'Remèsiman se va flè sou tonm mwen' Thanksgiving will be a flower on my grave? Ki lè ou ta itilize fraz sa a?

My grandmother used to say that a lot whenever someone is grateful towards her.

To her (and to me) it means:  Your gratitude will serve as flower on my tomb.

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

Tanpri tradui fraz sa a pou mwen: 'l'a kraze brize jouk li fese kò a atè mò rèd'.

"l'a kraze brize jouk li fese kò a atè mò rèd'. 
"He/She/it will cause damage until he/she/it knocks the body to the ground dead."  

fese (or bay yon fese) atè → to beat up, to spank, to throw to the ground, to conquer

Mwen fese l atè.
I knocked him to the ground.

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

Bonjou Mandaly. M swete tout bagay anfòm avè w. :) Kesyon mwen se èske yon mo oubyen fraz an Kreyòl ki vle di 'don't take it personal' oubyen 'it's not personal'?

Wi mèsi tout bagay anfòm nèt maten an.  Mwen toujou panse se yon gran privilèj pou fè pati nan bèl inivè Bondye kreye a.  Lanati avèk lanmou Bondye se yon sous enspirasyon pou mwen.  M'ap pwofite yo jouk sa kaba.  M'espere se menm bagay la pou ou tou :)

There's a Haitian Creole expression that says:
M voye dlo, m pa mouye pèsonn.
I throw water, I don't get anyone wet.
It means:
I'm talking generally, don't anyone take it personally.

We use that expression (a lot :) in the sense of "Don't take it personally"
or you can say:
Pa pran sa pèsonèl non.
Pa pran sa mal.
M pa lonje dwèt sou pèsonn. (I'm not pointing at anyone)
Don't take it personally


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

Hello there! Can you help me translate in Haitian creole: "trailer with low underneath clearance"

"trailer with low underneath clearance"
"remòk ki gen wotè limit ba"

Maximum Clearance 2 feet
Wotè Limit 2 pye.

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

"Si w we m mize, se pou m ka pote bon nouvel" (from the Word of the Day), is that an expression?

Si'w wè'm mize, se pou m ka pote bon nouvèl
If I delay, it is so that I can bring good news.
If your deliverance takes longer, it is because it's worth waiting for (or a similar translation)

This expression is to encourage someone to have patience......
There may an English expression that is similar but I do not know it.

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

I have a mural that I will be painting in St. Martin near Les Cayes. Could you help me with the words so I am able to say them in Creole? This is a link to the article when I went in Feb 2013: http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/archives/80862/

Gainesville Artist Teaches Haitians to 'Paint' Mural Using Recycled Trash

Church → legliz   (pronounced: lay-gleez)
Cross - kwa, or lakwa   (pronounced: ko-a, or la-ko-a)
gate - baryè   (pronounced: ba-ri-yɛ)
flag - drapo   (pronounced: d-ra-po)
Rooster - kòk   ( pronounced: kɔk)
ball - balon   (pronounced: ba-lon)
rocks - wòch   (pronounced: wɔ-sh)
Palm tree - pye palmis   (pronounced: pje-pal-mees)
chicken - poul   (pronounced: pool)
chicks - ti pousen   (pronounced: tee-poo-sen)
cow - bèf   (pronounced: bɛf)
girl - fi, tifi   (pronounced: fee or tee-fee)
water - dlo   (pronounced: D-lo)
well - pui, pui dlo, οr pi dlo   (pronounced: pee-d-lo)
bucket - bokit   (pronounced:  bo-keet)
butterflies - papiyon   (pronounced: pa-pee-yon)
horse - chwal   (pronounced: sho-al)
shell - kokiy   (pronounced:  ko-keey)
fish  - pwason   (pronounced:  poa-son)
sea turtle - tòti lanmè   (pronounced:  tɔ-tee-lan-mɛ)
sea weed  - algi, or plant akwatik   ( pronounced: a-gee)
dolphin - dofen   (pronounced:  do-fen)
bobber - apat, or flotè   (pronounced:  a-pat or flo-te)
trap - zatrap   (pronounced: za-t-rap)
starfish - zetwal lanmè   (pronounced:  zay-toal-lan-me)
sun - solèy   (pronounced:  so-lɛ-y)
goat - kabrit   (pronounced:  ka-breet)
pig - kochon   (pronounced:  ko-shon)
mango tree - pye mango   (pronounced:  pje-man-go)
banana tree - pye bannann   (pronounced:  pje-ban-nan-n)

http://www.gainesvilletimes.com/archives/80862/

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

What would be a good word for rest and relaxation?

