How do you say promote? and How do you say "expect" in creole and what does temwen mean?

1.Promote – pwomote, bay jarèt, jarete, bay piston, or pistonnen

          egzanp: Lè misye te nan lekòl medsin tout moun nan katye a te ba l bon jarèt paske yo te konnen li ta pral itil yo yon jou.

2. Temwen – witness

       a. Mwen se yon temwen – I am a witness.

       b. Ou dwe sèvi m temwen.

          You must serve as a witness to me.

          Be my witness

      c. Se pou Bondye sèvi n temwen … – May God be a witness …

      d. Yo te mande m sèvi kòm temwen … - They asked me to be a witness to …..

3. Expect – atann (pronominal verb)

    e. Mwen te atann mwen a sa. – I was expecting this.

    f. Mwen pa’t atann mwen a sa. – I was not expecting this.

    g. Nou pa’t atann nou a sa  ditou. – We were not expecting that at all.

   h. Nou tout te chita ansanm enpi li parèt sou nou sanzatann (san-z-atann).

       We were all sitting together and she showed up unexpectedly.

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

Can you please post the lyrics to this song that says, "Pouki move jou yo fe nou doute?"

Pouki move jou yo fè nou doute

Jezi mande pou nou pa enkyete

Nou se yon ras eli

Nou se yon pèp aki

Se nou Bondye chwazi pou temwen’l

Pandan n’ap avanse leve men ou anlè

Chante glwa a lanyo Bondye a

Valè moun ki mouri nan tout fanmi nou yo

Se nou Bondye chwazi pou temwen

Eske nou pa konnen nou se yon pèp espesyal

Se nou Bondye chwazi pou temwen

Valè moun ki dejwe nan tout fanmi nou yo

Se nou bondye chwazi pou temwen’l

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

Yo pa gen anyen aswe a vini demen swa pito

Yo pa gen anyen aswè a. Vini demen swa pito.

They don’t have anything tonight. Come tomorrow night instead

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

A few translations please ...

english to creole translation:

assume – sipoze, imajinen

stop the car – kanpe machin nan

excited – eksite, anlè anlè, antyoutyout, sou sa

bald  - chòv

spot - tach

callus – kò, zonyon

flood - inondasyon

sand - sab

creole to english:

deprime - depressed

exprime – to express

lanjèz – malicious and backbiting woman

debouyèz - resourceful

foke – fuck up, insane, crazy

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

hat does "makrel" mean. For example when someone calls you makrel

Makrèl – a pimp

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

Ki sa li signifye le w di “bay yon moun kou an angle” e ki sa "ou se libate"signifye an angle?

Your second word is selibatè – single

Ou selibatè? (Eske w selibatè?) – Are you single?

Your first word “bay kou” means “to punch, to hit”

1. Bay yon moun kou – to hit someone

2. Li te ban m kou. – He hit me

3. Mwen te ba l kou. – I hit him.

You also use bay kou (actually “bay kout …”) when you strike with any object (tangible or not):

4. Bay kou – to punch, to strike, to hit someone

       Li te ban mwen yon kou nan vant. – He hit me in the stomach

5. Bay kout pwen – to strike with the fist

       Li ban m yon kout pwen. – She punched me with her fist.

6. Bay kout pye – to kick with the feet

       Li ban m yon kout pye. – She kicked me.

7. Bay kout baton – to hit with a club

        kout baton – a strike of the club

        Polis la bay misye san (100) kout baton.- The police officer hit the man with the club 100 times

8. Bay kout sentiwon – to hit with the belt

       kout sentiwon – strike of the belt

       Papa m ban mwen 15 kout sentiwon. – My father hit me with the belt 15 times.

9. Bay kout dan(or mòde)   – to bite

        yon kout dan– a bite

         Chen an te bay pitit la yon kout dan.  The dog bit the child.

          Mesye a bay pòm la yon gwo kout dan enpi tout dan l tonbe. – The man took a big bite out of the apple and all his teeth fell out.

10. Bay kout kouto – to stab with a knife

11. Kout manchèt – to stab with a machete

12. Kout chèz – to hit with the chair

13. Kout sandal – to hit with sandals

Etc….

14. Kout tèt is different.  This expression means a "repeated bump of the head when one’s trying to fall asleep, especially if they are sitting down."

      Bay kout tèt – to bump one’s head repeatedly a a result of falling asleep

      Pandan misyonè a t’ap bay mesaj la tout moun ta ri paske 

      yo te kapab wè pastè legliz t’ap bay kout tèt sou chè a.- 

      While the missionary was delivering the sermon everyone was 

      laughing because they could see the church pastor falling asleep 

      on the pulpit.

      Li te sipoze etidye, men se kout tèt l’ap bay sou biwo li. - He was supposed to study, but he’s falling asleep at his desk.

