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Thursday, May 23, 2013

This sentence feels ungrammatical, but maybe not: "Gen nan yo se jis yon rekleksyon." Should it be "Gen nan yo ki se jis yon refleksyon." Mèsi! -TiWil

If that is the whole sentence, then you are right.  The second one is correctly written.

The first sentence is unfinished.  There should be something more after "refleksyon"
"Gen nan yo se jis yon refleksyon ki montre yo ......"
"Gen nan yo se jis yon refleksyon yo ye."

Dakò.

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

Wednesday, May 22, 2013

how do you say in h.creole "this whole week i've lost my appetite" and also how do you say " which season do you prefer, winter or summer?"


"this whole week i've lost my appetite" 
"Tout semenn sa a  apeti m te koupe."

" which season do you prefer, winter or summer?" 
"Ki sezon w pi pito? Livè oubyen lete?


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

Ki jan ou ta di an Kreyòl, 'they did something drastic'?

They did something drastic.
Yo fè yon bagay ki ekstrèm.
Yo fè yon bagay ki nan dènye degre.
Yo fè yon bagay akaryat nèt.

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

Mandaly, "Ou konnen ki kote Mak ye?" Do you know where Mark is? How do you say in HC, "Do you know where Mark was?" e "Did you know where Mark was?" Mesi anpil.

The translation you have is right, for the first one.  You can ask this question in a variety of ways using ESKE or NOT, using KONNEN or KONN, using KOTE, KI KOTE, KOT or KIBÒ:

Do you know where Mark is?
Eske w konnen kote Mak ye?
Eske w konn ki kote Mak ye?
Ou konnen ki kote Mak ye?
Ou konn kibò Mak ye?

Do you know where Mark was?
Ou konnen ki kote Mak te ye?
Eske ou konn kote Mak te ye?

Did you know where Mark was?
Eske w te konn kot Mak te ye?

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

Tuesday, May 21, 2013

How do you say "Happy Anniversary"(marriage)? Also how do you say it with the number of years married (Happy 7th Anniversary)?


Happy wedding anniversary → Bòn anivèsè maryaj
Happy 7th anniversary → Pase yon bon setyèm anivèsè.
Happy seventh wedding anniversary → Pase yon bon setyèm anivèsè maryaj.

It's our wedding anniversary. → Se anivèsè maryaj nou.
It's our tenth wedding anniversary → Se dizyèm anivèsè maryaj nou.



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

Can you explain what is gwo zizi?

gwo zizi (gwo je, afre) → envious, covetous, someone who desires to possess everything he lays eyes on.
pa egzanp, ou kapab di:
Ala madanm gen gwo zizi!  L'ap travay pou $10 pa è, enpi l bezwen achte yon kay $500,000 dola.

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

"to be in jam", would you say 'li se nan problem."

Wi, ou kapab itilize mo ...pwoblèm, men gen plizyè lòt fraz ki ka di sa pi byen:

I'm in a jam.
Mwen pran nan twa wa.
Mwen pran nan mera.
Men m pran nan moulen.
De pye m nan yon grenn soulye.
M'antrave
M chire
M bannann
Mwen nan yon move enpas

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

Kijan ou kapab di "it is what it is" nan Kreyòl?

It is what it is.
Sa li ye a se sa.
or
Sa l ye a se sa.

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

Monday, May 20, 2013

Hey Mandalie, I was looking for the translation for black sheep, I found MOUTON NWA. but what i really wanted to say is black sheep of the family. Is there an expression for this? mesi.

An original H. Creole expression for "black sheep of the family" is gate ras. This expression literally means "spoil race" (as in someone who spoil the family name or someone who gives the family a bad name)

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Sunday, May 19, 2013

"Se jou koulèv mouri ou konn longè l"

Wi kanta sa.
Lè yon moun mouri, ou va wè longè kòd fanmi l.
Gen de lantèman ki genyen yon ti kras moun. E gen lantèman ki pa gen menm yon kote pou pike zepeng.
"Lè koulèv mouri, ou wè longè li."

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

Bonjou ankò! Se TiWil sòt Amsterdam. Eske ou gentan li "Zig Lavi"? Se yon lòt liv sòt Koleksyon Souf Nouvo a. Selon mwen menm, se pi difisil liv landan (?nan) koleksyon an. Si ou deja li li, mwen ta vle diskite li. Mèsi!

Bèl bonswa "TiWil".  Mwen toujou kontan tande w :)
M'espere ke zafè etid ou ap byen mache, e ke ou jwenn òpòtinite pou w fè yon ti detant detanzantan.
.
Wi, mwen te resevwa liv Zig Lavi a, sa gen kèk semèn. Mwen te li e reli l ankò. Se defitivman youn nan liv prefere mwen. Otè a pouse w pou gen anpil senpati pou li nan istwa a.  Tout pandan m t'ap li liv la, mwen t'ap espere pou yon finisman....e, mwen pa't desi.  Mwen mete liv sa nan menm kategori ak Rete Kote Lamèsi nan sans difikilte Kreyòl la.  Mwen konprann pouki liv sa ta yon ti jan difisil pou li (pou yon etranje). Li gen anpil ekspresyon ki pa ka tradui motamo ladan l, e se pa tout mo nan liv sa ke w va jwenn nan yon diksyonè.  Kreyòl misye se Kreyòl granmoun lontan, men li pa twò di pou dekode.

