bay yon moun ki poko gen 21 ane.

4.  Anvan ane 1900, fanm pa't gen dwa pou yo vote.

5.  Ou gen dwa vin lakay mwen nenpòt lè ou vle. M'ap toujou akeyi'w.
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You seem to use the Creole "refè" to mean 'healing'. Could that also be used to translate 'redo', as in "please, redo the work."?

Yes.
refè (intransitive verb)to recover, to recuperate, to be improved health-wise
example:
1. M'ap rete avè'w jouk lè ou refè.

2.  Depi manman'l te mouri a, li te tonbe malad.  Malerezman li pa't janm refè.

3.  Si ou vle refè, ou dwe pran tout remèd yo jan doktè a te preskri yo.

refè (transitive verb) to redo, to do over
example:
4. Bòs la te bay yon travay ki te sitèlman gwosomodo, nou te oblije peye yon lòt moun pou refè li.

5. Si ou pa refè tout devwa ou yo, ou p'ap pase klas la.

6. Poukisa ou te refè twati kay la?  Eske li te koule?
   

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

are being verbs like am is and are just skipped in Creole?

"In writing"? as in 'Can you give me your word in writing?'

In writing alekri, sou paye

Can you give me your word in writing?
Eske ou ka ban'm pawòl ou alekri?
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