kaka bèf (in name calling) means two-faced, hypocrite, someone who's deceitful
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Wednesday, January 9, 2013
Do you know why Haitians do not keep brooms inside a house?
As far as I know, brooms are kept behind a door and usually hanged upside down at night. My aunt Jeanne was superstitious and I think she believed that the broom would get a mind of its own at night and start sweeping. But she was from Arcahaie. I do not know if it was the same for other regions. In Haiti, and I'm sure, as in other countries there are so many superstitious beliefs about brooms: you can't walk across it, you can't sweep someone's feet, there are times where you shouldn't use an old broom, you can use your broom and a white sheet over your well to "see" supernatural things, etc... So it's no wonder some people might think that it's not just a "simple" piece of house equipment.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
I'm curious about "then" at the end of the sentence... for example "Will you be home then?" or "Can you talk then?" Alternatively, "at that time" instead of "then" might work? Would it be "nan lè sa?" or "nan tan sa" maybe?
Haitians primarily use lè sa a or lò sa a (which means at that time, by then), and yes they sometimes say nan lè sa.
Kèk egzanp:
Will you be there then?
Eske w'ap la lè sa a?
Can you talk then?
Eske w'ap ka pale lò sa a?
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Kèk egzanp:
Will you be there then?
Eske w'ap la lè sa a?
Can you talk then?
Eske w'ap ka pale lò sa a?
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
And this expression, I'd like to know more about it: Mwen pote ou sou do m enpi w ou di m ou pile teta.
M pote'w sou do'm, enpi ou di'm ou pile teta.
I carry you on my back, and then you tell me you stepped on a tadpole.
basically this means:
I know more than you.
I'm in a better position to make knowledgeable decision here.
This is my turf, my domain, my call.
If you really think about it, "If i carry you on my back" how would you know what the ground feels like, or how could you step on anything?
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
I carry you on my back, and then you tell me you stepped on a tadpole.
basically this means:
I know more than you.
I'm in a better position to make knowledgeable decision here.
This is my turf, my domain, my call.
If you really think about it, "If i carry you on my back" how would you know what the ground feels like, or how could you step on anything?
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Houngan ba w pwen an, li pa di w monte kokoye san kenbe
Mèsi :)
Sa se yon bèl ekpresyon Kreyòl Ayisyen.
Houngan an ba w pwen, li pa di w monte kokoye san kenbe.
The voodoo priest gives you a charm, but he doesn't tell you to go up a coconut tree without holding tight.
So I guess you really can't blame the voodoo priest if you fall off. The voodoo priests never give refunds :)
This basically means to always be safe and take precautions no matter how invincible you may feel.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Sa se yon bèl ekpresyon Kreyòl Ayisyen.
Houngan an ba w pwen, li pa di w monte kokoye san kenbe.
The voodoo priest gives you a charm, but he doesn't tell you to go up a coconut tree without holding tight.
So I guess you really can't blame the voodoo priest if you fall off. The voodoo priests never give refunds :)
This basically means to always be safe and take precautions no matter how invincible you may feel.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
I have heard my mom said "te mèt sa". What does that means and in what context is it used in? Also, are there other expressions with the same meaning as the one above?
te mèt sa (Li te mèt sa)
or
menm si se te sa
or
menm si se ta sa
or
tout menm
or
malgre sa
even so
even if it was so
nonetheless
egzanp:
Pa di m ou pèdi tout lajan m nan yon paryaj. Te mèt sa, ou dwe ranbouse mwen li.
Don't tell me you lost all my money in a bet. Nonetheless, you must reimburse me.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
or
menm si se te sa
or
menm si se ta sa
or
tout menm
or
malgre sa
even so
even if it was so
nonetheless
egzanp:
Pa di m ou pèdi tout lajan m nan yon paryaj. Te mèt sa, ou dwe ranbouse mwen li.
Don't tell me you lost all my money in a bet. Nonetheless, you must reimburse me.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Mwen moun...., Ou moun kibò? explain...
Mwen moun ...
I am from....
Where are you from?
you can ask that, using moun, different ways:
Kibò ou moun?
Ki kote ou moun?
Se moun kibò ou ye?
-Ou moun kibò?
-Mwen se moun Gonayiv.
-Where are you from?
-I'm from Gonayiv.
-Se moun kibò ou ye?
-Moun New Jersey wi
-Where are you originally from?
-from New Jersey.
Mwen pa moun isit.
or
Mwen pa moun isi.
I'm not from here.
Mwen pa moun bò isit. Mwen se moun nan nò.
I'm not from around here. I am from the north.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
I am from....
Where are you from?
you can ask that, using moun, different ways:
Kibò ou moun?
Ki kote ou moun?