Mwen ta byen renmen tande kisa ki koze difikilte sa yo pou ou?
Dakò, kenbe a.

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


What is "pa mande Bondye"?

That depends.
It can be literal (Do not ask God)
Or it can be the expression Heaven forbid, or God forbid

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Yon machin ize onswa yon machin nèf? (AUDIO)


Download link
Click here to download…

To listen to this audio, click on the PLAY button and follow along :)

 


-Bonswa madam, kisa m ka fè pou ou jodi a?
 Hello ma'am, what can I do for you today?

-Bonswa mesye! M’ap chache achte yon machin nèf.
 Good afternoon sir! I'm looking to buy a new car.

-Ah! ou vini bon kote.  Ki kalite machin w’ap chèche?  Yon touteren?
 You've come to the right place.   What type of car are you looking for?  An SUV?

-Non, mwen bezwen yon ti machin ekonomik.
 No, I need a small economical car.

-Dakò. M kapab ede w ak sa. Nou genyen plizyè bèl ti machin nan sal ekspozisyon nou an.  M sèten ou va jwenn sa w'ap chache a.   Kijan kredi ou ye?
 Oke.  I can help you with that.  We have many nice little cars in our showroom.  I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for.  How's your credit?

- Mwen poko etabli kredi isi.  Mwen se yon nouvo rezidan.
   I haven't yet established credit here.  I'm a new resident.

-Ah mwen wè.  Ki kote w te abite avan sa?
  Ah I see. Where did you live before that?

- Anvan sa mwen te abite Ayiti.
 Before that I lived in Haiti.

-Donk, ou fèk vin abite nan peyi a?
  So, you just came to live in the country?

-Wi.

-Mwen wè.  Eske w’ap travay?
  I see. Are you  working?

-Wi, mwen apenn jwenn yon dyòb.  Se pousa mwen bezwen yon machin pou m ka fè trajè travay la.
  Yes, I just found a job.  That's why I need a car to do the work commute.

-Nan peyi bò isit, achte yon machin san w ponko gen ni dosye kredi, ni antesedan travay ka difisil anpil, preske enposib,  sèlsi ou ta vle peye lajan kontan.
In this country, buying a car without having a credit or work history can be very difficult, almost impossible, unless you would want to pay cash.

-O non! m pa kwè m’ap gen mwayen peye kach pou yon machin nèf!  
  Oh no! I don't think I'll have the means to pay cash for a new car! 

-Sanble ou gen lide w fikse sou yon machin nèf.  Poukisa w pa achte yon machin dezyèm men?
   It seems you have your mind set on a new car.  Why don't you buy a second-hand car? 

-Ah! Machin dezyèm men se traka!  Lè w achte yon machin konsa, se tèt chaje yon lòt moun w achte.
  Second-hand cars are trouble!  When you buy such a car, you're buying someone else's headache.  

-Non non, se pa toujou vre.  Nou gen anpil machin ize ki efikas menm jan ak yon machin nèf. Ou mèt eseye youn.  W'a wè pou tèt pa'w.
 Oh no, That's not always true. We have many used cars that are as efficient as a new car.  You may test drive one.  You'll see for yourself.

-Men wi.  Mwen ta renmen fè sa.
  Sure.  I'd love to do that.

-Ki kalite machin ou ta renmen eseye?
  What type of car would you like to test drive?

-Mwen ta renmen eseye yon machin ki resan, ki dirab, ki pa gen anpil mileyaj sou li, ki p’ap lage m nan lari, ki bèl ni anndan ni deyò, e fò l ta gen garanti.
 I'd like to try a car that is recent, durable, with low mileage, that will not leave me stranded, which is pretty inside and out, and it must have warranty.

- Ou konn sa w vle.  Kòm mwen di w, ou vini bon kote.  Nou genyen machin w'ap chache a.  Vin al eseye li.
   You do know what you want.  Like I said, you've come to the right place.. I have the car that you're looking for.  Let's go try it out.

-Dakò mèsi mesye.
 Okay.  Thank you sir.

Track:  Lajan sa a by Manno Charlemagne
  Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Ki sa vle di "kesekwann kesedjo'?

kesekwann kesedjo → "this, that and so on", "this and that", "etc....",  "blah blah blah", trivial conversation

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

Does ‘manje pawòl’ also have the same meaning as in the English expression to ‘eat one’s words’ which means to admit that something you said was wrong?

I have not heard it like that.
But people do say bwè or vale pawòl (maybe "...manje" too)

M'ap fè w vale sa'w di a.
I'm going to make you swallow what you said.
I'm going to prove you wrong.
and also:
I will make you regret what you said.
or
I'll make you pay for what you said.
Or
You'll be sorry because of what you said. (It's about someone being vindictive about what someone else say:)

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