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Sunday, January 6, 2013

I have heard people use kina or kin a. I was told that people from Cap-Haïtien or Okap uses this variant. It is the possessive pronoun and adjective. Can you make a comparison between kina(Okap's version) and pa(standard version) in all persons?

People from the North also use "kin an mwen" or "kinan'm" to indicate that a person is close, dear or special to them. I would not call it an adjective or pronoun.  I would just say that it's possessive indicator or marker until the Haitian department of education says otherwise.

They don't just use this expressive form with the word "kin", they use it with other words too.
examples:
Sa se kay an mwen.→ This house is mine
Sa se pitit an mwen.→ This child is mine
Sa se pitit a ou?.→ Is this your child?
Ayiti, se peyi an nou. → Haiti is our own.
Sa se kin an mwen.→ This is mine. This is my buddy, This is my chum

kin an mwen (pa mwen or pa'm)mine
kin an ou (pa ou or pa'w)yours
kin a li (pa li or pa'l) his, hers
kin an nou (pa nou or pa'n)ours
kin a yo (pa yo)theirs

But, you should leave it to the kapwa to talk like that.  It's THEIR way, not ours. Sometimes, when we try to talk like them, it might appear as if we're making fun of them.

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"Si ou pa vle ede m, ma fout fè afè m poukò m" what is that second part, can't get it from google translate.

Google translate works best if you eliminate contractions... I think :)
Anyways, he or she sounds pissed.

Si ou pa vle ede m, ma fout fè afè m poukò m
If you don't want to help me, I'll frickin do it myself.

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kisa ki pi bon pou itilize "kom sa dwa" or "kom sa dwatet"

Ou kapab itilize toulede.  Mwen menm, mwen itilize kòmsadwa plis pase kòmsadwatèt.  M'espere ou va konprann tou de mo yo se varyasyon yo ye.
Kèk egzanp:
1. Depi nouvo prezidan Iran an monte sou pouvwa, li sanble tout bagay ap mache kòmsadwa.
2. Semèn k'ap vini an, m pral  wè yon doktè paske m pa santi m kòmsadwa.
3. Nan epòk Divalye, eleksyon peyi d Ayiti pa't janm fèt kòmsadwatèt.

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Saturday, January 5, 2013

Tell them to leave me alone (is it di yo lese mwen pou kont mwen)

leave me alone (as in not to bother me?)
Tell them to leave me alone.
Di yo pou yo lese m anrepo.
Di yo pou yo kite m anrepo.

leave me alone (as in to leave me by myself?)
They left me alone in the house.
Yo kite m pou kont mwen nan kay la.
Yo kite m sèl nan kay.

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51? Where is that exactly? "pèmanant nan 51 ou"?

You know I have not been able to exactly pinpoint its location, but I have an idea :)
It's the same story as the terms fyèl, biskèt, dengonn. ....Ask a Haitian to locate them on their body :) 

First of all, It's not 51, it's fiftiwann.
Secondly, most Haitians would agree that your fiftiwann is definitely your buttocks.

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what is the Tea Leaf ”sene” in english

sene (sene ti fèy, ti sannit?) → senna (there are many different types).  Their uses differ some.

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How does one translate the Future Progressive? Does the tense marker 'pral' express both 'will be + present participle' and be going to' in English? Examples, "I am going to be studying." and "He will be studying at the library tonight."

Sometimes, there's not much difference between the simple future and the future progressive
You could use ap, a pralpral, va, or ava alone or you may add the progressive indicator "ap" depending on the situation.

1.  "I am going to be studying."
     "Mwen pral ap etidye."

2.  "He will be studying at the library tonight."
     "Li pral ap etidye nan bibliyotèk la aswè a."
     
3.  Come pick me up.  I will be waiting for you inside the shop.
     Vin chache mwen.  Mwen va ap tann ou anndan magazen an.

4. I won't be able to drive home.  I'll be drinking beer all night. 
    Mwen p'ap ka kondi al lakay mwen.   M'pral bwè byè tout sware a.

5. Be careful.  They will be watching your every move.
    Fè atansyon.  Y'a pral suiv chak pa ou fè.

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How does one translate the Future Perfect? Examples, "By next November, I will have received my promotion.", "By the time he gets home, she is going to have cleaned the entire house.", "I will have been in London for six months by the time I leave."

Much like the future tense.

1. "By next November, I will have received my promotion."
     "Lè novanm rive, m'a gentan resevwa pwomosyon mwen."

2. "By the time the guests arrive, she will have cleaned the entire house."
    "Ditans pou vizitè yo rive, l'ava netwaye tout kay la."