15. Bay kout men – to assist, to support, to sponsor

          Kout men – assistance, help

          

          Ban’m yon kout men tanpri. – help me please

          Ban’m yon kout men ak valiz la. Li lou anpil. – Help me with the bag. It’s heavy.

16. Kout lang – malicious gossip

           Menm si yo ba w kout lang pa okipe yo. Kwè nan tèt ou. Pa kite sa yo di deranje w. - Even if they spread malicious gossip about you don’t worry about it. Believe in yourself. Don’t let what they say about you get to you.

17. Kout pitit – when a women try to pass another man’s child as the child of a man she’s already with.

            Pitit sa a pa sanble avè w ditou. Sanble madanm ou ba w yon kout pitit.- This child does not look like you at all. Your wife lied to you.

18. Kout je  - a scornful look

            Lè fanm nan te antre nan legliz la tout moun t’ap koupe l kout je.         Kongregasyon an te bliye ke yo menm tou yo se pechè.  - When the woman entered the church everyone was looking down at her.  The congregation had forgotten that they also are sinners.

19.  Kout entelijan (or Kou entelijan) – to outsmart someone

      Machann nan fè yon kou entelijan ak touris la. Misye vann fanm nan yon fo tablo pou anpil lajan.- The seller tricked the tourist.  He sold her a fake painting for a lot of money.

20. Kout pa konprann – to pretend to be naïve about something

              Pa vin ban’m okenn kout pa konprann la a. Ou konnen trè byen sa k’ap pase.  - Don’t play dumb with me you know very well what’s going on?

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

Bonjou, my wife is asking, what can be the opposite of "pa gendwa"---"it is good when you do that"--- for our granddaughter. Mesi

You may use "gen dwa" or "mèt (don’t use with negatives)"

gen dwa - may, to be allowed, to be permitted
pa gen dwa - may not, to not be allowed, to not be permitted
mèt  - may, to be allowed, to be permitted
Do not use "pa" after "mèt"  for these instances.  There are circumstances where you can use "pa" after "mèt", but this is not one of them.

Here are some examples:

1. Ou gen dwa vini si w vle. – You may come if you want.

2. Nou gen dwa fè sa n vle. – You may do as you please.

3. Ou mèt vini. – you may come.

4. Nou mèt manje kounye a. - You may eat now.

5. Ou mèt jwe ak jwèt ou yo lè'w fin fè devwa w. - You may play with your toys when 
you've done your homework.

6. Ou mèt rele'm vin chache w lè klas ou fini. - You may call me to pick you up when your class is over.

7. Ou mèt antre. – you may enter.  You may come in

But you would say

8. Ou pa gen dwa antre – You may not come in.

9. Ou mèt ale. – You may go.

But you would say

10. Ou pa gen dwa ale nan sinema avèk vagabond sa a. – You may not go to the movies with this jerk.

11. Ou mèt ale nan kizin nan men ou pa gen dwa antre nan chanm mwen, se refij prive m.

You may go into the kitchen but you may not go in my room, that’s my private refuge.

You may use “gen dwa” like this:

12. M gen dwa pa’t wè l.

I may not have seen it.

13. Li pale avè w men li gen dwa pa renmen w.

She talks to you but she may not like ou.

In this example, do not put “pa” after “gen dwa”.  If you do the meaning of the sentence would change

14. Li di w li renmen w, men li gen dwa pa di l nan fason ou panse a.

She says she likes you but she may not mean it in the way you think.

15. Li gen dwa te di sa kòm zanmi.

She may have said it in friendship.

16. Nou gen kèk tan nou pa wè l. Li gen dwa te kite peyi a. Li gen dwa te marye. Li gen dwa pa nan kad nou.  Oubyen li menm gen dwa mouri.

We haven’t seen her in some time. She may have left the country.  She may have gotten married.  She may not want to have anything to do with us. Or she may even be dead.

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

alez alez???

Alèz – laid back, at ease, comfortable

1. 

Mete w alèz.

Relax

Loosen up

Take it easy

Make yourself at home

2. 

Tanpri mete w alèz avè l.

Please ease up on him.

3. 

M mete m alèz.  

I’m laid back.

I loosened up.

4.

Li te mete l alèz.

He kicked back and relaxed  

5.

Ayisyen renmen etranje ki mete yo alèz ak tout kalite moun.

Haitians love foreigners who are comfortable with all types of people.    

Expression: alèz kou Blèz ki chita sou chèz san pinèz – to be contented, pleased, very comfortable, well-off, on cloud nine

6.

Misye genyen nan lotri a, kounye a li alèz kou Blèz ki chita sou chèz san pinèz.

He won the lottery now he's on cloud nine.

7.

M te mete m alèz avè l, m pa konn poukisa li pa’t alèz avè m.

I was at ease with him I do not know why he was uneasy with me.

8.

Eske w alèz? – Are you comfortable?

9. 

Wi m' alèz mèsi.

