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Monday, April 21, 2014

Poukisa yo aprann timoun ayisyen pou pa gade nan je ni pou yo pa kwaze pye yo, et pou pa soufle?

Granmoun pa tolere timoun gade yo nan je. Se timoun odasye ki fè sa dapre yo menm.  Sa demontre yon timoun ki gen aksyon sou li. 
Men m poko janm jwenn yon nasyon ki ka pèdi tan l ap defigire yon moun delatètopye tankou Ayisyen.  Depi yo gade w, yo gendwa di si w "gwo" oubyen si w "piti".  Etranje va gade w anba linèt, men Ayisyen di w, Bondye ba l je, se pou l gade.  Ya kanpe sou ran pou yo gade w. Sèlman yo p’ap gade w nan je.
Men pou di w vre, m gen pwoblèm ak moun ki pa ka gade m nan je lè y’ap pale avè m.  Lè yo fè sa yo sanble y’ap kache m yon bagay.

Zafè kwaze pye a se menm bagay la. Si w gen respè pou moun ki pi gran pase w, ou chita devan l nan yon fason ki onore l….. yon fason ki soumèt. Se konsa m te leve.

Pou koze soufle a, m pa konn sa pou m di :)  Gramoun mwen ta flanke m yon kalòt si m pwenti bouch mwen ap soufle devan yo.  E si m ta mande yo, “poukisa m ka soufle sou granmoun?” yo ta flanke m on lòt souflèt.  Donk se granmou yo ki konnen sekrè a, paske yo pa’t janm ban m chans envestige sa :)


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Ki kote m kapab trouve roch galet?

Ou pral fè yon “resèt”?

Wòch galèt se nan larivyè ou ranmase sa.

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Sunday, April 20, 2014

What is santi pise?

What’s the context? Besides the obvious meaning, you can find this in a name-calling type of situation.

Someone might call another “ti santi pise” meaning vagabond, worthless person

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“Se sa m bliye m pat fe” can you explain the usage of this term, specifically when can I use it? Thanks Mandalay.

Your example literally means it’s what I forgot I didn’t do basically meaning that I did everything

Or in the future tense Se sa m bliye m p’ap – (literally, it’s what I forget I will not do) meaning that I will do everything.

Pa egzanp:
Misye te tonbe joure m. Se sa l bliye l pa’t di’m. (notice past tense) – He began to curse at me. He really let me have it/ or He didn’t mince his words.

Another example of how it’s used:
John had not seen his wife for two weeks. When he called her on the phone to say he was coming home, he playfully said to her, Lè m rive lakay se sa m bliye m’ pa’p fè w. (notice future tense)- meaning that he’s  really going to indulge with her.

One more example:
N’ap desann Jakmèl pou wikenn nan avèk kèk ti medam. Napwen travay. Nanpwen obligasyon. Nou pral pran plezi nou nèt. Se sa n bliye n p’ap fè. Meaning We’re going to party hard (or something like that)


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how do u say lonbay in english

Saturday, April 19, 2014

Bonjou, Mandaly! I'm reviewing Singular Definite Articles and I'm confused about one of the examples for the Special Note about the vowels "i" and "ou." You said words that end with "i" or "ou" and is preceded by a nasal sound will use "AN." Here's my confusion. You used "LENNMI AN" instead of "LENNMI A.


Although the H. Creole article “an” is used for words that end with a nasal vowel such “pen an, kan an, pon an”; it’s  also used for words that end with a non-nasal vowel which is preceded by a nasal sound:

Examples:

You'll say "zanmi an" instead "zanmi a", because of the nasal sound "zan..." in zanmi
You'll say "fanmi an" instead of "fanmi a" because of the nasal sound "fan..." in fanmi.

We say:
jou a
or jou an
avangou a 
or avangou an
bouk la
or bouk lan
soukous la
or soukous lan
lanmou an because of the nasal sound "lan..." in lanmou

Thus “lennmi an”

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Ki jan w di "the matter at hand" Eske w Gen yon fraz pou sa nan kreyol?


