Can you please tell me how to say "have you been" in 3 different contexts? The first is "How have you been?" as you would ask someone you haven't seen in a while. The second is "Have you been practicing English?" or "Have you been reading your Bible?" - implying an ongoing activity. And the third is "Have you ever been ...to the beach, on an airplane, etc." Thanks so much. Your site is so helpful. I visit often!

Dakò :)
Mèsi


I. How have you been? (sounds like you're asking someone what he/she's generally been up to from the time you hadn't seen him/her to the present)
The three best ways to say this would be:

Ban m nouvèl ou.

Kisa w regle (or Sa'w regle?, Sa'w regle menm?)
Kisa w fè? (or Sa'w fè?, Sa'w fè menm?)
But you can also say:
Kouman ou ye
Kouman ou ye menm?
Kijan ou ye?... etc



II. See verb tense in Creole; perfect tenses

Have you been practicing your English?
Eske w'ap pratike Angle ou?

Have you been reading your Bible?
Eske w'ap li Bib ou?



III. With these types of questions, you do fall into the passive voice which is hard to do in H. Creole.  So you will focus on the main verb and how it's translated in Creole.  Here is a variety of examples"

Have you ever been...
Eske ou janm...?

1.
to go to the beach → ale nan plaj, ale laplaj
Have you ever been to the beach?
Eske ou janm al nan plaj?

2.
to be on an airplane → monte avyon
Have you ever been on an airplane?
Eske ou janm monte avyon?

3.
to be in love → renmen, tonbe damou
Have you ever been in love?
Eske ou janm renmen?

4.
to be fired → revoke
Have you ever been fired from a job?
Eske yo janm revoke w nan yon travay?

5.
to be heartbroken → atriste, gen kè brize
Have you ever been heartbroken?
Eske w janm gen kè w brize?

6. 
Have you ever been on TV?
Eske w janm parèt nan televizyon?

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How do you say that a little kid is throwing a temper tantrum or throwing a fit?

The kid is throwing a temper tantrum.
Timoun nan ap pike yon kriz kòlè.

temper tantrum → kriz kòlè

The kid is throwing a fit.
Timoun nan ap fè kòlè.
Timoun nan ap fè dezagreyab.

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Mandaly, "Way back there." Se an Kreyol Ayisyen "lotbo la" ak aksan grav nan kou. Se korek? In the course I am using, they say "lotbo la". Would it not be "lotbo a" instead? Would you write it for me? Also, "an/ann" are both interchangeable, pa vre? The "an" is more used, pa vre? Mesi anpil, Jan Rachal

-Yes, I usually say lòtbò a (over there); but yes, some people do say lòtbò la a or laba a
I am assuming that by way back there you mean "beyond the bounds of a certain limit', right?
-all the way over there → jis lòtbò a, jouk laba a

Regarding an/ann,  do you mean as in ann/annou (let's)?
That would be the only instance where we use "ann".  You will see it as ANN, AN'N contraction for AN NOU or ANNOU.

Dakò.

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what is twa santyem

It is three hundredth (300th)
depending on context it can also translates 3/100 also.

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Bonjou! Ann Ayiti mwen konn wè yon fwi ki rele kenèps. Mwen pa janm wè yo Ozetazini. Eske ou konnen koman yo rele sa yo ann Angle?

Yo rele yo Spanish limes.  Ou kapab Google li.
M panse ou kapab jwen kèk plant kenèp nan zòn Sid Florid la.  Apa sa, se nan zòn Sid Lamerik la ak nan ti Zantiy yo w'ap jwenn yo plis.
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For 'fom figi' as in 'mwen pa renmen fom figi l', is it like 'I don't like the shape of her face'?

Basically yes.

M pa renmen fòm figi l
I don't like him/her.

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what does KOMISYON PA CHAJ mean?

It means that one is JUST relaying a message; one is JUST a messenger, do not blame him for bringing the news.

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i'm just not having any luck with my translator :) Could you translate 'Pa foure m nan zen' please. mesi

Pa foure m nan zen.
Pa rantre m nan zen.
or
Pa mete m nan zen.
Don't get me involved.
Don't get me involved in the scandal.


zen, here, means gossip,
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translate please; " men mwen sa pou fe m ". my translator says " but i do this for me "

I wonder if the translator could not translate this because it's missing punctuation and an accent. Or maybe the "translator" (I assume it's a machine) translated it word for word.

Men mwen.  Sa pou w fè m?
Here I am.  What do you want of me? (or what do you want from me?)

