It's TIME to go to work. (AUDIO)

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Hey... Madanm, di mwen, eske ou pa’t gen pou  al travay maten an?

Lady, tell me,  didn't you plan to go to work this morning?

Mwen prale wi.  Men Li poko lè pou m kite. (please see link)

Yes I AM going.  But it's not time to leave yet.

A ki lè w’ap kite?

At what time will you leave?

M’ap soti la a setè edmi paske travay mwen kòmanse a uitè.

I'll get out of here at 7:30 because my job starts a 8:00.

Ah mwen konprann.  E se a ki lè w’ap tounen?

Ah! I understand.  And at what time will you be back?

M’ap fin travay a midi.

I'll be done working at noon.

Kifèla, ou pa travay anpil!  Ou travay katrèdtan sèlman?

So, you don't work much!  You work only for four hours?

Wi se sa.  Mwen travay KAT-È-D'-TAN sèlman.

Yes that's right.  I only work four- hours-of-time.

E se kisa ou fè avèk rès tan w?

And what do you do with the rest of your time?

Ak rès tan mwen, mwen fè klas pou moun ki pa konn li ……lasemèn nan apremidi.

With the rest of my time, I teach a class for people who don't know how to read ...on weekday afternoons.

E ki sa w fè lewikenn.

What do you on weekends?

Lewikenn, mwen dòmi nèt ale.  Mwen dòmi tout lajounen, tout lannuit.

On weekends, I sleep like a log.  I sleep all day, all night.

San dout, ou merite tout repo sa a.

Without a doubt, you deserve all that rest.

Wi ….M panse m merite l vre.  Enben, m’ale wi.  N’a wè pita lè m rantre a dizè?

Yes,  I think I do deserve it.  So, I'm leaving.  See you later when I come back at 10:00?

Dakò.  N’a wè lè w retounen.

Yes.  See you when you get back.

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

far away from ..... (in Creole?), How to say especially ...away from.

"... away from" does not have to be translated here
Far away from .... → lwen ...; some people say lwen avèk .... or lwen de .....

1. Pouki ou kanpe lwen m konsa?
    Why do you stay so far away from me?

2.  Poukisa ou sanble lwen konsa jodi a?
     Why do you seem so distant today?

3.  Mwen lwen lakay.
     I'm far away from home.

4. Ki kote Nouyòk ye?  Eske li lwen isit la?
    Where is New York?  Is it far from here?

5.  Lapolis te fè manifestan yo kanpe lwen baryè palè prezidansyèl la.
     The police had the protesters stand far away from the gate of the presidential palace.

6.  Chak kou mwen lwen w konsa, m santi m pa viv.
     Whenever I'm so far away from you I have a hard time.

7.  Tibebe pa ka sipòte rete lwen manman yo.
     Babies can't tolerate staying far from their mom.

8.  Fout mete w deyò!  Pati!  Ale lwen isit la!  Mwen pa vle wè menm lonbraj ou devan kay sa.
     Get the hell out!  Leave!  Go far away from here!  I don't even want to see your shadow passing by this house.

9.  M'atriste. M lwen lakay,  lwen fanmi m,  lwen menaj mwen,  lwen tout sa m renmen e ki renmen m.
    I'm sad.  I am far away from home, from my family, from my lover, far away from those I love and who loves me.

10.  Yon sèl bagay m'ap di w.  Rete lwen bonòm sa a tande!
       I'll telll you just one thing.  Stay away from this young guy, you hear!

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

What does anpwent mean here: "Evidamman, se pa yon sijè nou ka nye lè nou vin wè efè anpwent li sou agrikilti an Ayiti pase fòk peyi a te kòmanse debwaze pou chèche lajan pou kòmanse peye Lafrans." Védrine-'Agrikilti ta dwe premye sib nan devlopmanAyiti'

anpwent (fingerprint); I think Emmanuel Védrine is being nonconcrete here.  Anpwent, here, might mean  mark, influence, impression, or signature.

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

m'ale (in English)

M'ale.
I'm leaving.
I'm going.
I'm out of here.
So long
Goodbye

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

Number of hours

èdtan (from French heures de temps)

1. inèdtan 
    inè-d-tan
    one hour

2. dezèdtan
    dezè-d-tan
    two hours

3.  Mwen te travay pou douzèdtan ayè.
     I worked for twelve hours yesterday.

4.  Nou te jene pou vennkatrèdtan (vennkatèdtan).
     We fasted for twenty-four hours.

5. Dabitid yon fim dire inèdtan edmi.
    Usually a movie lasts one and a half hours.

6.  Nenpòt moun ki fè yon diskou ki dire plis pase demi èdtan pa gen konpasyon pou oditè l yo.
     Anyone that makes a speech longer than half an hour has no compassion for his audience.

