Please explain 'Jezu ou devan m dèyè' uttered by a group of people in unison on our way to a mission trip. Thanks

Jezi ou devan, m dèyè
Jesus you are in front, I'm behind you
Lord, lead and I'll follow
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Do you know of any Advanced Haitian grammar / textbooks? Thank you!

Albert Valdman's Ann Pale Kreyòl (book and audio) is a good one
The most complete that I know of.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Hello, I reviewed the exercise on adjectives, is there any rule to make it easier to recall which adjectives typically go before the noun and which ones go after? Or is it just a matter of memorizing them?

The group of adjectives that come before a noun are few.
So, you could memorize the ones in that group.
I am posting this list here.  If anyone out there knows of any more Haitian Creole adjectives that's usually placed before a noun, please add them to the comment section and I'll bring them to this post.  Thanks
I'll be sure to add some more as I think of them.

all                            tout                                                      

any                         nenpòt                

bad                        move                    

big                          gwo                      

good                      bon                       

great                     gran                                                     

humongous        katafal                

last                         dènye                   

many                    anpil

old                          vye

other                     lòt

pretty                    bèl         

same                     menm

several                  plizyè

small                     ti (not, piti)

huge                      gwo

young                   jèn

some                     kèk

Shane WendelSeptember 10, 2012 11:25 AM

I've seen it stated generally holds true that the following categories come before the noun:

Size (Big, small, humongous)
Order (First, second, last)
Number (one, two, three, some, many, few, all)
Beauty (beautiful)
Age (young, old,)
Goodness (good, bad, great, evil)

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

ti jwèt?

Ti jwèt → little game, little games, or small toy

egzanp:

1. Nou pa dwe kite timoun piti jwe ak ti jwèt piti.
2. Mwen pa renmen ti jwèt sa yo w'ap jwe avè mwen.

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

moune kap gade bet kijan yo rele

Yo rele yo gadò, oubyen gadè bèt
Gadinaj oubyen gadinay se metye gade bèt la.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Sa Sa Ye La, Mandaly :)

Men wi :)

Sa sa ye la?
Ki koze sa?
Ki bagay sa?
Ki pawòl sa?
Ki tenten sa?

☺ Are there any additional ways to say this?
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Saying ALL OF US in Creole, Is it TOUT NOU? How about 'all of us are excited that you've arrived safe' . thanks.

All of us → Nou tout or Nou tout la

1. All of us are excited that you've arrived safe.
    Nou tout kontan ou te rive an byen.

2.  All of us are praying for you.
     Nou tout la ap lapriyè pou ou.

3.  He's always been there for all of us.
     Li te toujou la pou nou tout

4.  This is for all of us.
      Sa se pou nou tout la.  
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

How would you write, " I am a child of God"?

I am a child of God.
Mwen se pitit Bondye.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

How would you translate the followings in Creole: Project Overview: Step 1 Step Deadline Task Task Deadline Thank you

Project Overview → Plan Pwojè a An Granmanchèt or Plan Jeneral Pwojè a
Step 1 → Etap 1 
Step Deadline → Dat Limit Pou Etap Yo
Task Deadline → Dat Limit Pou Travay La

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

I do not understand "nan bay" in this sentence: "Nou wè Bouki ak Malis k ap fè lago nan bay yonn lòt ti bwa kenbe."-Zig Lavi, 57

...nan bay → ... in giving

Now, bay bwa kenbe (literally give someone a stick to hold) and sometimes bay yon bwa long kenbe (literally give someone a long stick to hold) is an expression that usually means to scorn, to repudiate, or to reject someone.
...Or the author may just have this literally...

Nou wè Bouki ak Malis k'ap fè lago nan bay yonn lòt ti bwa kenbe.
We see Bouki and Malis playing hide-and-seek in giving each other a little stick to hold.

So this could also have a non-literal meaning: 
We see Bouki and Malis taking turn in mocking / ridiculizing each other

or... :), the fè lago part may be making reference to this cat and mouse game that Bouki and Malis usually plays.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

It's about time

1. 
Li lè li tan 
Li te lè, li te tan
It's about time

2.
Lè a rive.
It's time.

3.
Lè a rive pou m ale.
It's time for me to go.
It's time to go.

4.
Lè lè a rive, m'ap di w sekrè a.
When the time has come, I'll tell you the secret.

5.
Li poko lè.
It's not time yet.

6.
Li poko lè w.
Se poko lè w.
It's not your time yet.

7.
Lè w poko rive.
Lè pa w poko rive.
Your time has not yet come.

8.
Lè m poko rive.
Lè pa m poko rive.
My time has not yet come.

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

Truly, Really, For real!

Click here to download the audio in this post :)
Click here to download…

To listen to this audio, click on the play button and follow along :)

 

Bonjou tout moun! Kouman nou ye?  M'espere tout bagay anfòm.