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what would "monte alaso" mean in Creole?

to go on the offensive, to attack

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Your post on using "pase pou" leads me to ask how to say "I'd rather not." in response to a request to do something.

pase pou → rather than,  instead of (conjunction)

For sentences such as:
I'd rather not, I would prefer not to  
We use H. Creole verb PITO (to prefer)

I'd rather not.
I'd rather not go.
M ta pito pa ale.
You'd have to repeat the verb ("ale" for instance) after "pa".  We could not just say "M ta pito pa" in Creole.

I'd rather not.
I'd rather not stay too long.
M ta pito pa rete twò lontan.

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Mandaly, M konnen "La se che" se korek. Men se "Se che la" korek? This second sentence does not sound right to me. But what do I know? You Haitian Creoles have been speaking MY language longer than I have. In all seriousness, Is the second sentence all right or is it awkward an Kreyol? Mesi. Jan

It's kind of hard to know exactly what these sentences mean, (from my perspective), without the context in mind.

la se che (is it l'a seche as in It will dry up...?)
or perhaps we are talking about "chè" → expensive...?
In that case, it would be La a chè → This location/place is expensive (in the context of  a place where they sell expensive items) 

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i can't find this word anywhere 'touskilfo', what is it?

touskilfo (from French "tout ce qu'il faut") → all that one needs

1. Se touskilfo.
    It's all that you  need.

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'soon after that' in Creole please. Thanks Mandy

Soon after that → tousuit apre, tousuit apre sa

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"Everyone was spech less" - can i use chat pran lang here, if no what can i use best?

Yo te "speechless" (Yo pa't ka pale tèlman to te sezi / etone?)

Everyone was speechless.
Chat pran lang tout moun (if you really want to use that)
Tout moun te rete bouch be.
Tout moun te rete bèbè.

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M vle pral di, "We can expect tribulations but we cannot escape them by compromising our faith. We must encourage one another and we must fortify our own faith. " Doe this sound right? Nou ka atann tribilasyon men nou pa ka chape anba yo pa konpwomèt lafwa nou. Nou dwe ankouraje yon lòt ak nou dwe fòtifye lafwa pwòp nou.

How about:
Nou kapab atann nou ak tribilasyon, men nou pa ka mete lafwa nou andanje pou nou chape anba yo. Nou youn dwe ankouraje lòt, enpi nou dwe fòtifye pwòp lafwa pa nou.

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"Pase pou kanpe p ap fe anyen an pouki w pa ede m" - Kisa "PASE" vle di la a?

PASE POU → INSTEAD OF, THAN TO, RATHER THAN

1. Pase pou kanpe p ap fè anyen an pouki w pa ede m
     Instead of standing around doing nothing why don't you help me

2. M ta pito mouri pase pou m ta viv nan esklavaj.
    I rather die than to live in slavery.

3. Pito m mande pase m vòlè. Pito m travay pase m mande.
    I rather beg than steal.  I rather work than beg.

4. Joel pa renmen pataje. Pase pou l fè w kado machin li li ta pito vann ni.
    Joel does not like to share.  Rather than to give you his car he would sell it instead.

5. Sa rive anpil fwa ant paran k'ap divòse e sa byen tris.  Pase pou yo pataje timoun yo avèk ansyen epou yo yo pito fè yo mal.
     It has happened a lot between divorcing parents and that's truly sad.  Instead of sharing the children with their ex-spouse they rather hurt them.

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Question: Mandaly, I have noticed in my travels with Kreyol Ayisyen that sometimes there are two different meanings to a sentence. I cannot think of a HC example, but in english, "Did you miss me?" This could mean "Did you miss making contact with me?" or, "Did you miss (emotionally speaking) me?" Would you possibly give me a HC example of this (or perhaps maybe two examples)? Mesi, Jan

Yes, your sentence is a good example where SONJE can translate to miss or to recall / remember
But as you may already know sometimes it's the context that guides you in these cases:

1.
Ou sonje mwen?
or more specifically
Eske ou sonje ki moun mwen ye?
Do you remember me?
Do you remember who I am?

or

Ou te sonje mwen?
or more specifically
Eske ou te sonje mwen?
Did you miss me?

There are many other instances where this happens in Creole.  Unfortunately I cannot think of any of them right now :)  I'll add to this post as they come to mind.  Dakò?

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someone says 'ou we lwen' , does that mean you see far??

ou wè lwen → yes "you see far" lit.  It means that you are intuitive or claivoyant

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what is manti kouchen?

