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Monday, December 10, 2012

What does konsa Means?

Konsa (from French comme ça for like this/like that) basically means like this, like that, in this way

See the following links:
konsa in this way, in this manner
konsaso, thus

some examples:

1. Pa chita konsa. Li pa bon pou kolòn vètebral ou.
    Don't sit like that. It's not good for your spine.

2. Se konsa yo ye.
    It's like that they are.
    That's how they are.

3. Poukisa ou fache konsa?
    Why are you angry like that?
    Why are you so angry?

4. Se konsa.
    It's like that.
    That's how it is.

5.Yo di konsa lanmou se pou tout tan.
   They say like that love is a forever.
   They say love is forever.

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

When was creole invented?

Invented?  It would seem to make more sense if you said envante in Creole... Wouldn't it?
This sentence would then sound like "How did it come to be?" rather than "Who came up with the formula and when did that happen?"
Why was any type of Creole necessary?  and especially Haitian Creole, how did it unify groups of people from different backgrounds who came to have a common goal? It's a story of courage and determination....
Check out these books from the links below.  I think the first two, you can read for free on Google Books
Creolization
Defining Creole
Agency in the Emergence of Creole languages

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

kijan mwen pral beswen tande ou moun kap pase mwen nan betiz. translate for me please

kijan mwen pral beswen tande ou moun kap pase mwen nan betiz.
Kijan mwen pral bezwen tande yon moun k'a pase m nan betiz?
How am I going to listen to someone who's poking fun at me?
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

"ing" at the end of sentence...like "They wanted to tell me what they were thinking."

1. "They wanted to tell me what they were thinking." 
     "You te vle di m sa yo t'ap panse."

2. She was just sitting there crying.
    Li te jis chita la, ap kriye.

3. I'm thinking of you.
    M'ap panse ak ou.

See link to posts about progressive forms

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

Kisa wap fè ak kowosòl yo anvan?

Kowosòl se youn nan bon fui w'ap jwenn nan peyi Ayiti.
Si lè'w keyi l, li toujou wòwòt (unripe), ou kapab toufe li (cover and keep it warm to ripen it) ak kèk papye jounal pou l ka vin mi (ripe).
Granmoun kou ti moun jwi benefis fèy kowosòl yo bay.  Yo itilize l pou fè te (tea) pou grip.  Yo itilize te sa a tou pou bay ti bebe ki gen kolik e ki pa ka dòmi leswa. Gen moun ki bouyi fèy kowosòl la, enpi yo benyen ak dlo a. Gen lòt ki fè konpress pou maladi tèt ak fèy yo.  Po kowosòl la gen anpil fib (fiber) ladan l.  Lè w'ap fè ji blende (smoothie), ou kapab blende enpe nan fèy yo tou.  Sa ede w pouse manje nan trip (intestines) ou trè byen.  Ou p'ap bezwen redi lè ou prale alasèl.
An Ayiti, yo sèvi ak kowosòl anpil pou fè ji blende ak krèm.  Mwen poko janm goute yon ji ki bon tankou kowosòl.
Lè ou fin sèvi ak kowosòl la, ou kapab plante grenn yo pou nou grandi plis pye kowosòl toujou.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

did you ever watch languichatte? do you know what happened to all the characters, languichatte himself, azibe, melanie, etc.?

Yes I watched it regularly in Haiti.
The character Languichatte (Theodore Beaubrun) died some time in the late 1990s.  I think he had Parkinson disease.
Theodore Beaubrun was the spokesperson in many commercials on Haitian TVs.
He played in other Haitian films and pyesèt.  He was the one who played Simidò in the film Gouverneurs de La Rosée in the mid 1970s (1974 or 1975?)
The character Melanie (Ginette Beaubrun) who played Languichatte's servant was actually his wife in real life.
Matout, the character that played Languichatte's wife did a lot of theater work in Haiti and overseas many years after Mr. Beaubrun's death.
The characters who played  Melanie, Mantout and Azibe had reunited and did some plays together (I think in New York or Miami).
You might be able to find some of their work on Youtube
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Zefè

zefè (from French effets for things) → belongings, papers, stuff, things, also effect, result
zafè (from French affaires for things) → things, personal things, business

1.  Eske ou te pote tout zefè w avèk ou?
     Did you bring all your belongings with you?
     Did you bring all your paperwork with you?

2. Eske medsin nan fè zefè deja?
    Did the laxative take effect already?
    Did the medication work already?
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Sunday, December 9, 2012

Lè madanm di mwen "se moun ki pa annafè ki domi byen", kisa li te vle di?

Sa madanm nan di an se sa wi. Moun ki annafè dòmi ak yon je ouvè, yon je fèmen; kè yo pa janm poze; Lè y'ap mache yo toujou ap voye je gade dèyè; nenpòt ti bri fè yo sote.

annafè se lè w achte zafè moun san w pa peye, lè w nan kèk biznis ki pa legal, lè w pa mezire zafè w nan bon ti mamit, lè zafè'w pa kòrèk, lè w fè twòp zewo tounen nèf, etc...
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

I have learned the word "glo" in the Pimsleur HC course. I know the word "dlo" also. It seems to me that "dlo" is used more though. I prefer "glo", am I wrong?

The word "dlo" (from French , eau, d'eau or de l'eau for water) is more widely used throughout Haiti.

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

Saturday, December 8, 2012

Hi, is it possible for a non-creole speaker to dream that he's speaking perfect Creole and understand every single word spoken?

O O!
1. I truly don't know how I would know the answer to this question.
2. Isn't everything possible in dreams?
3. I am curious... Did the dreamer understand everything he/she said while dreaming?   Or  Did the dreamer replayed the dream once he/she woke up and understood everything then?  If that happened, I would say that the dreamer has a gift.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Thanks for Sharing! I thought it was pretty funny!

"Toto tèlman fokè, yon jou li deside konvèti pou'l ka batize pou'l kite tout (fokèsite).  Lè pastè a ap batize misye, li plonje tèt misye nan dlo a epi pastè a di misye konsa: Apre de jodi a ou pa rele Toto ankò, ou rele Jean Baptiste, ou vin yon lòt moun, ou pa menm sa'w te ye avan, e tout peche'w yo efase, pa gen bwè byè ankò, pa gen al nan pwogram ankò, 2, 3, 4 fanm, alkòl, tout bagay sa yo fini pou ou... Link to Toto fokè to read the rest.

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

what is the response to sak ap me? map boule?

I have never heard people ask it like that before...
I know you can say:
Sa k'ap mennen?
Sa k'ap fèt?
Sa k'ap pase?
Sa k'ap regle?
etc...

...and yes, the response could be M'ap boule.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Friday, December 7, 2012

I have noticed that the HC word "dejennen" sounds like "dejenne" instead. Is this correct? Mesi, Kreyol Lwiziyen

Yes, Haitians say dejene, dejnen, or dejennen.
These words are variations.  You can use whichever one.  They all mean breakfast.

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

How to say: "If you take this medicine, you will feel better" ?

If you take this medicine, you will feel better
Si ou pran medikaman sa, ou va santi w miyò.
or
Si ou pran medikaman sa, ou va santi w pi byen.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

How do you say "hundreds of thousands"? Like "For the hundreds of thousands of former renters living hunched under tents..."? Thanks Mandaly

hundreds of thousands → santèn de milye

"For the hundreds of thousands of former renters living hunched under tents..."? 
"Pou santèn de milye ansyen lokatè k'ap viv tou kwense anba tant yo..."

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