The matter at handsijè, kesyon; sijè ki sou tab la, kesyon ki sou tab la

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Thursday, April 17, 2014

what is dyayi? I've seen many different translations. i know it means to dance or move your body some way but what does mean "mwen pral dyayi sou ou"?


 M pral djayi sou ou” seems to mean “I’m going to flip out on you” (to be angry or furious).  I’m not sure what the context is.

It also translates to shake, to have the shakes, to go into a trembling fit.
Egzanp:
Fanm nan t’ap kriye nan antèman pitit li a.  Li t’ap djayi atè a.  Se dis gason ki t’oblije kenbe l anvan l te vin resi kalme.

Djayi” can also mean “to dance”.

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What are some synonyms for "ugly" besides "lèd" regarding people or thing? for example, "That house around the corner is ugly." "Flavor of love or flavor flave is an ugly person." What are some degrees of ugliness in creole(if there is any)?


What are some synonyms for "ugly" besides "lèd" regarding people or thing? for example, "That house around the corner is ugly." "Flavor of love or flavor flave is an ugly person." What are some degrees of ugliness in creole(if there is any)?

Degrees of ugliness?  Is that about comparatives?

You should listen to Maurice Sixto’s Sentaniz where the mistress of the house calls Sentaniz ugly in many many different ways….

In Haitian Creole we may use  koukou, makawon,  mafweze, kaka zonbi, mangousa, malfouti,  chwèt, makoubi, etc….

As for describing an ugly object, we might use gwosomodo

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Lè yo rele mwen “blan” an Ayiti

This post is written by Scott. 

 
Bonjou mesyedam, lasosyete d Ayiti.

Jodiya mwen vle diskite yon mo mwen tande trè souvan an Ayiti – “blan.” Lè m flannen nan santye andeyò, lè m achte pwovizyon nan mache, lè m fè dekabès, lè m ap rele “Anmwey !” aprè pikan pike gwo zotèy mwen, mwen tande moun di “Blan.” E se pa yon sèl fason pou yo di l. Moun ka rele l, moun ka chwichwi l, moun ka tchwipe l, e moun ka salye avè l ak tout politès. Kelkeswa ka a, mwen konn tande l.

Sa k fè moun di sa alantou mwen tout tan? Oke chè lektè, m ap mete sekre rèd pa m nan lari. Mwen menm, mwen gen po blan, je vèt, mwen fèt lòtbòdlo. Donk, an Ayiti moun konn rele mwen "blan." E jodiya, mwen ta vle pataje yon ti tranch esperyans mwen genyen ak mo sa a nan bèl peyi nou.

Bon, an palan de esperyans pa m, mwen ka fè de (2) kan moun ki konn rele mwen "blan."

            Premyeman, gen moun ki rele mwen "blan" premye fwa yo wè mwen paske yo poko konnen kijan mwen rele, yo wè mwen se yon etranje, e san touche gwo istwa kolonyal, se nan jan sa nou konn kalifye moun konsa an Ayiti. Aprè sa nou koze, nou bay blag, nou mande youn lòt anpil kesyon. Mwen aprann konbyen sè ak frè yo genyen, e mwen di yo manman mwen byen, menm si sante li pa pafè. Mwen esplike kòman mwen travay nan yon lekòl. Nou pataje esperyans nou ak lide nou sou sistèm edikasyon, e nou diskite ki wòl kominote entènasyonal la ak dyaspora a ka genyen nan zafè sa yo. Kòm mwen se yon Kreyolis, souvan nou pale sou wòl lang kreyòl ak lang franse nan sosyete a tou.

Pale nou fin pale youn ak lòt, mwen pa "blan" ankò, mwen se “zanmi,” “Msye Scott,” ou “Tiscot.” Men wi, gen kèk moun ki konn rele m “blan” toujou. Mwen di yo “Se pa konsa fanmi mwen lòtbo konn rele m, non papa!” (gen kèk ti grenn moun ki parèt sezi. "Non ? Manman w pa rele ou blan ?" Adje.) E si nou rive fini koze a nèt, mwen pa vle moun ki konnen mwen byen rele mwen "blan" paske se kòmsi nou ka bliye tout lòt karatèristik, lefèt ke nou chak gen pwòp istwa ak rèv nou, e se sèlman koulè ki enpòtan. Aprè mwen di sa, moun konn reponn "Tout moun se moun. Tout moun gen menm valè." Pifò Ayisyen konprann sa byen. Anfèt, jeneralman isit la moun konprann sa pi byen pase lòt kote sou latè, e se pou sa mwen renmen pale avèk Ayisyen e mwen gen anpil zanmi Ayisyen.