You mean manti kou chen?

Manti kou chen → to lie like a dog :)

egzanp
Ou fout manti kou chen.
You're a liar.

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Mwen te rankontre avek fraz sa a "kite koze pran pawòl". Kisa li vle di? Eske ou ka ize li nan yon fraz?

Kite koze pran pawòl se menm bagay ak Kite kantik pran priyè → Let's talk about something else,  (changing the conversation)

Yon egzanp (Ou gen dwa ap pale sou yon sijè, enpi lè w kite koze pran pawòl, w'al tonbe sou yon lòt sijè):
Joel jwe gita nan yon gwoup.  Yèswa mwen t'al asiste pèfòmans gwoup la.  Se pa ti anfòm yo t'anfòm non. Tout mizisyen yo te jwe trè byen.  Men kite koze pran pawòl, kilè Joel ap deside marye menm?

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Alo! Eske w ta ka dim kek liv Kreyol yo ki bon pou timoun yo?

Si w'ap chache liv an Kreyòl pou timoun, se sa ki pa manke nan libreri Kreyòl nou yo.
Si ou tcheke sit Librerimapou.com oubyen Educavision.com w'ap jwenn tout kalite liv.
Epitou tcheke Koleksyon Sanmba (kebèk, Kanada). Yo gen yon seri liv istwa ak kont pou timoun.  Libreri Mapou nan Miami genyen liv Koleksyon Sanmba yo.
Techke Tatézoflanbo, an Kreyòl (Collection Jeunesse);
Bobo Chen Odasye A (Mancy's Haitian Folktale Collection);
ak Chansons d'enfants En Français et Créole.  
Si ou bay Libreri Mapou yon kout fil mwen byen sèten yon va ba ou lis liv pou timoun yo pote pou lemoman.

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I just heard today a conversation my mother had with an acquaintance of ours. They said the word ''bonn''. I think it means 'helper' or 'maid' or 'butler' but I'm not sure because that is the first time I heard this word. So, what does "bonn" mean? Also, what are some synonyms for "bonn"?

Sure, in H. Creole we say bòn (or sèvant, restavèk, domestik) → servant, maid

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DEVENN? - Misfortune? (AUDIO)

Download link for this audio:
Click here to download…

To listen to this audio click on the PLAY button and follow along :)
 

Nanpwen moun ki gen plis devenn pase Mayòt.

There no one who has more bad luck than Mayòt.

Se pa Mayòt, ti mandyan nan lari a?

Isn't it Mayòt, the little beggar in the street?

Wi.  Toude paran l yo te mouri depi lè’l te piti.

Yes.  Both her parents died since she was little.

Adye! Sa tris.

How sad!

Apre sa li te abite avèk sèl grenn fanmi li genyen ki te rete.

After that she lived with the only family she had left. (...that remained literally)

Monnonk li?

Her uncle?

Wi. Men, monnonk lan te konn fimen.  Yon jou swa,  dòmi te pran’l.  E li te bliye etenn sigarèt li.

Yes.  But the uncle used to smoke.  One night he fell asleep and he forgot to extinguish his cigarette.

O O kisa ki te pase?

What happened?

Kay la pran dife, monnonk lan fè vwèl pou peyi san chapo. Grasadye, Mayòt te chape.  Men malerezman li tonbe viv nan lari.

The house caught fire,  the uncle died.  Fortunately, Mayòt escaped.  But unfortunately she started to live in the streets.

O! Podyab malerèz la!

Oh the poor girl!

Yon madanm te vin ranmase Mayòt nan lari a.  Li te ba l yon kote pou l rete.  Madanm nan di li pral mete Mayòt lekòl , men Mayòt te tounen restavèk lakay Madanm nan.

A woman  removed her from the streets.  She gave her a place to live.  The woman said that she'll put her in school, but Mayòt became a child servant at the woman's house.

Ala enjistis!

Such injustice!

Men wi. Mayòt grandi kòm restavèk lakay madanm nan.  Yo bat li.  Yo maltrete l.  Yo abize l.  Yon jou Mayòt sove.  E depi lò sa a se nan lari li dòmi.

Of course. Mayòt grew up as a servant at the woman's house.  They beat her.  They mistreated her.  They abused her.  One day Mayòt ran away.  And since then she's been sleeping in the streets. (...it's in the streets she sleeps literally)

Ala malchans!

What misfortune!

E ou p’ap janm kwè kote m te wè Mayòt jodi a?