7.  Mwen fatige paske m te dòmi yon kadè sèlman yèswa.
     I'm tired because I only slept for a quarter of an hour last night.

8.  Konbyen èdtan ou travay pa semèn?  Mwen travay karantèdtan pa semèn.
     How many hours you work per week?  I work forty hours per week.

9.  Pran medikaman an chak twazèdtan.
     Take the medicine every three hours.

10.  M te gen tranche pou trannsizèdtan anvan m akouche.
     I was in labor for thirty-six hours before giving birth.

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

Ak tout boulin? (fast?)

Wi se sa.

Ak tout boulin
An boulin
Ak tout vitès
With full speed
At great speed

1.  Kamyon pasaje Ayiti sa yo, menm si yo chaje moun, yo pran mòn yo ak tout boulin.
     These passenger trucks in Haiti, even if they're full, take the hills at full speed.

2.  Lè prezidan an ap pase sou lari a, machin li pase ak tout boulin.  Ou pa menm gen tan pou w wè ki moun ki nan machin nan.
    When the president is traveling, his car drives by at great speed.  You don't even have the time to see who's in the car.

3.   Vòlè a te rale bous mwen nan men'm enpi li pran kouri.  Mwen pete yon boulin dèyè l jouk mwen ratrape l.
      The robber snatched my purse from me and took off running.   I took off after him with full speed until I caught him.

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

I say 'kitchin' for kitchen and 'badoum or batoum' for bathroom. Are these words used by other Haitians alongside 'kwizin' and 'twalèt' respectively and are they part of the creole vocabulary?

That sounds like bad English to me.
What do you think?
Would a Haitian who's never travelled to the US, and who only had a primary education in an elementary school in the outskirts of ..... Trou du Nord (for example), understand this type of language clearly?

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

Do you know what the English equivalent to "sa w pa konnen pi gran pase ou"? Is it "Ignorance is bliss"?

No... It's not equivalent to "Ignorance is bliss".

Tout sa w pa konnen pi gran pase w.
All that you don't know is greater than you. literally

I'm not sure what the English equivalent is.  This proverb means that things that are beyond our knowledge and understanding are greater than us.  We can't control the things we don't know.  And sometimes when fate puts them in our way, they can change our lives in ways that we did not plan.  They are greater than us. "Yo pi gran pase nou."

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

Men longè! Men lajè! Men gwosè! --- MEN means VERY or EXCESSIVELY in this case.

Men, here, translates very,  excessively, to a high degree, or to such a degree in English

1.
Fi a t'ap fè chèlbè nan lari a, men lajè dada l!  Ni gason ni fanm te oblije kanpe pou gade l.
The woman was strutting her stuff in the streets, her butt was that wide!  Men and women taken by curiosity, stopped to stare at her.

2. 
Marlèn akouche yon ti bebe kenz liv.  Si w ta wè sa!  Men gwosè machwè li!
Marlene gave birth to a 15-pound baby.  You should have seen this!  His cheeks were that big!

3.
Te gen plenn lin jou swa sa.  Lalin nan te men gwosè!  Tout lougawou, tout move je, tout zonbi te deyò.  
There was a full moon that night.  The moon was this big!  All werewolves, evil eyes, and zombies were out.

4. 
Fanm nan te ansent uit mwa.  Malgre sa li tonbe goumen ak mèt magazen an.  Men gwosè vant li.  Ou ta kouche atè pou w ri si w te wè sa.
The woman was eight months pregnant.  In spite of that she started to fight with the store owner.  Her belly was so big.  You would have rolled on the floor laughing if you had you seen it.

5.  
Lè m te tande nouvèl la, m te santi tèt mwen te men gwosè.
When I heard the news I felt my head was so big.

6. 
Je blan an te vèt.  Men longè bwa nen l. Tout moun nan vilaj t'ap gade l paske yo patko janm wè yon moun blan.
The white man's eyes were green.  The bridge of his nose was that long.  Everyone in the village was staring at him because they had never seen a white person yet.

7.
Nèg la antre nan ofis la toutouni nèt.  Men longè grenn li. Li pa te wont menm.  Tout moun te panse l te fou.
The man came into the office butt naked.  His penis hanging all the way to the floor.  He had  no shame at all.  Everyone thought he was crazy.

