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Wednesday, February 27, 2013

How would you say 'To have the nerves'? such as in: "The pastor has the nerves to criticize a church member after his own scandalous secrets was exposed. What a hypocrite!"

Have the nerves (it's about being courageous and ballsy, non?)
gen odas (have the audacity)
gen kouray (have the courage)
sanwont  (to be shameless)
pa gen nen nan figi (to have no shame)
gen kran (have the courage)
gen kè (to have the heart)
gen grenn nan bouda (ballsy)

1.  He had the nerve to say that?!
     Li te gen kouray di sa?!
     Li gen kè di sa?!
     Li gen odas di sa?!
     Li pa wont di sa?!

2.  After what happened, I can't believe they have the nerve to show up here.
     Apre sa k te pase a, m p ka kwè yo gen odas parèt la a.

3. If I had the nerve, I would go to his face and tell him what I think.
    Si m te gen odas, m ta va al nan figi l pou m di l sa m panse.

4.  I dare you to do that!  You don't have the nerve for this.
     M defann ou al fè sa!  Ou pa gen kè ou sa.

5.  You've got some nerves showing your face around here.
     Ala w gen grenn nan bouda w, pou w vin parèt figi w la a.

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

Is your pain getting better, worse, or staying the same? Thanks!

Is the pain getting better, worse, or is it staying the same?
Eske doulè a miyò, pi mal, oubyen eske li toujou menm nan?


Is your pain getting better, worse, or staying the same?
Eske doulè ou miyò, pi mal, oubyen menm nan?


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

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

franse sirèt?

franse sirèt or franse mawon → bad french

egz:
1. Tan pou ap pale franse sirèt la, poukisa w pa jis pale Kreyòl?
     Instead of speaking bad French, why don't you just speak Creole?

2. Yon move Creole pi bon mil fwa pase franse mawon.
     Bad Creole is a thousand times better than bad french.

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

What are translations for 'To be fed up', 'to have enough of it','to have it up to here'? "After two days, I am fed up with this nonsense." or "I have had it up to here with your nonsense!" or "I've had enough of this! I'm leaving!"

BASICALLY, you can translate that in Creole as: bouke, lase, gen ase, gen kont, gen degou, etc....

Examples:
1.
I'm fed up with life.
M gen degou ak lavi a.
or you could aslo say
Lavi a ban m degou.

2.
I've had enough.
Mwen gen ase.

3.
I've had enough.  I can't take this anymore.
Mwen gen kont mwen. M pa kapab sipòte ankò.

4.
"I have had it up to here with your nonsense!"
"Mwen bouke ak tenten ou you!"

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

"Benyen ak san" does this mean "bathe with blood"

Oh my!  It could very well be.
But, in case it's not, let me give you another use for the word benyen, other than to shower:

benyen (v.)→ to be immersed in, to be covered in, to be saturated with
examples:

1. Mesye te antre nan estasyon lapolis la benyen ak san.
    He came into the police station covered in blood.

2. Jou desas sa a, anpil moun te rantre lakay yo benyen ak sann.
    On the day of that disaster many people went home covered in soot.

3. Tout kò fanm nan te benyen ak maling k'ap fè pi.  Menm doktè yo te pè touche l.
    The woman's body was covered in oozing sores.  Even the doctors were afraid of touching her.

4. Lè w ap fè wout provens Ayiti, distans pou rive nan destinasyon w, tou cheve w, tout plim je w, tout figi w va benyen ak pousyè.
    When you traveling the countryside road of Haiti, by the time you get to your destination, your hair, your eyelashes and your face will be covered in dust.

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manti kou chen?

same as in English, to lie like a dog
egz:
Lè mesye kandida yo ap pale politik, yo manti kou chen.

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Kisa REDEVANS ye? I don't think I've encounter this word before.

redevans → debt of gratitude, duty

egz:
1. Eske peyi Ayiti genyen Olandè yon redevans?
    Does Haiti owe the Dutch a debt of gratitude? 

