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Thursday, March 7, 2013

N ap kenbe dyanm. What is dyanm?

dyanm strong, brave, courageous

yon gason dyanm → a brave or strong man
yon fanm dyanm → a courageous woman.

N'ap kenbe.
N'ap kenbe la.
We're holding on.


N'ap kenbe dyanm.
N'ap kenbe fò.
We're holding strong.

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Is Jezi only spelled Jezi? Is it pronounced Jezi or Jezu? My Haitian born friend says it is pronounced Jezu. I'm pulling my hair out. Mèsi infini.

Padekwa .

It is pronouced Jezi in Creole :)
The person that told you Je-zu is probably still trying to preserve the little french in him :)
Pronouncing Je-zu is for when you're speaking French.

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If I wanted a title that said "Hands for Prayer" would it be "Mens pou Lapriyè". Mesi anpil.

It would be "Men Pou Lapriyè"
Plural words in Creole do not take "s".

Pase bon jounen :)

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The French word for Kisses when signing a letter is Bisous. Is it the same in Haitian creole? Mesi anpil.

kisses, in Creole, would be bizou, beze, bo, bobo, yon ti bo, or yon ti beze

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Wednesday, March 6, 2013

"Right time, Right place"?

1. right time → bon lè

2. right place (correct place) → bon kote

3. What's the best place for....?
    Ki pi bon kote pou ....?

4. What's the best place for a swim around here?
    Ki pi bon kote pou al naje nan zòn sa a?

5. What's the best place to get some griyo?
    Ki pi bon kote m ka jwenn yon ti griyo?

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How to translate 'to make sense'? "that doesn't make sense!" "life sometimes does not make sense."

to make sense → konfòmen ak lojik, ki fè sans, lojik, rezonab, solid, ki rezonnen, rasyonèl

"That doesn't make sense"
"Sa pa fè sans."
"Sa pa lojik."

"life sometimes does not make sense."
"Pafwa lavi pa fè okenn sans."

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mannèv

manèv (mannèv, demach) - manuever, manipulation, gimmick, scheme

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How do you translate 'it so happens' in Creole?

it so happens - twouve, twouve ke, se trouve

it turns out that - rive ke

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9:31 paske li t'ap moutre disip li yo anpil bagay. Li di yo: -Mwen menm, Moun Bondye voye nan lachè a, mwen pral tonbe anba men lèzòm, yo pral touye mwen. Men, sou twa jou mwen gen pou m' leve soti vivan nan lanmò. Can you translate the words, 'lache' an

lachè means flesh

Moun Bondye voye nan lachè a
The one that God sent in the flesh.
or
The one that was made flesh.

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Is there a national curriculum that teachers must follow in the area of reading and writing? If so, where can I find it? I am interested in kindergarten - 5th grade.

For the kindergarten class at this time, there is no national curriculum (pwogram nasyonal) for reading and writing.  The curriculum starts at the premye ane (first year) which is after kindergarten.  Premye ane starts at six years of age (five, if the child started preschool at two).

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How do you say "might," as in "I might be able to do that?" Is there a way to indicate that there is UNCERTAINTY here? Also it seems that native Creole speakers use "petet" differently than I would and don't necessarily understand how I use it. Any ideas?

Use ka (kapab or kab) to say might, might be able (see embedded link)
Petèt (maybe, perhaps), in Creole indicates doubt, probability, and possibility like in English.

I might be able to do that.
Mwen ka fè sa.
To add a sure uncertainty, add petèt:
Petèt mwen ka fè sa.

The auxiliary verb "ka" coupled with "petèt" should definitely get your point across:
1.
Petèt li ka fè frèt demen.
It might be cold tomorrow

2.
Li pa reponn telefòn nan.  Petèt li ka deyò.
She didn't answer the phone. She might be out.

Even without adding "petèt",  you can use "ka" on its own to indicate doubt:
3.
Mwen ka vin wè w nan mwa jen an.  M'a gade pou wè.
I might come to see you in June.  I'll see about it.

4.
Nou pa wè li depi de jou.  Li ka malad.
We have not seen him since two days.  He might be ill.

5.
Nou ka pa gen tan pou fè sa.
We may not have time to do that.

6.
Li pa't vini nan reyinyon an.  Li ka te bliye.
She didn't show up at the meeting.  She might have forgotten.

7.
Ou si se sa ou te tande?  Li ka byen te di yo lòt bagay.
You're sure that's what you heard?  She might have said something else.

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How doyou say 'upside' and 'downside'? "One of the upsides of getting this job is that it is near my school." "The downside of obtaining a higher rank is that far more work is expected."

You can use :
upside
aspè pozitif
avantaj
pati ki bon an
sa ki bon an

and

downside
aspè negatif
dezavantaj
pati ki pa bon an
sa ki pa bon an

egz:
1. Avantaj genyen televizyon lakay ou sèke ou toujou byen enfòme, men dezavantaj la sèke li ka rann ou parese.
   The upside of having a TV at home is that you're well informed, but the downside is that it can make you lazy.

2. Aspè pozitif maryaj sèke ou pa blije poukont ou ankò, aspè negatif la sèke ou pèdi yon ki kras nan libète w.
    The upside in a marriage is that you don't have to be alone anymore.  The downside is that you've lost a little bit of your freedom.

3. Sa ki bon lè w gen machin nan New York se libète pou kondi ale nenpòt kote ou vle.  Sa k pa bon ladan l sèke li difisil pou jwenn yon kote pou gare machin nan.
    The upside of having a car in New York is that you have the freedom to drive anywhere you want.  The downside is that you can find a place park the car.

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Ki vetman ki apwopriye pou mete nan maryaj kretyen nan Ayiti?

Ayisyen toujou panse y'abiye pi chèlbè pase tout nasyon :)
Ledimanch pou y'al legliz, yo mete pi bèl wòb yo genyen.
Kretyen legliz Ayiti SIPOZE abiye yon fason rezève.  Laplipa nan fanm yo pa mete pantalon (sitou granmou yo).
Konsa, si w'ap asiste yon maryaj kretyen, e ou pa gen okenn fonksyon w'ap ranpli ki egzije mete yon koulè rad espesyal, donk ou ta dwe mete w byen banda pou w ka pay payèt tankou tout moun :)
Si m te ou, pou plis sètitid, m ta ranseye m ak mesyedam lemarye oubyen lamarye a.

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Tuesday, March 5, 2013

What is BLANCH in JOUNEN BLANCH. BLANCH & BLAN are the same, right?

Yes they are.
blanch (or blan) → white
yon fanm blanch → a white woman
yon mi blanch → a white wall
yon fèy papye blanch → a white piece of paper.

But blanch in "jounen blanch" means deprived or devoid of something
M pase yon jounen blanch.
I had a boring day.
I spent day devoid of food and fun.

same goes for "nuit blanch"
M pase yon nuit blanch.
I had a sleepless night.

and also "lari blanch"
Ledimanch, lari a sanse blanch nèt.
On Sundays, the streets are practically empty.

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In good shape or robust (in Creole)

Enganm (or dyanm) adj.
robust
peppy
revitalized
fortified
In good shape

An bòn sante
In good health

I feel revitalized
Mwen santi m byen enganm.
Mwen santi m dyanm


I feel so much better now.
Mwen miyò kounye a.
Mwen fè mye kounye a.

I have recovered (from an illness)
Mwen gaya.
Mwen refè.



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