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

IS there a haitian Creole expression to translate 'jumping through hoops'?

Jumping through hoops
Fè anpil zefò. (zefò, jefò, or efò)
Pase nan pil.
Naje bèl nas.

egz:

I jumped through hoops to get the store to reimburse me my money.

Mwen te pase nan pil pou m fè magazen an remèt mwen lajan m.
Mwen te naje bèl nas pou m fè magazen an remèt mwen lajan m.
Mwen te fè anpil efò pou magazen an remèt mwen lajan m.

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

How do I say GET LOST! in Creole?

Get lost! (Scram!, Beat it!)
Soti la!
Retire kò w la!
Rale kò w la!
Degèpi!
Rache manyòk ou!
Òltegèt!

egz:
Retire kò w la! Pa janm parèt figi w isit la ankò!
Get lost! Don't ever show you face around here again!

Also,

To take off (to split, to run)
Degèpi
Rache manyòk
Kraze rak
Chape poul
sove

egz:
Lè touris yo te tande gen yon siklòn k'ap vini, yo te rache manyòk yo bay teren an blanch.
When the tourists heard that there was a hurricane on the way, they took off and cleared the area.

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

How exactly is the word 'alsiyis' used?

Alsiyis (to moan in pleasure, or moans of pleasure) can be used as verb or a noun.
egz:
Msye fè m alsiyis nèt. 
Se pa ti Alsiyis fanm nan bay non!
 
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Many ways to say "therefore (...and so)" in Haitian Creole

Therefore (...and so)
pakonsekan
kifèla
kidonk
kifèdonk
donk
konsa la
konsa menm
konsa tou
alò
alò menm
annefè

So, you mean to tell me that yon don't want to go any more?
Pakonsekan, ou vle di m ke ou pa vle ale ankò?
Kidonk, ou vle di m ke ou pa vle ale ankò?
Konsa menm, ou vle di m ke ou pa vle ale ankò?
Annefè, ou vle di m ke ou pa vle ale ankò?

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

I have just read your recent response to the post about 'an sotan''an patan'. I figured that the gerund express 'while' or 'during' even 'upon', 'though', 'when' but I wasn't sure so I didn't ask the question until now. I'm still not that sure about it. I have provided MANY examples in English and creole. A good amount of these examples are experiments. There are also alternative examples that express the same meaning. You could say I got carried away. I don't think all of my creole sentences are correct. FEEL FREE to make comments and corrections on anything you find fault with, FEEL FREE to let me know if my questions don't make sense to you. Can the gerund in creole have others meanings provided below? Can the gerund be alternatives?

Mezanmi o!  You DID get carried away :)
Kòm m te di w, sanble ou gen anpil enfliyans Franse lakay ou.  Sa parèt nan sa w ap ekri.


1.
He came into the room smiling.
Li te vin nan chanm nan souran.
Li te vin nan chanm nan tout an souriyan.
Se nan souri li te vini nan chanm nan.
Se ak yon souri li te vini nan chanm nan.

2.
She lost weight by working out.
Li te pèdi pwa nan fèzan(fèran) egzèsis.
Se nan fè egzèsis li te pèdi pwa. (I like!)

3.
He fell asleep while listening to the radio.
Li te tonbe dòmi pandan l'ap ekoute radyo a. (I like!)
Li te tonbe dòmi an ekoutan radyo a.

4.
He injured himself while playing basketball.
Li blese kò l pandan(antan) l'ap jwe baskèt. (I like!)
Li blese kò l an jouwan(jweyan) baskèt.
Or you could also say:
Li te blese pandan l'ap jwe baskèt.

5.
He slammed the door as he left.
Li klake pòt la lè li te pati. (I like!)
Li klake pòt la kan li te pati. (I like!)
Le te pati en klakan pòt la.

6.
As he was leaving, he looked worried.
Kan li te pati, li te sanble ankyè.(enkyè?)
Lè li te pati, li te sanble ankyè.
An patan, li te sanble ankyè.

7.
When I arrive in London, I shall go straight to my friends' house.
Lè mwen rive nan Lond, mwen prale touswit nan kay zanmi mwen yo.
Kan mwen rive nan Lond, mwen prale touswit nan kay zanmi mwen yo.
An rivan nan Lond, mwen prale touswit nan kay zanmi mwen yo.
How about:
Lè m rive Lond mwen prale tou dwat lakay zanmi mwen yo..?