Yes I'm comfortable thanks.

Your other question:

Franchman – Frankly

Franchman ou fè m fache.

Pou di w laverite ou fè m fache.

To tell you the truth you make me mad

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

In a text I saw the following sentence: Ou te ka konte .......

In a text I saw the following sentence:

Ou te ka konte sou li san onz

wa (san n pa bliye wa nan peyi Afrik yo)

this shows that in some case, when there is a sentence with san there is also a negation pa in it.

I would like to understand when you can have the negation pa in a sentence that start with san and when you do not have it.

Also, is it possible to put the past te in the above sentence ?? like below ?

Ou te ka konte sou li san onz

wa (san n pa  TE bliye wa nan peyi Afrik yo)

Can you say

Fok nou pati san n pa fè brui

Fok nou te pati san n pat fè brui

Mèsi anpil

Does the sentence have to start with “san”?

I guess you can say WHAT WILL HAPPEN with the “lack of….”.  Example:

1.

San ou mwen pèdi.

Mwen pèdi san ou.

I’m lost without you.

2.

San tretman doktè mwen ta gentan mouri.

Mwen ta gentan mouri san tretman doktè.

I would have already died without medical treatment.

Or you could say WHAT WILL NOT HAPPEN with the “lack of…..”

3.

San ou mwen pa konn sa m ta fè.

Mwen pa konn sa m ta fè san ou.

I don’t know what I would do without you.

4.

San lalwa pa gen la libète. 

Pa gen libète san lalwa.

“Without laws there’s no freedom”

5.

Here’s how I would translate the last two sentences:

Fok nou pati san n pa fè brui. – We should leave without making noise

Fok nou te pati san n pa’t fè brui. – We should have left without making any noise

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

I am familiar with 'mouri' (to die), but I am unfamiliar with 'al bwachat'. Could you give me a bit more information on this expression (i.e. its etymology)?

I am not 100% sure.

Other than Al bwachat or al bwa chat and mouri, other commonly used Creole expression for “to die” are:

trepase

Li trepase a minwi tapan. – He died at the stroke of midnight.

Mezanmi! Ede'm. M'ap trepase. - Help me, I'm dying.

ale nan Peyi san chapo

Manman nou kite n. L’al nan peyi san chapo. – Our mom has left us. She died.

fè vwèl pou peyi san chapo

Kamyon an frape misye, li voye l al fè vwèl pou peyi san chapo. – The truck hit him and sent him to his death

kase kòd

Kon minwi sonnen beng malad la kase kòd. - At the stroke of midnight, he kicked the bucket.

rann dènye souf – to give one’s last breath

Li rann dènye souf li. – He gave his last breath

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

This Creole expression (I don’t exactly know how to write it, but I did get the exact translation), it says “he died for his eyes or for one’s eyes”. Do you know the meaning?

 Is it “Li mouri pou pwòp je l” or “Li mouri pou je l”? If yes, then it means that He/she died in vain.

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

Bwa ki nan main ou se ave l ou pouse chien. What’s the meaning please?

This expression basically means to “use your own resources/knowledge/ skills to your benefit” or “use what’s you got  to get what you want”

You’ll hear different version of the same expression depending on the circumstances:

Here are some of them with literal tanslation:

Baton ki nan men w se avè l ou pouse chen.  - The rod that’s in your hand you use it to push dogs away

Bwa ki nan men w se ak li ou pouse chen. - The wood that’s in your hand you use it to push dogs away

Baton ki nan men w se ak li ou pare kou. - The rod in your hand you use it to block a punch

Baton ki nan men se ak li ou bay kou. - The rod in your hand you use it to beat (someone)

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

What does this saying mean: "Pa kite double six mouri nan main'w?"

This expression means

Doubsis – doube-six

Doubsis mouri nan men (yon moun).

(Someone) whose youth is past.

It’s become too late for (someone) to marry.

Pa kite doubsis mouri nan men w.

Don’t let time pass until it’s too late to marry.

Don’t become an old maid.

Doubsis ap mouri nan men w.

You’ll become an old maid.

Pitit fi Papouch la ap fè enteresant, li pa vle marye ak Ayisyen. Li panse l twò bon pou nèg peyi l. Lò doubsis mouri nan men l li va mary nenpòt  avadra.

Papouch’s daughter is being cocky she doesn’t want to marry a Haitian. She thinks she’s too good for a man from her country. Once it becomes too late for her to marry, she’ll take any vagabond.

Another similar expression is "Fè dan zòrèy" which literally means "to grow wisdom tooth".  It can be translated as "being no spring chicken"

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

M’ap aprann kreyòl men m pa pale byen. Eske m di sa kòrèk?

Wi, ou di l byen e ou ekri l byen tou :)
Kontinye konsa enpi kenbe la

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

Creole approximation of "touchy-feely"?

Touchy-feely - siseptib, sansib alagachet

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