2. Etidyan ki diplome nan lekòl medsin Ayiti dwe peyi a yon redevans.
    Students who graduate from the school of medicine in Haiti owe the country a debt of gratitude.

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Monday, February 25, 2013

Right and wrong? "The answer is right." "This is the wrong street." "My dad is always right." "He has the wrong exam sheet." what are the many ways to express 'right' and 'wrong' for people and things?

right (correct)  → kòrèk, bon, jis, gen rezon
right (morally good) → dwat, jistifye
wrong (not correct) → move, fo
wrong (immoral) → mal, mechan, enjis, pa bon

1. My dad is always right. (right - correct in opinion)
    Papa m toujou gen rezon.

2. The answer is right. (right - correct)
     Repons lan kòrèk.

3. This is not right (right - fair, just)
    Sa pa jis.

4. You've dialed a wrong number. 
    Ou konpoze move nimewo.

5.  The pharmacy gave me the wrong medication.
     Fanmasi a ban m yon move medikaman.

6.  What you did was wrong.
      Sa ou fè a te pa't bon.
      Sa ou fè a pa't bon.


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

Mwen gen yon zami ki vle konnen plis de Sainta Therese de Lisieux. Li pa pale anglais ou francais byen. Pou sa reason, mwen vle bay li information nan nan Kreole. Eske ou konnen ki kote mwen kapab ale pou trouve information de St. Therese nan Kreole?

I have actually made a couple of calls on this one.  This will be hard to find.  If it exists in a published version in Creole, you'll probably find in a Haitian bookstore in the 'religion' section.
Have you thought of copying and pasting the info you have in English into Google translate?

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

Is there a Haitian Creole equivalent to the idiom "Seeing is believing"?

Seeing is believing
Tande ak wè se de (expression, literally: hearing and seeing are two different things)
Fò w wè pou w kwè (expression)

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

What is a Hatian word for "one who gives" or "good Samaritan?"

benefactor → byenfetè, donor
good samaritan → bon samariten

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

Chante m yon chan dodo :)

Chan dodo se pou tibebe nan bèso.

Chan dodo Ayisyen ki popilè se:
Dodo ti titit manman
Si ou pa dodo, krab la va manje w (twa fwa)
Dodo titit, krab nan kalalou

Manman ou ale larivyè
Papa ou al peche pwason
Si ou pa dodo, krab la va manje w (2 fwa)
Dodo titit krab nan kalalou

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

How does one translate 'good mood' and 'bad mood'? "Ben Afleck is in a very good mood because he won an Oscar award for his film Argo." and "Chris is in a very bad mood because he flunked his exam."

M kontan pou Affleck.  Mwen te apresye fim li an.  Malgre m te konnen finisman fim Argo a, mwen te sou sispens lè m t'ap gade l.


In good mood see link

in bad mood
chimerik
malouk
pa sou san l
move
gen figi mare

She's in a bad mood today.
Li chimerik jodi a.
Li pa sou san l.
Figi l mare jodi a.
Li move jodi a.

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

Manday, mèsi ampil pou ed ou avek mwen semenn ki te pase. Tout sa ou ap fe enpotan anpil.

M'imajinen tout bagay anfòm kounye a :)
Remèsiman se va flè sou tonm mwen.

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Sunday, February 24, 2013

can you tell me if "Fe Fet" and "Fek Fet" are different expressions, could the first one have a typo where someone forgot to add the "k"?

fè fèt → to celebrate, to have a party, to rejoice

1.  Ann fè fèt!
     Let's celebrate!
     Let's rejoice!

2.  Limane te fè fèt lè pitit gason li te tounen lakay sennesof.
     Limane celebrated when her son came back home safe and sound.

fèk fèt → just happened, just occurred, just born

3. Yo te mennen yon ti bebe ki te fèk fèt nan sal dijans lan.  Li pa't kapab respire byen, men doktè yo te fè l miyò.
     They brought a newborn baby to the emergency room.  He had difficulty breathing, but the doctor made him better.

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