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Wednesday, January 29, 2014

What's the meaning of jeu wont jeu? Does it mean the same as de jeu kontre manti kaba? Can you use it in a sentence?

You probably mean je wont je? It's about behaving properly when you know people are watching you.
Literally it means eye shame eye... as in one is ashamed to misbehave in public .
No, it does not mean the same as "de je kontre manti kaba".

Using it in a sentence.... Misye te move kou kong. Li ta rale soulye l pou l kalote timoun nan, men je wont je, li konnen se nan lasosyete li ye e te gen anpil je ki t'ap gade l.  Li pa't vle moun konnen move mès li donk li  blije  kalme l. - He was mad as hell. He could have removed his shoes to slap the child, but "eye shame eye", he knew he was in public and there were many eyes watching him.  He didn't want people to know about his bad habits so he had to calm down.
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Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Can you help me to translate "It won't happen again". Mesi


It won’t happen again - Sa p’ap fèt ankò, or Sa p'ap rive ankò.

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Hi! How are you? I haven't seen a new post since 12/5/13 and I am just wondering if you are ok. I really appreciate all you have done with this site! I have learned SO much! I am hoping all is well and you are just taking a little break. :)

Thanks for checking on me.   My little break is over :)

Mèsi e toujou kenbe la


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I was talking with a cook in Cap Haitien. She was cooking chayote squash. I was told that they were called "mirliton" in French and "konkonb" in Creole. I thought konkonb was cucumber. What's the story? If chayote is konkonb, how do you say "cucumber"?


Chayote squash is Mirliton (militon in Creole)

Cucumber is konkonm (you will most likely find the small cucumber in Haiti)

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

To (as in a destination): I am walking to my room. (M'ap mâché nan chanm m? or M'ap mâché al chanm m?) Or something else? Also I'm confused by how I would say "off of": Get off of me. Fall off of the table. Etc.

I.
I am walking to my room – “M’ap mache al nan chanm mwen” is correct

You can also say: M pral nan chanm mwen  (I’m going to my room)

Adding the Creole verb “ale” helps to indicate that you’re walking towards the room.

M’ap mache nan chanm mwen meansI am walking in my room”

 
II.
You may add the verb “ale” to indicate that you are moving to …a direction.

Examples:

N’ap kondi al Miami instead of N’ap kondi Miami (We’re driving to Miami)

Mwen te mache al lakay instead of Mwen te mache lakay (I walked home)

 
III.
As far as the preposition “to” is concerned, it may not be translated in Creole in these cases:

Mwen pral lekòl (I’m going to school)

Nou prale lavil. (We’re going to town)

Eske ou  prale legliz jodi a? (Will you go to church today?)

Nou prale lakay. (We’re going home)

 

 IV.
And sometimes we use “NAN”

Nan may indicate at, to, to the, in, or in the
Examples:

Li prale nan mache. (He’s going to the market)

Mwen pral nan magazen an. (I’m going to the store)

Mwen pral nan konsè a. (I’m going to the concert)

Mwen pral nan fèt la. (I’m going to the party)

Mwen prale nan reyinyon an. (I’m going to the meeting)

Li nan travay.  (She’s at work.)

Mwen te wè li lopital la. Or M te wè l nan lopital la. (I saw her at the hospital)

 
V.
And finally… a little correction in your sentence :)

Say “chanm mwen” instead of “chanm m”

We don’t usually use contractions after consonants

Chanm mwen, not chanm m (my room) We don't use the contracted “m” after “chanm” because of the ending consonant “m” in “chanm

Liv mwen, not liv m (my book) We don't use contracted “m” after “liv” because of the ending consonant “v” in “liv

Kabann ou not kabann w (your bed) We don't use contracted “w” after “kabann” because of the ending consonant “n” in “kabann

Bagay li not bagay l (his thing)  We don't use contracted “l”  after “bagay” because of the ending consonant “y” in bagay)

Mwen prale avèk ou not Mwen prale avèk w (I will go with you)  We don't use contracted “w” after “avèk” because of consonant “k” at the end of “avèk

BUT you CAN say Mwen prale avè w (I’m will go with you) We use contraction “w” after “avè” because we have a vowel “è” at the end of “avè

You can also say:

Papa mwen or papa m (my father) because “papa” ends with a vowel “a”.  SO it's ok to use a contraction after a word that ends with a vowel.

Mwen renmen ou or Mwen renmen w (I like you) because “renmen” ends with the nasal vowel “en”

manman mwen or manman m (my mother) because “manman” ends with the nasal vowel “an”

Rele mwen or Rele m (call me) because “rele” ends with a vowel “e”   

 
VI.
OFF OF / OFF  may be translated with some Haitian Creole expressions.  We may use Haitian Creole terms "retire" or "wete" (to take away or take out), or "soti" or "sot" (out of)
Examples:

Get off of me  (Get off me?)– Soti sou mwen, wete (or retire) kò w sou mwen

   Soti sou mwen – get away from me

  Wete kò w sou mwen – remove your body from me, remove yourself from me, get away from me.