And you'll never believe where I saw Mayòt today?

Non.  M pa konnen.

No. I don't know.

Mwen wè li nan yon azil pou moun ki san kay?

I saw her at a homeless shelter?

O O!

Men wi.  E kisa w kwè li t’ap fè?

Yes.  And what do you think she was doing?

Petèt li t’ap chache yon kote pou l rete?!

Maybe she was looking for a place to stay?!

Non. Mayòt t’ap sèvi kòm volontè.  Li t’ap sèvi rezidan yo. Li t’ap bay yo manje.  Li t’ap pran swen yo.

No.  Mayòt was working as a volunteer.  She was helping the residents.   She was feeding them.  She was caring for them.

Ala yon benediksyon fanm sa a ye!

What a blessing this woman is!

Track: Sa Nou Ye? by Fernand Marlu

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what does avadra mean ?

avadra → vagabond, bum, scoundrel

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Eske m kapab di -Mwen desi de ou?- oubyen eske gen yon pibon fason pou dili?

M panse lè w'ap pale Kreyòl, ou gen dwa di li.  Se konsa nou pale.  Lwa avèk règ pa kapab chanje fason nou te konn pale lontan.  Men si ou vle kòrèk e w pa vle itilize "de" Franse a, ou kapab di "Mwen pa kontan ak ou".
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Kisa vle di 'menman pareyman'

menmman parèyman
menm bagay la
menm kout bwa a
menm kout baton an
menm penpenp lan
same thing
equally same

1. Dapre sa yo di, prezidan Obama se menmman parèyman ak yon sosyalis.
2. Vòlè yon dola ak vòlè yon milyon dola se menmman parèyman.  Toude se vòl.

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Siye bek ate? (Mwen siye bek ate mwen pa janm rele w anko).

Siye bèk atè or siye bouch atè (lit. wipe your mouth on the floor)  is like swearing off of something, swearing not to do something wrong again.
After a child has been punished, the person who punished the child might tell the child, "Siye bouch ou atè pou w pa janm fè sa ankò → Swear that you'll never do that again."

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Is 'aksyone' a bad name to call someone as in, does it mean "irresponsible"?

aksyonè - cheeky, ballsy.
I'm not sure how it can be a "bad name" calling kind-of-thing.

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kisa pou m itilize nan fraz sa a Se oubyen Li? Le gwo vant ap vante li te difisil (or se te difisil) pou chapo te rete nan tet nou..?

Mwen ta itilize ...Li te difisil....

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Mandalay what is 'fe kou w konnen' and when can I use it?

Fè kou w konnen - do whatever you can, do everything in your power

Used in sentences such as:
1. Fè kou w konnen pou w ban m lajan m nan apremidi paske m bezwen li.
    Do all you can to give me my money this afternoon because I need it.

2. Li pa't vle dòmi New York, donk li te fè kou l konnen li jwenn yon vòl pou New Jersey jou swa sa a.
    She didn't want to sleep in New York, so she did her best to get a flight to New Jersey that night.

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how do you say afford in creole

afford (to have the means) → gen mwayen, anmezi
afford ( to allow) → penmèt

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what does kafou mean? not as the suburb

Kafou, kalfou → intersection, crossroad

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How do you start a letter in Creole? The beginning salutation and the end. Mesi anpil.

Check this post: Writing a letter in Creole

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"Call us to learn more answers to about the most important questions we ask." Is this correct "Rele nou aprann plis repons yo sou kesyon yo nou mande ki pi enpòtan."

Rele nou pou w jwenn repons sou kesyon enpòtan ki pi domine panse nou. ???

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Kisa vle di maryaj civil? Eske genyen yon lot marriage?

Maryaj sivil - courthouse marriage.  You maryaj ki pa fèt legliz.  Yo rele sa pase paye tou.
Gen kèk Ayisyen ki panse ou poko janm marye toutotan pè a pa beni bag la. ...Fòk ou ta marye devan lasosyete.

Kanta pou lòt maryaj (lòt kalite maryaj?): maryaj legliz ak maryaj biznis ki se menm bagay ak maryaj rezidans
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How do I say "impact" as in "What impact did it have on you?" How do I say "How do you see your mother" when trying to ask what is your mother like?

impact → efè, enpresyon

What impact did it have on you?
Ki efè sa te fè sou ou?

How do you see your mother
Kisa manman w reprezante pou ou?