            Gen yon dezyèm gwoup moun ki konn rele mwen blan tou. Men okonmansman yo pa rele mwen blan. Non, odebi se “Monsieur Scott, bienvenue en Haïti. Comment allez-vous?” Tre janti, non? Men, sa pa dire twòp tan. Menmsi mwen eseye mare lang mwen, mwen gen tandans antre bouch mwen nan koze EPT (Edikasayon Pou Toutmoun) oubyen sou valè lang Kreyòl Ayisyen an, e kòman m ap etidye kilti ak istwa d Ayiti. Epitou, mwen ka fè wè nan de tan twa mouvman yo konstate mwen pa rich. Donk, mwen pa rich, mwen pa sòt. Kisa yo ka fè ak yon etranje ki pa ni sòt ni rich ?

            Bridsoukou, se pa « Bienvenue Monsieur Scott » ankò. Bridsoukou, se yon blan mwen ye. Yon etranje, yon moun ki sòt yon lòt kote. Yo pale ak zanmi yo devan mwen e yo di "Kominote entènasyonal la ap toujou mete tèt yo nan zafè nou." Yo pase m nan tenten, yo rele mwen “yon blan fou.” Yo pa reponn lè mwen pale ak yo an kreyòl. Mezanmi, sa preske fin dekouraje mwen nèt.

Bon, san fè okenn konklizyon, mwen ka kondanse esperyans mwen ak mo “blan” an konsa:

Pou pifò moun an Ayiti, plis mwen pale kreyòl, plis mwen fè efò pou konprann sosyete Ayiti, e plis nou di ansanm ke yon bon edikasyon se yon dwa pou tout timoun, kèlkeswa koulè, kèlkeswa nasyonalite, kèlkeswa lang, e kèlkeswa klas, plis yo konn ban mwen yon non pase jis “blan.”

Men pou yon dezyèm ti gwoup, dotan mwen pale sou lide sila yo, dotan yo konn rele mwen “blan.” Men mwen santi gwoup sa a sèvi ak mo a nan yon lòt fason. Genlè se pa sèlman yon jan pou kalifye mwen, men se yon metòd pou fè m santi m kòm yon moun deyò, pou betize mwen, e, dabò, pou fè mwen fèmen bouch mwen ak tout koze Edikasyon Pou Toutmoun sa a.

Mwen pa ka di mwen konprann tout bagay nan sosyete Ayisyen an, e donk jodiya m ap sèlman pataje esperyans mwen  ak nou. Epi, si nou vle, nou ka eksplike m kisa li siyifye.

-pa Scott

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Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Mési anpil for all your speedy responses, Mandaly! Now another question. How come "You" plural is "Nou" like the Haitian Creole "We" instead of "Vou" or something like that? Won't this be confusing? Also, do you have any audio lessons for these pronouns? I can't even try to imagine what these contractions sound like, "L, N, and Y" for "Li, Nou, and Yo." I'm starting to run into a bit of challenge from not hearing as I read. Xoxoxo

Usually if the word is within context, you will not be confused.

If I come onto a group of people and I want to say hello, I’d say: Kouman nou ye mezanmi? How are you all doing? (Actually that’s how I usually greet a group of people)

Or in a speech, the speaker might say to the audience.

Nou pa dwe bay legen.  Nou pa dwe fè bak.  Se pou nou kenbe la. Se pou nou vanse douvan. – You must not give up. You must not back down.  You must hang in there.  You must move forward.
It’s easy to see that “nou”, in both examples above, translates as plural “you” here?
 
And if both of us were having a conversation, and I said:
Kisa pou nou fè menm?So what should we do?
Here, we know that “nou” translates “we”.