Se moun kibò ou ye?
-Ou moun kibò?
-Mwen se moun Gonayiv.
-Where are you from?
-I'm from Gonayiv.
-Se moun kibò ou ye?
-Moun New Jersey wi
-Where are you originally from?
-from New Jersey.
Mwen pa moun isit.
or
Mwen pa moun isi.
I'm not from here.
Mwen pa moun bò isit. Mwen se moun nan nò.
I'm not from around here. I am from the north.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Depi kèk tan...
Depi kèk tan → for some time
Depi yon bon bout tan → for quite some time.
1. Kijan manman w ye? Mwen pa wè l depi kèk tan.
How's your mom? I haven't seen her for some time.
2. Depi kèk tan m'ap priye, men bagay yo pa janm chanje.
For some time now I've been praying, but things haven't changed.
3. Mwen pa kwè w'ap jwenn ray tren Ayiti ankò. Yo te retire yo depi yon bon bout tan.
I don't think you'll find any railroad tracks in Haiti anymore. They removed them quite some time ago.
4. Depi yon bon bout tan ma'p reve pou m ale Itali. Jodi a se jou pou rèv mwen vin reyalite.
For quite some time I've been dreaming of going to Italy. Today is the day my dream comes true.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Depi yon bon bout tan → for quite some time.
1. Kijan manman w ye? Mwen pa wè l depi kèk tan.
How's your mom? I haven't seen her for some time.
2. Depi kèk tan m'ap priye, men bagay yo pa janm chanje.
For some time now I've been praying, but things haven't changed.
3. Mwen pa kwè w'ap jwenn ray tren Ayiti ankò. Yo te retire yo depi yon bon bout tan.
I don't think you'll find any railroad tracks in Haiti anymore. They removed them quite some time ago.
4. Depi yon bon bout tan ma'p reve pou m ale Itali. Jodi a se jou pou rèv mwen vin reyalite.
For quite some time I've been dreaming of going to Italy. Today is the day my dream comes true.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Jwe pezemen? in English
Jwe pyezemen → do one's best, try very hard, do whatever possible
1. Madanm nan te jwe pyezemen pou l fè timoun li yo rantre a letranje.
The woman did her best to bring her kids overseas.
2. Ou te jwe pyezemen pou yo revoke m nan travay la.
You did everything possible so that I would be fired me from the job.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
1. Madanm nan te jwe pyezemen pou l fè timoun li yo rantre a letranje.
The woman did her best to bring her kids overseas.
2. Ou te jwe pyezemen pou yo revoke m nan travay la.
You did everything possible so that I would be fired me from the job.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Just confirming that "Maten an, m leve men m pa t santi m anfòm" is translated as "this morning ..." not "The morning..." . That I can say "this" even when the creole clearly say "the"
Yes, confirmed.
Maten an → this morning.
1. Kouman ou ye maten an?
How are you this morning?
2. Yo te sòti depi yèreswa. Se maten an yo resi rantre lakay yo.
They went out since last night. They finally came home this morning.
3. Poukisa w akaryat konsa maten an?
Why are you in such a bad mood this morning?
4. Sa w'ap ban'm manje maten an?
What are you feeding me this morning?
What are you cooking this morning?
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Maten an → this morning.
1. Kouman ou ye maten an?
How are you this morning?
2. Yo te sòti depi yèreswa. Se maten an yo resi rantre lakay yo.
They went out since last night. They finally came home this morning.
3. Poukisa w akaryat konsa maten an?
Why are you in such a bad mood this morning?
4. Sa w'ap ban'm manje maten an?
What are you feeding me this morning?
What are you cooking this morning?
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Sa sa vle di? "Mwen pa moun Jakmèl. M pa moun Pòtoprens. M pa moun Miyami. M pa moun Nouyòk. Nou pa moun okenn kote sou latè. Nou pa moun nan syèl. Nou pa menm yon vye lwa Lafrik Ginen"ki vin danse nan tèt yon kretyen vivan." by Moriso-Lewa
sounds like Morisso-Leroy's Moun Fou....
"Mwen pa moun Jakmèl." → "I am not from Jakmèl"
"M pa moun Pòtoprens. " → "I am not from Pòtoprens"
"M pa moun Miyami. " → "I am not from Miami"
"M pa moun Nouyòk. " → "I am not from New York"
"Nou pa moun okenn kote sou latè. " → "We're not from any place on earth"
"Nou pa moun nan syèl. " → "We're not from heaven"
"Nou pa menm yon vye lwa Lafrik Ginen ki vin danse nan tèt yon kretyen vivan."