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what does ti rad dezagreman mean?

rad dezagreman (or machann dezagreman) -riotous, unruly or quarrelsome person

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sak ki kokorat nan angle?

kokorat (bèt la?) → sow bug, pill bug
kokorat (non yo bay yon ti krabè?) → bum, vagabond,  little rascal

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I am trying to download lesson to my mp3. Can someone help me with instructions? Thanks

Download to your PC then to your mp3?

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what does li met brize mean

Fòk gen yon kontèks la a.
Si fraz sa a soti nan yon ekspresyin, n'al mal tradui l si nou pa konn sa k'ap pale a.
"Li mèt brize"....petèt y'ap pale koze tas, koze van, onswa koze moun k'ap kraze brize?
Mèsi.
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what does malfrinding mean

Malfrendeng se vakabon sansal ki gen devenn sou tèt yo.

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what does, "w se yon granmoun two demeplen (or something like that)" mean?

demeplè→ vulgar, repulsive, filthy

Ou se yon granmoun twò demeplè.
You are a vulgar old man (person)

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i forgot how the word is pronounced but what does jypsyone or jepsyone mean?

jesyone - manager, administrator, overseer, supervisor

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how would you say "I beg to differ" in creole ex. you , don't fall in love fast, well i beg to differ because it seems the opposite to me. in that sense! thanks in advance!

I beg to differ → pèmèt mwen dezakòde avèk ou; pèmèt mwen di w lekontrè

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Sorry for the many questions, is this google translation correct: "Mwen pa mennen ou sou m 'ye?" I want to say "am i leading you on? by talking to you" as in making the person think your interested in them

To lead on (to seduce?) → chame, sedui, file
I'm not sure I totally understand this question you're trying to translate:
"Am I leading you on by talking to you"???? ("Eske mwen chame w lè m pale avè w??")
or are you trying to say:
 I hope you don't think I'm trying to lead you on by talking to you??? (M'espere ou pa panse m'ap eseye chame w lè m'ap pale ak ou.) ????


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"as it was", " as it used to be"

as it was - jan l te ye a
as it used to be - jan l te konn ye a

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Mandaly, I know this probably sounds juvenile at this point, but how do you say an Kreyol "My name is John", and "I am called John"? I have not ran across these questions as of yet. When I go to the HC translator, I keep getting things all over the board. Anyway, thank you much for all. Jan.

Juvenile? Non, pa ditou :)
I can get carried away when answering questions.   I hope I don't make you or anyone feel that way :)

There are many ways to say "My name is John" in HC. You were probably coming across these with the translator:

1.
My name is John
Mwen rele John.
Non mwen se John.

2.
I am called John.
Yo rele mwen John.

3.
John is my name.
Se John ki non m.

4.
Kijan ou rele?
Kijan yo rele w?
Ki non ou?
What's your name?

5.
Ki siyati w?
Ki non fanmi ou?
What's your last name?

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How can I say APATHY in Creole? Ex: His apathy gives us insight into his parents' desire to help others.

apathy → endiferans, detachman, mank konpasyon, ensansiblite

His apathy gives us insight into his parents' desire to help others.
Endiferans li te ban n yon apèsi sou dezi paran l yo te genyen pou ede moun.

------
Sorry I meant to say EMPATHY....no wonder the rest of the sentence didn't help.

empathy - byenveyans, tandrès, sansiblite, bon kè

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What is the meaning of ALAWONYAY as in the sentene: Wout pou yo te pase nan mon yo te danjere e te konn gen anpil vole ki alawonyay

alawonyay → lurking, snooping, prowling

Wout pou yo te pase nan mòn yo te danjere e te konn gen anpil vole ki alawonyay
The road they could have taken in the hills was dangerous and usually there were crooks lurking around.
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When you have the chance can you write down some of the H. Creole terms with "Ké". I have "ké sote" and "ké kontan".

The accent on the "e" for "kè" is different than what you have in your question.  You have "ké", but you should write "kè".  This changes the sound of the letter.  You're probably typing alt +130 (aksantegi) instead of alt+138 (aksan grav / aksan fòs).

There are a few Haitian Creole terms (I cannot think of all of them), but if you come up with more, send me a comment and I'll add it to the post.

1.
kè grenn → envy, resentment
Kè l grenn - He's resentful

2.
kè kontan → happiness
Nou gen kè kontan.
We are happy.