She fell off heavenLi tonbe sot nan syèl

He fell off the horseLi sot tonbe sou chwal la.

She fell off the bed. – Li sot tonbe sou kabann nan.

The spoon fell off the table . – Kiyè a sot tonbe sou tab la

Take your feet off the tableWete pye w sou tab la

He took off his hatLi wete chapo l.
He took the hat off the table. - Li wete chapo a sou tab la.

Keep off the grassRete lwen gazon an. (Rete lwen – Stay away)
Keep the car off the grass. - Wete machin nan sou gazon an.
Same as:
Get off me. - Wete w sou mwen or Sot kò w sou mwen or Soti kò w sou mwen.

She got off the car.Li te desann machin nan. (Get off – desann, soti)

I’m going to get off right here.M’ap desann la a.

(check LABELS at the bottom)
 

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Monday, January 27, 2014

Please translate, "will you tell them that I love and miss them? I pray for them every day." And "have you been to ... recently?"


Will you tell them that I love and miss them? I pray for them every day. - Di yo mwen renmen yo e m sonje yo.  Mwen lapriyè pou yo chak jou.

 

Have you been to ….. recently? - Eske ou ale/vizite …. tou dènyèman?

Recently – tou dènyèman (recently), lotrejou (the other day), tou lotrejou (just the other day), pa twò lontan (not too long ago)

Have you been to Haiti recently?Eske ou vizite  Ayiti tou dènyèman?

Did you visit Haiti recently?Eske w te vizite Ayiti tou dènyèman?

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How would you explain what "Tete Chargee" means to someone not familiar with Kreyol or Haitian expressions?


Tèt chaje

Tèthead

Chajefull, loaded, burdened

Tèt chajeburdened head (literally)

So it can be an expression for dilemma, trouble, predicament

You can use it as verb or noun.

Using it as noun:

1.     Fanm sa a se yon tèt chaje. – This woman is trouble

2.     Pa ban m tèt chaje tanpri. – Don’t complicate things for me please

3.     Ala tèt chaje!What a dilemma!

4.     Mwen nan tèt chaje.I’m in hot water (in trouble).

Using it as verb:

5.     Pa vin chaje tèt mwen. – Don’t give me any worries.

6.     Poukisa w’ap chaje tèt mwen konsa?  Why are you stressing me out?

7.     Pa kite mesye sa a chaje tèt ou ak problem li non.Don’t let this man stress you about his problems.

8.     Pa chaje tèt ou twòp ak bagay sa yo.Don’t worry too much about these things

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Monday, December 2, 2013

what does it mean when haitis start their sentence with lesensyal?

haitis? Don't you mean Haitians? :)
It's the same as the French "l'essentiel".
It means "the most important"

yon egzanp:
Lesansyèl sèke ou la avèk nou kounye a. – The most inportant thing is that you’re here with us now.

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Does yaya ko means to dance?

Yaya kò?

It does mean to move along, get a move on, to mosey on,  get going – does not necessarily mean to dance

Men yon egzanp:
Mezanmi! Manyè yaya kò w non pou wè si w ta jwenn yon travay. Geez! At least move around a bit to see if you can find a job.

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What does this mean (in question form?): so pito? (there's possibly an accent character on O in "so"? Thanks.

It sounds to me like Sa'w pito? (or Kisa w pito?) - Haitians also say Sa'w pi pito? (or (Kisa ou pi pito?)
If I'm right, then it means What/which do you prefer?

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I saw a poster here in Haiti today. It was published by UNICEF about children's rights. It was a ...

I saw a poster here in Haiti today. It was published by UNICEF about  children's rights. It was a mixture of French and Creole. The bottom half of the poster had the "alphabet" of children's rights. I was unable to understand these two: K comme Kif kif - Tous les enfants sont égoux en droit. Y comme Yanvalou - L'enfant a droit à sa propre culture. Can you help me understand these? Especially kif kif and yanvalou.

K comme kif kif - Tous les enfants sont egaux en droit.
K as in kif kif - All children have equal rights
kif kif is  French for equal, same

Y comme Yanvalou - L'enfant a droit à sa propre culture.
Y as in Yanvalou - The child has rights to have his own culture
Yanvalou - cultural Haitian dance

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Hola¡¡koman mwen kapab di "if you want......" in HC ,souple. Mesi.

How would you translate that 'For three years I have waited for you'? POU TWA AN MWEN TE TANN OU (OR) DEPI TWA AN MWEN TE TANN OU? Is it DEPI or POU?

For three years I have waited for you.
Depi twazan m t'ap tann ou.

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