rest and relaxation
repo ak detant

a little rest and relaxation
yon ti kanpo
yon ti detant
yon ti repi




How would it be best to say "House of Rest and Relaxation" for the name of a guest house?  Thanks.
I am thinking you could say:

Mezon detant
Mezon detant ak repo
Kay pou detant ak lwazi
Mezon lwazi (where lwazi means "leisure")
Kay pou lwazi
Mezon repo
Kay pou repo
Mezon konje (where konje means "time off")
Mezon serenite
Yon kay pou serenite

Mezon retrèt or Kay pou Retrèt (are retirement homes)
 Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Ki sa vle di 'dombo cheri'?

It sounds like an endearing nickname.

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

Èske fraz ‘lajman laj’ la gen yon signifikasyon espesyal? Oubyen li vle di senpleman 'largly large'. Men fraz ki gen li landan li: “Pa gen anyen mal pou kopye sa ki fèt nan peyi etranje, men nou dwe kopye tout sa ki bon ki fèt tankou pibliye lajman laj tout dokiman ki soutni pwopozisyon chanjman ki ap fèt yo.”

lajman laj (angran manchèt)
Basically it means large scale

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

Nan fraz sa a – ‘Se yon lang diferan de lang franse, kwake gen anpil mo lan vokabilè li ki soti lan franse’ - èske ‘kwake’ vle di ‘even though’?

Wi, se sa.

kwake → even though, although, granted

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

Bonjou! M fèk li fraz sa a 'Kreyòl ayisyen pa franse mawon'. An gwo, m konnen sa fraz la vle di. Men èske w ta eksplike m siyifikasyon li egzakteman? Tou, èske ou ta di mwen ki jan m te ka mande kesyon sa-a ap sèvi ak vèb “presize”. M’ap gen yon ti pwoblem itilize vèb sa a. Mèsi!!!

franse mawon (franse sirèt)  → bad French
From a Haitian Creole perspective, speaking bad French is speaking French without verb accord, pronouncing the French "e" like the Creole "e", pronouncing the French "i" like "u", and vice versa.  It sounds like "tamed" Creole.  But as you know Creole can't  be tamed.  So the "franse mawon" comes out sounding bad.  ...laughable bad.

It's the same as "franse sirèt", it's spoken as if you have a sweet candy in your mouth, but the words sounds a little "sour".  Sirèt is Haitian Creole for candy.

Many Haitian comedians at one time or another will present some materials in "franse mawon" or "franse sirèt". It' always very funny.

FYI:  Some people do think that Haitian Creole can be an explicit language sometimes. That's when you'll hear people call it Kreyòl rèk crude or vulgar Creole (you tell it like it is). I do remember my dad asking me to swap some words with "gentler" ones when I was a child.  And I'm pretty sure you'll find that some Haitians will tell you that they had trouble using some H. Creole words in front of a respectable adult.  No wonder we try to sweeten it up to make it sound more sophisticated :)

So, "Kreyòl Ayisyen pa franse mawon" "Haitian Creole is not bad French". 

___________________

presize → to give details, to tell exactly
presi, presize → precise
presizeman → precisely

Regarding your question, I would say:

"Èske w ta eksplike m siyifikasyon li egzakteman
"Eske ou te ka presize sou sa "mawon" vle di?"

Other examples with "presize":

1. Eske w te ka presize sou sa?
    Could you be clear on that?
    Could you give more details about that?

2. Yo di nou pou n vin nan reyinyon an, men yo pa't presize sou lè nou te dwe reyini an.
     They said we needed to come to the meeting, but they didn't give an exact time for us to meet.

3. Yo pat presize dat maryaj la.
     They did not give an exact date for the wedding.

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

I thought I saw that word "regle" here, but I can't find it today. What is "M ap regle ave w."