3.
kè sere - anxiety, nervousness
Lè kè m sere, m pa ka manje.
When I'm anxious I can't eat

4.
kè sou biskèt - (same with kè sere)
Yo di si kè w sou biskèt tout tan, sa kapab koze tansyon w monte wo.
They say if you're anxious all the time, this might cause you to have a high blood pressure

5.
kè sote → panic, scare, anxiety
Mwen ta renmen viv san kè sote.
I would like to live in peace (without fear).

6. 
Kè kase → same with kè sote

7.
kè cho → excitement, restlessness
Kè m cho jodi a. M pral chache pitit gason m nan ayewopò a.  Mwen pa't wè li depi senkan.
I am excited today.  I am going to pick up my son at the airport.  I haven't seen him in five years.

8.
kè pòpòz → calm
Madanm sa a toujou kè pòpòz.  Kè l pa janm sote pou anyen.
This woman is always calm.  She never panics for anything.

9.
kè plen → nauseous
Sant mache a ban m kè plen.
The smell of the market makes me nauseous.


10.
kè tounen  (same with kè plen)

11.
kè sansib → compassion, kindness
Pafwa moun pran avantaj sou sa yo ki gen kè sansib.
Sometimes people take advantage on those who are kind.

12.
pa kè (pakè) → by heart (as in memorizing)
Ou pa bezwen aprann vèsè a pa kè, nou va ekri l pou ou.
You do not need to learn the verse by heart.  We'll write it down for you.

13.
kè di → indifference, hard-hearted
Nanpen moun gen kè di pase mesye sa a
There's no one more indifferent than this guy.


14.
bon kè →compassion, kindness
Li toujou bon pou w viv ak yon moun ki gen bon kè.
It's always nice to live with a good-hearted person.

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

how do you translate STEP BY STEP in Creole. All the words her can be translated as PA? STEP BY STEP (PA PA PA)?

☺It would be very awkward if we could say "pa pa pa" .

Try the following translations for step by step
ti pa ti pa
Ti pa ti pa n'a rive → Step by step we'll get there

etap pa etap
Nou dwe suiv direksyon yo etap pa etap → we must follow the directions step by step

pazapa
Sovè a avèk mwen.  L'ap gide m pazapa. →  The savior is with me.  He is guiding me step by step.

and there are more translations:
ti kal pa ti kal
ti kras pa ti kras
moso pa moso
piti a piti
etc...

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

Is there a way to differentiate, when saying "menaj", whether one is talking about a girlfriend or boyfriend. In my situation this guy is talking about "menaj mwen" and by his mannerism I think that it could be a "boyfriend" but I do not want to ask.

That's a tough situation, but unfortunately mennaj (menaj, mennay) translates both "boyfriend" and "girlfriend". Perhaps the next time when he talks about his "menaj", you could turn the conversation in English and he will have to SAY "boyfriend" or "girlfriend".  Or you could simply ask him for a picture of his "sweetheart:" :)

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

how do you say "God bless you", when the "you" is plural/to many people?

God bless you (to many people)
Bondye beni nou.
Ke Bondye beni nou.
Se pou Bondye beni nou.

God bless you all.
Ke Bondye beni nou tout.
Se pou Bondye beni nou tout.

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

Yon ti dejene nan restoran an (AUDIO)

Download link for this audio post:
Click here to download…

To listen to this audio click on the PLAY button and follow along :)

 

-Bonjou mesye.  Byenveni nan restoran nou an.  Kisa w ta renmen pran jodi a?
 Good morning sir.  Welcome to our restaurant.  What would like to have today?

-Kisa w genyen kòm bwason matmwazèl?
 What do you have for drinks miss?

-Nou genyen kafe, te, kola, ak bwason alkòl.
 We have coffee, tea, sodas, and alcoholic drinks.

-Ban m yon kafe trè fò silvouplè.
  Give a a very strong coffee please.

-Dakò. W’ap eseye reveye’w?
  Okay,  Are you trying to wake up?

-Wi.  M te pase yon nuit blanch yèswa.
  Yes. I had a sleepless night last night.

-M’espere kafe a va ede w. Eske w’ap pran dejene avèk nou?
 I hope the coffee will help. Will you have breakfast with us?

-Wi silvouplè.  Mwen ta renmen yon bòl fwi ak yogout.
  Yes please.  I'd like a bowl of fruits with yogurt.

-Dezole mesye, nou pa gen yogout pou kounye a.  Eske ou ta renmen fwi yo san yogout la?
 Sorry sir, we do not have any yogurt at this time.  Would you like the fruits without the yogurt?

-Non. Ban mwen yon sandwich ze ak janbon pito.
 No.  Give me a ham and egg sandwich instead.

