“they’ll have to dig out his remains…” Google translate is giving me “Yo pral oblije fouye soti rete l” I’m thinking of using the creole word “ko” for remains: “Yo pral oblije fouye soti ko li yo”. Is this correct?

Here, to dig out will translate as "detere" (to unearth)
If Google Translate is not giving you the right translation, try using other words, in this case, "cadaver" or something else.
Here, remains will translate as kadav or zosman

They'll have to dig out his remains. - Yo pral detere kadav li. or Yo pral oblije detere zosman li.(if the body's been buried for a very long time)
and...
No need to use plural "yo" unless you're talking about bones.

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What is Haitian Creole for pillowcase?

pillowcase - sak zorye, tèt zorye, tèdoreye

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If I want to tell someone about something that actually happened, what is a good way to introduce this? M vle di ou yon istwa? Is istwa good here? What if I wanted to tell someone a fabricated story--something I made up—would istwa also work here? What makes most sense in each of these situations?

M vle di ou yon istwa (or M vle rakonte w yon istwa) will work for retelling an event that DID or DIDN'T happened.

But if you say "kont" instead of "istwa" (M vle rakonte w yon kont), the listener will instantly know that the story is fiction.


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I was looking for the use of ‘fèt kare’, I’m sure I printed it from your blog but I can’t find my copy or your blog post.

It's in this post: FÈK KARE?

1.

Fèk kare – it’s just the beginning, only just started (indicates an event that just started and intends to continue for an indefinite period of time).

2.

Nou fèk kare ap danse. -  We only just started to dance.

3.

Ameriken te panse yo te fini avèk to chomaj ki eksesif, men avèk istwa move ekonomi an, yo fèk kare wè chomaj. – Americans thought they were done with high rates of unemployment, but with this story of bad economy, the unemployment days have just begun.

4.

Nou te kwè soufrans nou te fini, men nou fèk kare bat lanmizè. – We thought our suffering was over, but our anguish has just begun.

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“Se nou de a ak papa papa l ki te la”. For “papa papa” isn’t it the same as saying granpapa? if yes, then why not say granpapa? Is the same used for manman too? And also, can I say “gran gran grann mwen” for “great great grandmother” or should I use “manman manman”

You can use papa papa, granpapa, or granpè

 Or manman manman, grann, or granmè

It makes more sense, to me,  saying  “manman manman grann mwen” .

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“Konfyans se yon misté. Yo pa achte sa, ou pa kapab di ban m pou tan.” I don’t understand the use of “tan” in this sentence. Can you explain? Mési.

Tan – this much, so much, an undetermined number

Some examples how it is used.

1.

You may think that the car costs this much, but in reality it costs more than that. - Ou kapab panse machin nan koute tan, men anreyalite li koute plis pase sa.

2.

Here’s a math problem. If the bike costs such amount of money, and the store gives you a rebate of 50%, how much will you pay? – Men yon pwoblèm matematik.  Si yon bekán koute tan, enpi magazen an ba w 50 pousan rabè, konbyen w’ap peye?.

3.

If the company agrees to give free tickets to such number of people, how would we pay for the ones remaining? Si konpani an dakò pou bay tan moun tikè gratis, kouman n’ap fè peye pou rès yo?

By the way your accent is backwards on the “e” in “mistè” and “mèsi”.  It should be “è” instead of “é”.

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Is there a proverb about the importance of a command hierachy? thanks.

Try this H. Creole proverb: Si tout moun sou cheval, kimoun ki va fèmen baryè.

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What does "konn sa'm kite" mean?

Based solely on the information you gave me, it means "to know what I leave" or "to know what I left"

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Mandaly I'm confused about a conversation my friend and I had in Haiti about the words sal and salison.after she explained it to me i'm still confused. my question is, if it's sal then it's dirty but if its salison it can get dirty, but it’s not dirty? If I say my shoes are salison, will they ever get dirty at some point?

All shoes get dirty.  Don't they? :)
The word is "salisan".  "Salisan" means that it easily picks up dirt, or easily gets soiled
Stuff such as white carpet are "salisan", if you have busy kids or toddlers the carpet will be ruined before you have time to enjoy it.
Light-colored suede shoes, for example, are "salisan", you wear them just once and they already have scuff marks and mud stains on them.
Jeans, for example, are not "salisan". You could wear a pair of jeans for years and never wash it and  no one will notice.
Ou konprann?

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How do you say the expression "For Sure", Ex: “I will see you for sure!”, “It'll rain for sure!”, “I will pass the test for sure”, etc....... or, “I am sure what I am saying”. Mesi anpil

For sure – definitivman, asireman, pou sèten, tout bon, or san dout?

Do you know that for sure? – Eske ou sèten sou sa?

Yes, for sure. – Wi, tout bon; Wi, asireman.

That’s for sure! – Tout bon!, Men wi,; Se sèten!, or San dout!

I will see you for sure – M va wè w definitivman.

It’ll rain for sure –Li pral fè lapli pou tout bon.

I will pass the test for sure. – M’ap pase egzamen an definitivman.

Are you sure what you said is true?. – Eske ou sèten sa’w te di a se laverite?

I’m not so sure about that. – Mwen pa fin sèten sou sa.

I am sure of what I m saying – Mwen sèten sa m di a.

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Does ‘li pa tande li pa wè’ (or yo pa tande yo pa wè) have another meaning (other than the obvious)? Can you use it in a sentence please. Thanks Mandy.