M'ap regle avè w.
I'll get even with you.
I'll teach you a lesson.

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

M'ap boule wi! Mèsi pou mande m! :) Tanpri souple, tradwi mo epi fraz sa yo pou mwen: 1. chire 2. 'Ranmase m' nan fraz: 'M ranseye m ak mesyedam lemarye oubyen lamarye a.' 3. Ou ta dwe mete w byen banda pou w ka pay payèt tankou tout moun. Mèsi!

1. chire mean to tear, but it's also an expression that means to be in serious trouble.
an example would be:
     a. Ou chire!
         You're in trouble.
         You're in deep #@*!
         You're screwed!

 2. 'Ranmase m'  nan fraz: 'M ranseye m ak mesyedam lemarye oubyen lamarye a.'
    
     Ranmase m → to pick me up (from the ground, from a bad situation, ...)
     But this sentence  that you gave me does not have "ranmase" in it :)

     mesyedam → guys, the guys, men and women, ladies and gentlemen

     'M ranseye m ak mesyedam lemarye oubyen lamarye a.'
     "I inquired with the groom or the bride."


3. Ou ta dwe mete w byen banda pou w ka pay payèt tankou tout moun.
  
   banda → to be elegant
   mete w byen banda → to dress to impress
   bay payèt (not pay payèt) → to strut your stuff.

   "Ou ta dwe mete w byen banda pou w ka bay payèt tankou tout moun."
   "You should dress attractively so that you could strut your stuff like everybody else."

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

Bonjour,koman mwen ka itilize mo "ye", selman nan yon kesyon? Mesi anpil

Ou kapab itilize li nan kesyon avèk nan fraz deklaratif tou (nan plizyè tan vèb yo).

Instead of SE, we use YE in interrogative sentences:
     1. Kisa sa a ye? instead of Kisa sa a se?
         What this is? literally
         What is this?

      2. Kouman yo ye? instead of Kouman yo se?
          How they are? literally.
          How are they?

We also use "YE" when we have "SE" or "SA" as an impersonal pronoun (it is) or demonstrative pronoun (this is, that is) in a sentence.  So it becomes "SE ... YE" or "Sa...YE"  instead of SE .... SE.
We also use YE in exclamative sentences too.

      Interrogative sentences:
       3. Eske se madanm ou li ye? instead of Eske se madanm ou li se?
           Is this your wife she is? literally
           Is she your wife?

        4. Eske se konsa li ye? instead of Eske se konsa li se?
            Is it how it is? literally
            Is this how it is?

        5. Sa mwen ta ye san ou?
            Kisa mwen ta ye san ou?
            What would I be without you?

       Exclamative sentences
       6.  Ala yon wont sa ta ye.
            What a shame it would be.

       7. Ala yon sanzave li ta ye, si l te gen anpil byen.
           What a jerk he would be he was wealthy.

         Deklarative sentences      
         8. Se sa mwen ye.  instead of Se sa mwen se.
             It's what I am. literally
             That's what I am.

          9 Se sa mwen te ye. instead of Se sa mwen ta se.
              It is what I was. 
              That what I was.

          10. Se moun sa  a mwen va ye. instead of Se moun sa a mwen va se.
              It is this/that person I will be.
              That who I'll be.

           11. Se konsa li ye. instead of Se konsa li se.
                It's how it is.
                That's how it is.

          12. Yo di se yon loraj kale fanm sa a ye.
               They say it's a firecracker that this woman is.
               They say this woman is a bitch.

          13.  Se Bondye li ye. instead of Se Bondye li se.
                 It's God that he is.
                 He's God.

          14. Se pa tyoul ou m ye.  instead of Se pa tyoul ou m se.
                It's not your slave that I am.
                I am not your maid.


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

Bon maten! Kouman ou ye? Ki sa vle di 'fè dappiyan' nan fraz sa a 'Ewopeyen yo te al fè dappiyan sou plizyè milyon Afriken ann Afrik'?

M'anfòm wi maten an.   M'espere w'anfòm tou :)

'fè dappiyan' → to pillage, to invade, to attack, to plunder, to rape
Here it seems to say that they attacked or invaded.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words