So it’s all in the context.

And regarding listening exercises, the more you listen to all types of conversations the more your ears will be trained and eventually be comfortable in understanding and hearing the pronouns whether they’re contracted or not.
 
Kenbe la.

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what does it mean to "fe sisisy" in hcreole? btw i probably spelled it wrong! thanks?

Do you mean fè lasisin, or is it something else?  Fè lasisin – taunt, to tease someone with food

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Mandaly. From what I have been reading about Ayiti and alcohol; it seems to indicate that the Creoles there do not drink strong drink. The articles imply that they drink milder drinks on the average. I am talking about common Creole folk. Pa vre? Also, does Ayiti brew a national beer or a national hard liqueur such as vodka, whiskey or bourbon? I am trying to get my travel plans in order. Mesi bokou


We have a few alcoholic beverages that are native to Haiti in addition to some homemade cocktails.  Kleren (Clairin) may be the strongest:

Kleren (clairin) – Strong alcoholic drink distilled from sugar canes.

Wonm Babankou (rhum Barbancourt) – Haitian rum

Prestij (Prestige) – Haitian Beer

Kremas (Cremas) – Creamed coconut alcoholic beverage

Like (liqueur) – red alcoholic beverage primarily flavored with beets

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Mon vlé mandé an kwésyon...es moun ayisien sevi pawol-la "zot"? adan dominik,gwadloup, st.lisi e matnik we use that when talking to a group of people. Pa egzanp...zot pa ka manjé (are you all not eating). Also in dominica we use "sa" to able/can. For example...mon pa sa kopwann kwéyòl pyes (I can not understand creole at all) .Curious if these are used in haiti. Mési anchay

1.
Enpe moun te konn itilize “zòt” lontan lontan.  Men kounye a, depi alfabetizasyon Kreyòl la, yo pa itilize l fasil ankò. Kounye a, depi kèk tan, nou itilize “nou” nan plas “zòt”.

Pa egzanp, nou di:
Kòman nou ye? (to a group of people)
How are you all doing?

Ou kapab jwenn mo “zòt” la nan liv ki te ekri lontan ak nan ansyen bib Kreyòl Aysiyen an
 

2.
WI, nou itilize “sa” pou nou di “kapab” (nan fraz negatif).
Pa egzanp:
M tonbe m pa sa leve. – I’ve fallen I can’t get up.
M pa sa konpran anyen nan sa w’ap di. – I can’t understand anything that you’re saying.
Yo tèlman sezi yo pa sa pale. – They are se shocked they can’t talk.
…..
3.
Lòt bagay:
Nou pa itilize aksan sou “e” paske nan lang Kreyòl la nou pa genyen prononsyasyon “e” Franse a.
Pa egzanp:
Nou di rele nan plas rélé
Nou di pale nan plas palé
Etc…


Mwen konprann Kreyòl ou, eske ou konprann Kreyòl mwen ?

 

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Tuesday, April 15, 2014

How can I use the expression SE PA PALE like you did in the email. I don’t get it .do you a couple of example. mesi


Se pa pale  - it goes without saying,  needless to say, there’s no doubt, unquestionably, for sure

1. Timoun alèkile pa respekte paran yo. Sa ki rich yo menm se pa pale, yo pi mal. - Kids these days do not respect their parents.  The wealthy ones, for sure, are the worst.

2. Mina te entelijan anpil.  Li te maton nan chimi, biyoloji, syans natirèl yo, etc...  Matematik menm se pa pale, nanpwen yon pwoblèm matematik li pa t ka rezoud. - Mina was very smart.  She was good with chemistry, biology, the natural sciences, etc… As for math, that’s for sure, there wasn’t a math problem that she couldn’t solve.

3. Misye te lage nan plezi nèt.  Li te nan nayklib chak swa.  Li pa’t refize dwòg.  Li t’ap depanse adwat agoch. Kanta pou fanm menm, se pa pale, chak swa li te kouche ak youn diferan. – He was living a life of pleasure. He was at the nightclubs every night.  He didn’t refuse drugs.  He was spending money left and right.  As for women, needless to say, he slept with a different one each night.

 

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