How do you say the words truly or Really in Haitian Creole?
Vrèman → truly
Reyèlman → really
Reyèlman vre → truly, really

tout bon →   adv: really, truly, genuinely; adj: true, real

tout bon vre → adv: really, truly, genuinely; adj:real, true

pou debon (or pou tout bon)  → (from French Pour de bon)  for real, really

1.  Sa se yon zanmi tout bon.
     This is a real friend.

2.  Eske se tout bon?
     Is it true?

3. Men wi se tout bon!
     Of course it's true!

4. Eske li malad tout bon?
    Is she really sick?

5. Eske ou renmen'm tout bon?

    Do you really love me?

6. Eske li te di sa tout bon vre?
    Eske li te di sa tout bon?   
   Did he really say that?

7. Sa rive tout bon vre.
    Sa rive tout bon.
    It really happened.

8.  Eske se tout bon Beethoven te soud?
     Is it true that Beethoven was deaf?

Pou debon (poudebon) or Pou tout bon (also used) → for real

9. Fwa sa a l'ale pou debon.  
    Fwa sa a l'ale pou tout bon.
    This time he's gone for real.
    This time he's really gone.
   
10. Se pou debon m'pale wi. (notice nuance in my voice b/c of the WI emphasis :)
       Se pou tout bon m'pale wi.
       I'm for real.
       or
       I'm not joking.

Se te tout pou jodi a. Mèsi anpil anpil. Pase yon bon jounen e orevwa.

Track: Sa Sa Ye la by Pokito and Jean P. JAM

Lyrics

Sa sa ye la?  e e! what is this?

Sa sa ye la? o o! what is this?

Ou vini lakay mwen you come to my home

Mwen byen resevwa’w I received you well

M te konnen te genyen lanmitye I thought there was friendship

Bay tout  kay la pou ou Give the whole house to you

Fè’w santi ou se lafanmi make you feel like family

Epoutan ou vin pou kontwole however you came to control things

Ou di se zanmi’m you say you're my friend

Tout chanm, tout lasal pou ou all bedrooms, all living rooms at your disposal

E poutan anyen’w pa laverite however nothing of you is the truth

Aprezan m’vin jennen now I’m in a bind

M’al frape nan pòt ou I go knock at your door

Ou, poutan, pran mwen  a kout pye you, however, kick me out

Ou di m p’ap sa pase  you say I can’t come in

Pou jan m konnen For how I know

M fè byen pou ou I did good deeds for you

Sonje kou lè’m vin frape nan pòt ou remember when I come knock at your door

Ede’m fè sa  help me do this

Meprize scorned

Maltrete mistreated

Imilye humiliated

Gade sa’w fè look at what you did

Ou pa ta fè’m sa You should not have done this to me

Sa’k ta di sa who would have said that (or who knew?)

Pou jan’m goumen pou ou I fought so much for you

M pa ta kwè sa I would not have believed it

Ou fè mwen sezi you surprise me

Se lèzòm That’s man (that's the human way)

 O Bondye papa! Oh God!

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

I need the Creole translation for: “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” ~Ephesians 2:10 Can you help me? Thank you!

Se Bondye ki fè nou ak  men'l, Li te kreye nou nan Jezi kri pou nou kapab fè bon zèv ke li te prepare davans pou nou te fè.  
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

What does "foultank" mean? "Foultank nan prezans manman m" - title of Chapter IX "Zig Lavi"

This word foultank or foul tank is derived from the English full tank.
The author might say this of someone who's being brash, cheeky or defiant (as in a full tank of explosive gasoline ready to explode). That's the only thing I can come up with.
Creole speakers do say Foul tank mwen → Fill up my car
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Is the creole verb BAY (to give) used as the preposition TO sometimes? as in: Pote liv la BAY papa'w (bring the book TO your father)? I see this often...

Yes.  In these sentences it will translate prepositions like TO (or IN THE CARE OF), TOWARD, and sometimes FOR

1. Pote liv la bay papa'w.
    Bring the book to your father.

2. Pote liv la ban mwen.

    Bring the book to me.

3.  Pote'l ba yo.
     Bring it to them.

4. Pa vin kriye ban mwen.

    Don't come crying to me

5. Kite l ban mwen.  M'ap regle li.
    Leave it to me. I'll take care of it

6. Lonje** bebe a ban mwen. 

    Hand the baby to me.

    Hand me the baby.

lonje ba, lonje bay, or lonje ban → to hand over
Lonje papye a ban mwen → hand me the paper
Lonje kle a ba li → give him the key

7. Mwen te santi Bondye te vire do ban mwen.
    I felt as if God turned his back on me.

8.  Travay sa te ouvè anpil pòt ban mwen.
     This job opened many doors to me.

9. Paulette lage machin li a bay travayè yo, pou yo kab pote sak siman yo.

    Paulette left her car to the workers, so that they can carry the bags of cement.

10. Tanpri voye liv la ba yo pa lapòs.
     Please send the book to them by mail.

     Please send them the book by mail.

   

11. Mwen pa konprann pati sa.  Esplike'l ban mwen.

      I don't understand this part.  Explain it to me.

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