what does fret kach mean

Fwèt kach – cracking whip

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

Can you explain: 'nou mache sou mache' men nou pat janmen rive. mesi

Usually verb + sou + verb indicates an action that's being repeated

1. Nou mache sou mache men nou pa't janm rive.
     We kept on walking but we never got there.

2. Nou rele sou rele men pa janm gen okenn moun ki vin pote m sekou.
     We kept on screaming but no one came to our rescue

3. Mwen te lapriye sou lapriye, m pa janm jwenn okenn rezilta.
    I kept praying and praying but got no results

It's not the same as noun + sou + noun which indicate a lot of "noun"
pa egzanp:
kay sou kay - a lot of house
moun sou moun - a large crowd

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

Depi ti konkonm tap goumen ak beregen? I just found out what this means. Can I use it when I say, “I saw her a long time ago.” Is there any other HC expressions with the same meaning?

This expression is principally about “the olden days”, “in the past”

Depi ti konkonm t’ap goumen ak berejèn – long long time ago, in the past

The following Haitian Creole expressions also mean “long long time ago”, “in the olden days”:

Depi sou prezidan bann machè

Nan tan benbo

Depi tandantan

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

Help! For instance imagine I''m in a relationship with someone and my significant other tells me " Mwen anvi gatew cheri" what would he mean by "gatew" au juste. I know it wouldn't be "to pouri, tounen, or dekonpoze". Mwen tap panse à sa e li te vreman fem perplexe. Tu peux m'aider s'il te plaît?

You’re right it does not mean “pouri” my dear.  It means “to spoil you , to cater to you, to pamper you”

Mwen anvi gate w cheri. – Honey I want to spoil you

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

Mandaly. I am hearing more and more the word "manje" being pronounced "manj" in affected speech. I heard this also a few times in Louisiana while I was there. What I want to know, is this considered "good” or "proper" Kreyol, at least in Haitian Creole? Mesi bokou.

Hi.
No it is not a common way to say “manje” in Haitian Creole.  Are you hearing this from just one person or different people?  And are they speaking HAITIAN Creole?

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

Koman ou di 'psychic' an Kreyòl souple?

psychic - klèvwayan, mistik

Kijan ou vle itilize l nan yon fraz?

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

Eske machannde vle di menm bagay ake fe jis pri? mwen ta penser machannde se le wap mande pri e fe jis pri se le wap che che meye prim.

Adye Bondye… kilès ki di sa? Ni “machande” ni “fè jis pri” vle di negosye pou jwenn yon pi ba pri.  Petèt se sa ou te vle di nan kesyon w lan. Non?

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

Oh oh gade sa se haitien m ye la. M te mandew keson lontan pase. Ou pa janm repon'm. M te tande famim di balalatet men mpa sonje sa vle di. Ou ka edem?

Bon zanmi m, mwen te resevwa toude kesyon ou te poze yo.  Mwen pa fin sèten kisa ekspresyon sa a vle di ditou.  Li sanble  ak mo Franse (bal á la tête).  M’ap mande m eske manman w se pa “bab alatranp” li te konn di. Dakò, kite m konnnen… m’ap kontinye chache.

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

koman ou di commitment an creol silvouple?

commitment - angajman, responsablite

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

I have recently returned from a 3 week stay in south Louisiana. I was greatly disappointed in…

"I have recently returned from a 3 week stay in south Louisiana.  I was greatly
disappointed in
the way Creole is being lost in Louisiana.  I was told that many of the Creole
speakers from there were relocated to other areas, so this accounts for the
depletion of Creole speakers in Louisiana.

I found out through experience that one may speak
Haitian Creole (HC) to a Louisiana Creole (LC) speaker and be understood, and
vice versa.  If
I were more proficient in Creole, then the sailing would have been more smooth.

Thank God for you HC's!  It is you people who are propagating the Creole culture
worldwide.  MY culture will survive through YOUR culture!  For this, I am
eternally greatful to the Haitian Creole community for this.

Tchaw,

Jan Rachal "

Mèsi Jan Rachal.  N’ap kontinye pouse lang Kreyòl la monte.

Thanks ,we’ll continue to promote the Haitian Creole language.

Kenbe la.

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

How do you say "to feel sorry for oneself"?

To feel sorry for – pran lapenn pou, gen kè fè mal pou

egzanp:

1. I feel sorry for him. – M pran lapenn pou li or Kè m fè m mal pou li

2. She felt sorry for me. – Li te pran lapenn pou mwen. Or Kè l te fè l mal pou mwen.

3. I feel so sorry for you. – Kè m fè m mal anpil pou ou.

 

To feel sorry for oneself - pran lapenn pou tèt ou, or pran lapenn pou pwòp tèt ou

4. He felt sorry for himself – Li pran lapenn pou pwòp tèt li.

5. Why are you sitting here feeling sorry for yourself? – Poukisa ou chita la ap pran lapenn pou tèt ou?

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

I thought I had heard everything in Creole but I learned today that "metye" means lesbian or homosexual. I thought it meant "career" or "trade". would asking "ki metye w?", as I've learned from one of your post, be the same as asking about sexual orientation?