"We're not even a good old spirit from Africa's Guinea that have come to dance into somebody's head"
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
"Mwen pa moun Jakmèl." → "I am not from Jakmèl"
"M pa moun Pòtoprens. " → "I am not from Pòtoprens"
"M pa moun Miyami. " → "I am not from Miami"
"M pa moun Nouyòk. " → "I am not from New York"
"Nou pa moun okenn kote sou latè. " → "We're not from any place on earth"
"Nou pa moun nan syèl. " → "We're not from heaven"
"Nou pa menm yon vye lwa Lafrik Ginen ki vin danse nan tèt yon kretyen vivan."
"We're not even a good old spirit from Africa's Guinea that have come to dance into somebody's head"
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
maladi ou genyen an, se pa li ou di doktè
Yon ekpresyon Kreyòl
Maladi w genyen an, se pa li w di doktè
The ailment you have is not the one you tell the doctor
to beat around the bush
To complain about one thing when you really mean to complain about another.
example:
Your wife complains about the house being too small when, in fact, she really wants her mother-in-law moved out of the house.
Maladi l genyen an, se pa li l di doktè
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Maladi w genyen an, se pa li w di doktè
The ailment you have is not the one you tell the doctor
to beat around the bush
To complain about one thing when you really mean to complain about another.
example:
Your wife complains about the house being too small when, in fact, she really wants her mother-in-law moved out of the house.
Maladi l genyen an, se pa li l di doktè
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Are there constructions or words that are used to translate the Present Emphatic Tense and Past Emphatic Tense? Examples,"I do wash the dishes every night" and "I did wash the dishes every night."
The emphatic "do", "did", "will" are not translated in the Haitian Creole language.
So an emphatic present tense will become a simple present in Creole.
An emphatic past tense will become a simple past tense in Creole
Otherwise you will see these emphatic wi or non, usually, at the end of a Creole sentence.
Pa egzanp:
1. I did see her last night.
Mwen te wè li yèreswa wi.
or we might use an adverb for emphasis as is sometimes done in English too
Mwen te wè li yèreswa tout bon vre.
or
Mwen te wè li yèreswa vrèman vre.
2. I do wash the dishes every night.
Mwen lave asyèt yo chak swa wi.
3. Please, do sit down.
Tanpri, chita non.
4. Do play the piano for me.
Jwe piano pou mwen non.
7. I did my homework, I did!
M te fè devwa mwen, m te fè l wi!
8. If you don't stop bugging me, I'll bite you. Serously I will!
Si w pa sispann takinnen m, m'ap mòde w. Seryezman, m'ap fè l wi!
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
So an emphatic present tense will become a simple present in Creole.
An emphatic past tense will become a simple past tense in Creole
Otherwise you will see these emphatic wi or non, usually, at the end of a Creole sentence.
Pa egzanp:
1. I did see her last night.
Mwen te wè li yèreswa wi.
or we might use an adverb for emphasis as is sometimes done in English too
Mwen te wè li yèreswa tout bon vre.
or
Mwen te wè li yèreswa vrèman vre.
2. I do wash the dishes every night.
Mwen lave asyèt yo chak swa wi.
3. Please, do sit down.
Tanpri, chita non.
4. Do play the piano for me.
Jwe piano pou mwen non.
5. Please, do call me when you get there.
Tanpri, rele m wi lè w rive.7. I did my homework, I did!
M te fè devwa mwen, m te fè l wi!
8. If you don't stop bugging me, I'll bite you. Serously I will!
Si w pa sispann takinnen m, m'ap mòde w. Seryezman, m'ap fè l wi!
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Haitians say "to use someone as toothpick", which translation do you use, kidan or bwa dan?
Is this an American expression also?
Li pran m sèvi bwa dan.
He used me as a toothpick.
He embarrassed / humiliated me.
He treated me badly.
I have heard people use both kidan and bwa dan for this expression.
kidan (from French Cure-dent) if Creole for toothpick
bwa dan (which is lit. wood tooth) is native. People use small pieces of wood, such as the middle vine of dried coconut leaves, as toothpick. The vine closest to the base of the stem is usually best since it's sturdier.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Li pran m sèvi bwa dan.
He used me as a toothpick.
He embarrassed / humiliated me.
He treated me badly.
I have heard people use both kidan and bwa dan for this expression.
kidan (from French Cure-dent) if Creole for toothpick
bwa dan (which is lit. wood tooth) is native. People use small pieces of wood, such as the middle vine of dried coconut leaves, as toothpick. The vine closest to the base of the stem is usually best since it's sturdier.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Es ce ke moun san antraill ce moune ce pitie?
"Moun san zantray" se moun ki san pitye, moun ki san kè, moun ki pa gen konpasyon.... moun ki pa konn renmen petèt...
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words
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