It means to be blind to everything else, to have just one  specific goal in mind, to want nothing but one thing

Egzanp:

Depi misye rankontre fanm nan, m pa konn sa’k pran’l, li pa tande l pa wè se marye l vle marye. - Since he met that woman, I don’t know what came over him, he wants nothing but to marry her.

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Have you heard this before, map fow kite denye mess. Someone said it angrily and pointing the finger at my face

O O! what did you do? If I were you I wouldn’t eat anything that person offers me :)  He/she’s going to teach a lesson (or something like that)

 

“M’ap fè w kite dènye mès”?

 

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If someone says for example "map sotew tankou yon anpoul" what would he/she mean by that? Is this statement a mean or just playful statement? #JustALittleCuriousLol

It actually can be both, threatening or playful depending on context.
I'm afraid to ask what the context was :)

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I've had some Haitian friends ask me "Kouman blan fè fè fè?" It took a while to figure out, but after they explained it to me I'm still a little confused. Do you really need the first "fè" in there for "do"?

 You may use up to two “fè” in that sentence; the third one will indeed make it confusing.

 

Kouman w fè l?

How do you do it?

 

Kouman ou fè fè l?

How did you succeed in doing it?

 

Do you think they were trying to say something other than what I have above?

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Tèt Chaje! (E anpil anpil lòt ekspresyon)

Not every Haitian Creole expression in this audio post can be translated word for word.

Download link:
http://limanecasimi.audioacrobat.com/download/2b1b5975-db17-152c-90ea-e1b2c93ced65.mp3

Click to listen to audio: http://www.audioacrobat.com/play/WYLsvX1S

Sa se istwa Toto ak Janèt.
This is the story of Toto and Janet.

Toto ak Janèt se te misye ak madanm.
Toto and Janet were husband and wife.

De mesyedam sa yo se te pwason kraze nan bouyon.  Yo te damou nèt.
These two people were like two peas in a pod.  They were totally in love.

Men sa’k vin pase. Toto te konn travay vennkat sou vennkat. Li pa janm gen tan.  Li pa janm la.  Janèt menm te bouke rete pou kont li nan kay la.  Chak jou se te konsa. Donk, ou konnen, Lè chat pa la rat pran kay.
Here's what happened.  Toto used to work around the clock.  He never had time.  He was never there.  Janet, herself, was tired of staying home alone in the house.  Everyday it was like that.  So, you know, when the cat's away the mice come to play.

Wi machè! Misye te vin sispèk madanm ni ka ap ba li zoklo.  Janèt toujou demanti mari l. Konsa yon jou Toto ba l yon kou sipriz.  Li rantre lakay sanzatann.
Yes! He suspected that his wife may have been cheating on him.  Janet always denied it.  So one day Toto surprised her.  He came home unexpectedly.

Lè Toto rantre nan kay la, sa l wè l pa ka pale.  L’al pantan sou yon move sipriz. Yon lòt nèg….
When Toto got into the house, he was speechless.  He came upon a bad surprise.  Another man...

Sa w tande a, de je kontre manti kaba.  Tout kaka chat deyò.  Toto pran chenn.  Li fin deraye. Li rale yon kouto.
Just like you heard, Janet was cornered.  All secret was out.  Toto got really mad.  He lost it completely.  He pulled out a knife.

Lòt nèg la wè kouto a. Tout jwèt se jwèt, kòchèt pa ladan l. Li ranmase rad li, o o! toutouni an,  li di “pye sa m te manje m pa’t ba w!”. Li chape poul li.
The other man saw the knife, it was not a game anymore.  He picked up his clothes, all naked, he asked his feet to take him as far away as possible.  He split.

Toto menase Janèt ak kouto a. Janèt menm ranmase tout zafè li.  Li kite kay la ak kanè bank mari li blanch.  Li kite misye sou po bouda l.
Toto threatened Janet with the knife.  Janet picked up her belongings and emptied out the house and her husband's bank account.  She left him penniless.

Tèt chaje! Toto pèdi ni sak ni krab. Li pèdi lanmou. Li pèdi madanm. Li pèdi  lajan li. Li pèdi diyite l. Ou konn tande yo di gason pa kriye. Ah! tande ak wè se de, misye te kriye kon yon ti bebe.
It's a dilemma indeed!  Toto lost everything.  He lost his love.  He lost his wife.  He lost his money.  He lost his dignity.  You hear they say that men don't cry.  Well, seeing is believing, he cried like baby.

Depi lè sa a Toto pran lavi a ak degou.  Li te toujou kenbe espwa ke yon jou Janèt va tounen vin jwenn ni.
Since then Toto had a distaste for life.  He always held hope that one day Janet will come back to him.

Men se pa sa ki te fèt. Janèt pa’t ka viv ak sa l te fè a.  Dezespwa anpare l.  L’al lage tèt li devan yon tap-tap.
But that's not what happened.  Janet couldn't live with what she did.  She was overcome with despair.  She went and threw herself in front of a tap-tap.

Anbilans te vini, men pa’t gen anyen yo te ka fè pou sove l.
The ambulance came, but there was nothing they could do to save her

Janèt al bwachat.  Toto pran nouvèl la.  Se te abse mete sou klou.  Toto pran kabann, li pa janm leve.  Chagren touye l.
Janet died.  Toto heard about it.  It was a bad situation that became worse.  He became ill in bed, and never recovered.  He died of a broken heart.

Mezanmi o! Ala de tèt chaje.
Man! What a dilemma!

Enhen! Pawòl nan bon ti manmit nou ba w la.
Uh huh! We told you the story accurately.

Track: Jou Ouvè by Malavoi

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