No.  The term is “nan metye” which may mean “Having a homosexual relation with”.  It must be within context to be translated that way.

Haitian sometimes may say “M pa nan metye avè w.” I’m not sleeping with you

Or one could say , “De mesye sa yo nan metye.” - These two men are together.

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

"Vin Griyen Dan'w" ak Sejoe

Thanks Sejoe, I did laugh a lot :)
Now you've got another audience, foreigners that are learning H. Creole will find your channel helpful and entertaining.
Kenbe la.

Mandaly

http://youtu.be/Rqq9AfukmH0

Press Release:

A lot has changed since Sejoe was first introduced to the Internet world in
2009. He ventured off to create a cartoon, produce music videos and work with
celebrities like Flo Rida, Daddy Yankee and A$AP Rocky. Five years later, the
passion for his work is obvious and his creative maturity is also unmistakable.
In challenging himself and knowing that the Haitian and Haitian American people
need something very specific, he has birthed The Sejoe Show.

The Sejoe Show is a Haitian humor series presentation in high definition
programming. Wanting to represent the Haitian people all over the globe well, he
refused to release any aspect of this project if it wasn’t up to par. What
inspired its creation is very simple: there are nearly no entertainment outlets
for the Haitian and Haitian American community. Everything that is currently
available dedicated to the Haitian culture is targeted towards a generation that
is, let’s face it, dying out.

The Sejoe Show was thoroughly produced for Generation Millennial because we are
the future!

Sejoe’s intention is to showcase a part of Haitian culture that is rarely ever
seen while educating and making the masses laugh. He wanted to provide the
Haitian people with something exclusively for them; something to call their own;
something to make them happy.

Here we premier the first episode/1er Dan of a four-part series that is composed
of original skits, jokes and viral videos (in Creoglish) that relate to Haitian,
Haitian American and American culture. If you’ve ever wanted to be a
humanitarian, now is the perfect time: ‘like’ and share the video to support and
push national recognition. Every Haitian in the world deserves to Vin Griyen
Dan’W!!

http://vimeo.com/sejoeentertainment
http://sejoe.com/

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

Mandaly. One last question on the "e" and "avek, ak" usages. Am I able in Creole to use "ak" over "e" most of the time? It seems that Haitian Creoles do this for the most part. I am curious, why is this? Mesi bokou.

There are a few Haitian Creole translations for the English word “and”

“And” can be translated as  E, AK, AVÈ,  EPI, ENPI, EPITOU,

We tend to  use AK, AVÈ, or AVÈK  when connecting words and group of words. 

1. Jean and Paul – Jan ak Pòl

2. the sun and the moon.  - Solèy ak lalin

3. a man and a woman - Yon gason ak yon fanm

4. You and I – Mwen ak ou or Mwen menm ak ou

5. I like rice and beans – Mwen renmen diri ak pwa

 

We tend to use “E”  when connecting or adding clauses and when joining sentences.

6. I like you and I want to marry you. – Mwen renmen w e m vle marye avè w.

7. I am tired and hungry – mwen grangou e m fatige

8. He never taught Creole, and to tell you the truth, I’m not sure he even speak the language. – Li pa’t janm anseye Kreyòl, e pou di w laverite, m pa fin sèten li menm pale lang lan.

 

Epi / Epitou / E  can translate  “and, and then, also, as well as”

9. The guy is tall, handsome, and he’s rich, why won’t you marry him? – Nèg la gen bèl tay, li bo gason, enpi li rich, poukisa w pa vle marye avè l?

Click on this link for more examples.  It’ll take you to about 6 more posts about “and” and its translation in H. Creole: Many ways to translate English "and" in Haitian Creole

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

Mandalay, what do these two words mean and how do you use them? ata and ato (with a mark on "o)? mesi

Ata – even (adv) [not just …. but also

1.  Lè evènman dènye jou yo va pase, ata mò yo va leve sot nan tonm yo. – When the events of the Last Days take place even the dead will rise out of their tomb.

2.  Ambyans lan te tèlman bon ata polis yo ki t’ap  fè patwouy nan lari a te tonbe danse. – The ambiance was so good even the police that were patrolling the streets were dancing.

3.  Tout moun te sezi, ata mwen menm pa’t ka kwè sa nou te wè jou sa a. – Everyone was shocked even I couldn’t believe what we saw that day.

4.  You tout pral pase tan nan prizon, ata ou menm pral regrèt sa w te fè a. – They will all spend time in jail, even you will be sorry for what you did.

 

Atò – then (adv), so,  that time

5.  Si ou di ou kwè nan Li poukisa atò ou pa mete lafwa w nan Li?  – If you say you believe in Him, why then don’t you put your faith in Him?

6.  Atò poukisa w’ap fè sa menm? – So why are you doing this?

7.  Se lè nou wè lafimen an atò nou te kwè te gen yon dife. – When we saw the smoke it is then we believed that there was a fire.

8.  Atò se sa w’ap mete pou al nan fèt la? – So that’s what you’re wearing to the party?

 

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