8.
When taking her coat, she caught her foot in the rug.
Lè pran manto li, li te pran pye li nan tapi a.
Kan pran manto li, li te pran pye li nan tapi a.
An pranan(prenan) manto li, li te pran pye li nan tapi a.
How about
Pandan l ap pran manto li pye l te pran nan tapi a...?

9.
As/while she was trying to catch up with Fabienne, Nadine tripped and fell.
Kòm li te eseye ratrape Fabienne, Nadine trebiche e tonbe.
Pandan li te eseye ratrape Fabienne, Nadine trebiche e tonbe.
An eseyan ratrape Fabienne, Nadine trebiche e tonbe.
Pandan l t'ap eseye .....?

10.
On(upon) arriving, I had to change clothes because I was soaking wet.
Lè mwen rive, mwen te gen pou chanje rad mwen paske mwen te tranpe. (I like!)
Kan mwen rive, mwen te gen pou chanje rad mwen paske mwen te tranpe. (I like!)
An rivan(arivan) mwen rive, mwen te gen pou chanje rad mwen paske mwen te tranpe.
I think you mean:
Rive m rive, mwen t oblije chanje rad mwen paske m te tranpe.

11.
Upon seeing the flowers, she cried.
Lè li te wè flè yo, li kriye. (I like!)
Kan li te wè flè yo, li kriye. (I like!)
An vwayan(wèyan) flè yo, li kriye.  (wèyan..?)

12.
Upon entering the building, I saw Paul.
Lè(kan) mwen te antre nan bilding nan, mwen wè Paul.
Se nan antre nan bilding nan, mwen wè Paul.
An antran nan bilding nan, mwen wè Paul.
How about:
Kou m antre nan bilding nan m wè Paul...?


13.
I understood the political situation by/in/upon reading the newspapers.
Mwen konprann sitiyasyon politik la lè(kan) mwen li jounal yo.
Se nan li jounal yo ke mwen konprann sitiyasyon politik yo. (I like ! :)
Mwen konprann sitiyasyon politik an lizan(liyan) mwen li jounal yo.

14. 
TOUT (Emphasis)
All the while she was talking to me she was doing the ironing.
Tout pandan li te pale avèk mwen, li te pase fè.
Tout an palan avèk mwen, li te pase fè.
Se tout nan pale avèk mwen, li te pase fè.
How about:
Li t'ap repase tout pandan l'ap pale avè m...?

15.
Opposition
Despite taking the longer route he still arrived first.
Malgreke li pran yon wout pli lòng, li te rive premye toujou.
Se tout nan pran yon wout pli lòng, li te rive premye toujou.
Tout an pranan(prenan) yon wout pli lòng, li te rive premye toujou.
How about:
Malgre l te pran wout ki pi long nan, li te toujou rive an premye....?

16.
Concession
Whilst I understand his arguments, I do not agree with his plan.
Byenke mwen konprann agiman li, mwen pa dakò avèk plan li.
Se tout nan kronprann agiman li mwen pa dakò avèk plan li.
Tout an kronpranan agiman li mwen pa dakò avèk plan li.

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

In "I'll be in Haiti at that time." (or I'll be at school, I'll be at the party, I'll be there), when I use "Mwen pral", it seems that I'm saying I'M GOING instead of I'LL BE AT. Which future indicator do I really use? mesi pou ed ou.

m'ap or m'ava (mwen va or m va) will work just fine.

I' ll be at ....  
M'ap ...
M'ava ...

I'll be at the ... 
M'ap nan ...
M'ava nan ...

1. I'll be in Haiti at that time.
    M'ap Ayiti lè sa a.
    M va Ayiti lè sa a.

2. I'll be in New York tomorrow.
    M'ap New York demen.

3. I'll be at school by the time you arrive.
    M'ap lekòl distans pou w rive.

4. I'll be at church in the morning.  Why don't you come see me in the afternoon instead?
    M'ap legliz nan maten.  Pouki ou pa vin wè m nan apremidi pito.

5.  I'll be at home
     M'ap lakay.
     M va lakay.

6.  I'll be at your side.
     M'ap bò kote w.
     M'ava bò kote w.

7. I'll be at the movies.
    M'ap nan sinema a.

8.  I'll be in the crowd watching you sing.
     M'ap nan foul la ap gade w k'ap chante.
    M va nan foul ap gade w k'ap chante.

9. I'll be at the hospital
    M'ap nan lopital la.

10. I'll be at the party
    M'ap nan fèt la.

11. I'll be at the river
    M'ap nan larivyè a

12. I'll be at the bar
      M'ap nan ba a.


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