-Dakò. Eske ou ta renmen ajoute zonyon ak tomat nan sandwich la, mesye?
 Okay.  Would you like to add onions and tomatoes to the sandwich sir?

-Si zonyon an griye, ou mèt ajoute l, men mwen pa vle tomat.
  If the onion is grilled, you may add it, but I do not want tomatoes.

-Dakò. Eske ou ta renmen anyen ankò?
  All right.  Would you like anything else?

-Non se tout.  Eske ou te ka pote kafe a anpremye silvouplè?
 No that's all.  Could you bring the coffee first please?

-Wi, mesye kafe a ap vini tousuit.
  Yes sir, the coffee will come right away.

-Mèsi madmwazèl.
 Thanks miss.

-Bon apeti mesye.
  Enjoy your meal sir.

Track: An Limyè by Jocelyne Béroard

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

"Se pale pou ta pale ave li" What's going on with "pou ta"

In that sentence, try to concentrate on "SE POU" which means  let's, must, (indicates necessity, obligation)
as in:
Se pou w marye - You should marry
Se pou w manje pou pa megri. - You should eat so you don't get skinny.
Se pa pou w fè sa. - You must not (shouldn't do that)
Se pou li pale ak fanm nan. - He should talk to the woman.
Se pou nou priye pou yo. - We must pray for them.

Kisa pou m fè? - What must I do?
Se pou w ale. - You must go.
Kisa pou m di l? - What must I tell her.
Se pa pou di l anyen. - You must tell her nothing.
Kisa pou m pote pou ou? - What should bring for you?
Se pou w pote yon boutèy diven pou mwen. - You must bring me a bottle of wine.

Then carry your attention to the tenses; "ta" → should, would

1.
Se pou w ta ale.
or
Se ale pou w ta ale.
You should go.
You should have gone. (depending on context)

2.
Se pou n ta di l laverite.
or
Se di pou n ta di l laverite
We should tell her the truth

3.
Se pou w ta pale avè li.
or
Se pale pou w ta pale avè li.
You should talk to him/her.

4.
Se pou w ta wè sa.
or
Se wè pou w ta wè sa.
You should have seen this.

5.
Se pou w ta la.
or
Se la pou w ta la.
You should have been there.

6.
Se pou l ta pran remèd la pou l santi l miyò.
or
Se pran pou l ta pran remèd la ou l santi l miyò.
He should take the medication in order to feel better.

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

What is the "a" doing here? "TiWil rive a." Also in writing sometimes I see: "Mwen la a." Why the extra "a"?

In your first example "a" indicates that you had talked about this event before.  In the sentence it might mean a recap or an update.

1. TiWil te rive a wi.
    TiWil made it to that place we were talking about.
    TiWil  made it.

2. Eske li te ale a? 
    Did she go to that place we talked about?
    Did she go?

3.  Eske li te ale Meksiko a? 
     Did she go to the Mexico trip that we talked about?
     Did she go to that Mexico trip?
    
4. Eske w te fè l la?
    Did you do the the thing that we talked about?
    Did you do that thing?

5. Eske li te ba ou l la?
    Did she give you the thing that we talked about?
    Did she give you that thing?


Your second example seems to be about "la a" which means "here, there, or now"; just as "laba a" it usually carries the article "a".

6.  Kisa w'ap vin di la a?
     What are you telling me now?

7. Kisa w'ap vin ban m la a?
    What is this nonsense that you're telling me now?

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

Should I add "PA" when using "PIGA" - PIGA PA FE SA??

That would be a double negative.
If you just mean do say "don't do this" or "You better not do that", then there's no need for "pa".  "Pinga" is the negative auxillary.

1. Pinga w fè sa.
    Don't do that.

2. Pinga w pran wout sa.
    Do not take this road.

3. Pinga w bliye m.
    Don't you forget me.

But when you add "pa", you do not have  a negative sentence anymore.

4. Pinga w pa fè sa.
    Don't you not do it

5. Pinga w pa sonje salye moun yo non.
    You better remember to greet the people.

6.  Pinga l pa ale nan entèvyou a demen non.  Y'ap tann ni.
     He better go to the interview tomorrow.  They're waiting for him.
 