3. "I will have been in London for six months by the time I leave."
    "M'ava gen si mwa nan vil Lond anvan mwen kite."

4. By the time I return to Haiti, you will have forgotten me.
    Distans pou m tounen Ayiti, w'a bliye m.

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How does one translate the Present Perfect Progressive? Examples, "She has been working at that company for three years.", "She has been watching too much television lately.", and "Lisa has not been practicing her English."

Much like the present continuous form:

1.  "She has been working at that company for three years."
     "L'ap travay nan konpani sa a depi twazan."

2. "I notice that she has been watching too much  television lately."
     "Mwen remake ke l'ap gade twòp televizyon tou dènyeman." 

3. "Lisa has not been practicing her English."
     "Lisa pa ap pratike Angle li."

4. I have been trying to help you all these times.  But it seems that you don't understand that.
    Se eseye m'ap eseye ede w tout tan sa a.  Men sanble ou pa konprann sa.

5. I've been living in this neighborhood for twenty years.  I've never seen anything like this.
    M'ap viv nan katye sa a pou ventan.  Mwen pa janm wè yon bagay parèy.

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How does one translate the Present Perfect? Example, "The government has become more interested in arts education." Another example, "I have been to France." Last example, "I have seen that movie six times in the last month."

Pretty much like Haitian Creole's past tense (using the paste tense indicator "te").  Don't be surprised if natives omit that "te" sometimes.

1. "The government has become more interested in arts education."
    "Gouvènman an te vin pi enterese nan edikasyon travay atistik"

2. "I have been to France."
     "M te vizite peyi Lafrans." 
     "M te vwayaje an Frans"
     "Mwen te fè ti pase an Frans."
       or
      "Mwen t'ale nan peyi Lafrans."

3. I have not received your letter yet.
    Mwen poko resevwa lèt ou a.

4. "I have seen that movie six times in the last month."
     "Nan mwa pase a, m te wè fim sa a sis fwa."

5. I have seen what hatred can do. And it's not a beautiful thing at all.
    Mwen wè sa rayisman ka fè.  E se pa yon bagay ki bèl ditou.

6.  Have you lost your mind?! 
     Eske ou pèdi tèt ou?!

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Friday, January 4, 2013

How does one translate the Past Perfect Progressive? Example, "Betty failed the final test because she had not been attending class." Another example, "Jason was tired because he had been jogging."

Use the combination te (past tense indicator) + ap (progressive form indicator)

1.  Betty failed the final test because she had not been attending class.
     Betty te echwe nan dènye egzamen an paske li pa t'ap prale nan klas.

2. "Jason was tired because he had been jogging." 
      Jason te fatige paske li te ap kouri.
     Jason te fatige paske li t'ap kouri.

3. She had been talking to her friends when she collapsed.
     Li te ap pale ak zanmi l yo lè li te pèdi konesans.
    Li t'ap pale ak zanmi l yo lè li te pèdi konesans.

4.  If you had not been crying, they would have never found us.
     Si ou pa t'ap kriye, yo pa ta janm jwenn nou.

5.  If you had been watching the baby instead of talking on the phone, all this would not have happened.
     Si ou t'ap veye bebe a angiz ap pale nan telefòn, tout sa pa ta janm rive.

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How does one translate the Past Perfect? Is it with Te or not? Are there are ways of expressing this tense? Example, "She only understood the movie because she had read the book." Another example, "We had had that car for ten years before it broke down."

Past perfect is expressed with "te"

1.  "She only understood the movie because she had read the book."
     "Li te konpran fim nan senpleman paske li te li liv la."

2. "We had had that car for ten years before it broke down."
    "Nou te gen machin sa a pou dizan anvan l te vin pran pàn."

3. If you had not been there, I don't know what I would have done.
    Si ou pa te la, m pa konn sa m ta fè.

4. I had waited for about two hours when she finally decided to show up.
    Mwen te tann pou dezèdtan konsa lè li te resi deside pou l parèt.

5.  We had never seen anything like this.
      Nou pa't janm wè yon bagay konsa.

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what does ki es ki te di ou sa? mean

I think you mean:
Kiyès ki te di ou sa?
or
Kilès ki te di ou sa?
or
Kimoun ki te di ou sa?
Who told you that?

Lòt egzanp:
Kilès ki te rakonte w istwa sa a?
Kiyès ki te envite w?
Kilès ki te di w pou w vin la a?

Kimoun ki di w ou te toutouni?


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Yuca (root vegetable?) in Creole

I go to church this morning

Do you mean "I went to church this morning" → M t'al legliz maten an.

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