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Tuesday, November 20, 2012

bon sa wap di konsa ou neg sa?

yeah, somebody is talking nonsense?

Bon sa w'ap di konsa nèg sa?
What is this man talking about?
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

how do you say clove for baking?

what's a way to say "a fraction of a percent" like a kreyol saying about how it's such a small amount?

a small or minute amount
yon ti kraze
yon ti kras
yon ti tak
yon ti krabinay
yon ti pense
yon ti priz
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

let's make fun of someone (in Creole)

Sounds like someone who's looking for trouble.

make fun of
pran plezi ak
ridikilize
pase nan betiz 
pase nan tenten

Let's make fun of him.
Ann pran plezi avè l.
Ann pase l nan tenten.

Why are you poking fun at me?
Poukisa w'ap pase m nan tenten?

Stop making fun of me?
Sispann pase'm nan betiz.
Sispann pran plezi avè m.

Can you tell then to stop poking fun at me?
Eske ou ka di yo pou yo sispann pran plezi avè m?

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

kijan sa tradwi: diyite yon moun pi enpotan ke tout richez?

Diyite yon moun pi enpòtan pase richès.
A person's dignity is more important than his wealth.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

i don't understand haitians. they tell u you can't say yon moun ap radote but they say it. they tell you don't say yon moun anraje but they say it. help??

I don't think anyone has the right to tell you what you should and should not say.
You should call them as you see them .... always :)

Si yon moun ap radote, ou DWE di l'ap radote.
Si yon moun ap aji tankou yon moun anraje, ou DWE kite l konn sa.
and the world might just be a better place.

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


Monday, November 19, 2012

I am making a photo book for our son-to-be that we would like to send to him in Haiti. Could you verify if the following words would be correct for identifying certain pictures? Haitian Creole Word: English Word: Fanmi Family Papa Daddy Manman Mom

Yes they are.  You got them right.

Fanmi (family)
papa or papi (daddy)
manman or manmi (mom)
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words


how do you say self sacrificing spirit

a self-sacrificing spirit
yon lespri ki konn fè abnegasyon
yon lespri ki prèt pou sakrifye tèt li
yon lespri totalman devwe
or
yon lespri charitab

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

what does bedled means?

I think you mean bèt lèt (ugly monster, ugly beast)
I hope someone did not call you that.  Some Haitians use it in "name calling"
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

We give thanks ... (in Creole)

We give thanks..
Nou bay remèsiman...
Nou di mèsi...
Nou bay aksyondegras...

We give thanks for his love
Nou bay remèsiman pou lanmou li
N'ap di mèsi pou lanmou li
Nou bay aksyondegras pou lanmou li.

On this Thanksgiving day, we give thanks for our family
Nan jounen Aksyondegras sa, nou bay remèsiman pou fanmi nou.

We give thanks for all you had done, and all you continue to do.
Nou bay aksyondegras pou tout sa ou te fè, e sa w'ap kontinye fè.

We give thanks for our health.
Nou di mèsi pou lasante nou.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

May you have a Happy Thanksgiving celebration.

Happy Thanksgiving (in Haitian Creole)
Pase yon bon jou Aksyondegras.

May you have a Happy Thanksgiving celebration.
Se pou ou pase yon bon fèt Aksyondegras.

Thanksgiving day
Jou Aksyondegras la

thanksgiving n. (the action of giving thanks) aksyondegras.

We offer you thanksgiving and praise.
Nou ofri ou aksyondegras ak lwanj

Thankful
Thank you

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

Help w/ last two sentences and "silotèks": "Medizan, malpalan Bòs pentirè. Okipasyon l se mete yon kalte gwo kouch penti nwa sou bout planch silotèks. Apre, li pran pik, tonbe fè chimen, tras nan mas penti a. Depi premye jou m wè bòs pentirè ap travay, m

medizan → slanderer, gossiper, defamer
malpalan → backbiter, someone who spreads malicious rumor/gossip
bòs pentirè → painter, such as a house painter
planch silotèks → type of lumber used to make benches 

Okipasyon l se mete yon kalte gwo kouch penti nwa sou bout planch silotèks.
His job is to apply a large layer of black paint on pieces of silotèks wood.

Apre, li pran pik, tonbe fè chimen, tras nan mas penti a.
Afterwards, he takes a pick, starts to trace a path in the blob of paint.

Depi premye jou m wè bòs pentirè a ap travay, ...
Since the first day I saw the painter work, ....

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

Can you wake him up? (wake → leve or reveye?)

Does "reponn" usually take "bay"? Like "Li poko reponn ban m" rather than "Li poko reponn m"? Can you list some verbs than usually take "bay?" (Also, does the following make sense, "M ka konprann lè moun pale kreyòl si yo pa pale tenkantenk.")

BAY is used after certain H. Creole verbs as if it was the preposition TO.
You'll see it used with the following verbs:

1. Vire do → abandon, turn away, turn one's back.
    Mwen santi Bondye vire do ban mwen.
    I feel that God has turned his back to me.

2. Pote → to bring, to carry
    Pote liv la ba li.
    Bring the book to him.

3. Ouvè → to open
    Tòk Tòk tòk... Ouvè pòt la ban mwen!
    Knock knock... open the door for me!

4.  reponn → to reply, to give an answer
    "Li poko reponn ban'm"
     "He has not yet replied to me."

5. Kriye → to cry
    Pinga w vin kriye ban mwen lè w tonbe nan tchouboum.
    Don't come crying to me when fall into a mess.

 See this link:
Verb BAY acting as a preposition

Next..............................

Yes, you can say Li poko reponn mwen (with MWEN instead of the contraction "M").  We don't use contractions after a consonnant.
example:
You can say.
Mwen prale avèk li.
but you cannot say
Mwen prale avèk l.

See Contractions after consonants or vowel.

Next............................

Tekantenk → equivalent, reciprocal, give and take, measure for measure, eye for eye, teeth for teeth

 "M ka konprann lè moun pale kreyòl si yo pa pale tenkantenk."
tenkantenk, in this sentence, seems to mean word for word, exact match of a word.  Whatever comes after this sentence may determine the meaning precisely.
"I can understand that when someones speanks Creole if they don't speak word for word"

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