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Assigning Shortcuts for accented letters - Useful when creating the Haitian Creole aksan grav or aksan fòs in è, ò, à, Ò, È

This post sent and written by Shon Ejai.  Thanks

  1.     Open Microsoft Word

  2.     Click the Insert Tab

  3.     Click Symbol (in Word 2010 this is on the far right) 

  4.     Click More Symbols (at bottom of dialogue box).

  5.     Find è and click on it only once to highlight it.

  6.     Click Shortcut Key... (at the bottom of dialogue box). This will bring up a new dialogue box.

  7.     You can now assign new keys. Press and hold CTRL. While holding CTRL first press ` (above tab) and then press e in that order. Release CTRL. You should see Ctrl+`,E in the “Press new shortcut key:” dialogue box.

  8.     Click Assign (bottom left of dialogue box).

  9.     Click Close (bottom left of dialogue box).

  10.  Close the Symbol dialogue box.

  11.  Now test your new assignment of keys.

  12.  Press and hold CTRL, while holding CTRL first press ` and then press e.    Letter è should come up.

Congratulation you have just created a shortcut for è. You can repeat this with any letter you like.

Note: to make capital letters add the Shift key in the command. For example to create the shortcut for È, step #7 will look like this:

7. Press and hold CRTL, while holding CTRL, press Shift then ` then e. The command will look like this Ctrl+~,Shift+E in the “Press new shortcut key:” dialogue box.

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

How would you say Be Yourself or Just be yourself (sa in Don't try to be someone that you're not)

My first choice would be Pa imite lòt moun.

Be yourself:
Rete jan ou ye a.
Pa imite lòt moun
Rete moun ou ye a. (Toujou rete moun ou ye a)
Pa pran pòz ou se yon lòt moun (Don't pretend to be someone else)

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

can a gason use retire-nan-kosay-mwen expression (you know, kosay is blouse?)

I don't see why not :)  If that's a concern,  why don't you use "lestomak" or "kòlèt" instead of "kòsay"?

retire nan kòsay
retire nan lestomak
retire nan kòlèt
retire nan fal
or
demaske nan kòlèt
etc....

kèk egzanp
1. Mwen bezwen demaske fanm sa a nan fal mwen.
2. Retire w nan kòlèt mwen.
3. Lè'm te fin peye machin mwen, mwen te kontan m te resi retire "bill" sa a nan kòlèt mwen.
4. Mezanmi o! tout sa m fè pou m demaske misye nan kòlèt mwen, mwen pa't kapab.

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

"Li sou san" or "li sou sa"? ede m ;)

How are you using it?

sou san adv → in a good mood

1.
Li sou san l jodi a.
He's in a good mood today.

2.
Ou te pran kèk bon nouvèl?  Mwen wè' w sou san w jodi a.
Did you get some good news?  I see that you're in a good mood today.

sou sa → willing, in the mood, cheerful
3.
Pa pale avè'm.  M pa sou sa jodi a.
Don't talk to me.  I' m not in the mood today.

You can replace "sa" in "sou sa" with a noun:
4.
M pa sou jwèt jodi a. - I'm not in the mood to play.
M pa sou blag jodi a - I'm not in the mood to joke.
M pa sou zafè pale jodi a - I'm not in the mood to talk.
M pa sou sa.  - I'm not in the mood
M pa't sou sa. - I wasn't in the mood.
Ou toujou sou rans - You're always in the mood to joke around

5.
Depi ou wè li pa sou pale, konnen li gen yon problèm.
If he's not in the mood to talk, it means that he has a problem.

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

"nou rive pa konprann ke se lajan yo pa't genyen", doesn't the first pa indicate that "we don't understand"

No, based on what we have here, it's not.
Nou rive pa konprann ..... → we came to understand that ....


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

"ki mele m si ou fache" or "kite mele m si ou fache" - which is correct? Can you give me more examples please

You may use either one.

ki mele m (kite mele'm) → I don't care, so what?

Ki mele'm si w fache  (so what if you're angry)
Ki mele'm si w pa pale avè m (so what if you don't talk to me)
Ki te mele'm si w ale ou pa janm tounen  (I don't care if you leave and never come back)
Ki te mele'm avè w (I don't care)

We also say "ki mele m avèk entèl" meaning "I don't care what so and so ...."
example:
Joe pa vle fè zanmi avè m.  Ki mele'm avè l.
Joe doesn't want to be my friend. I don't care.

Moun yo refize ede m.  Ki te mele'm avè yo. M'a fè sa m kapab.
They refuse to help.  I don't care.  I'll do what I can.


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

How would you say "Have you been to the beach?"

Have you been to the beach?
Eske ou te laplaj la?

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

how would you translate "kenbe l kout" in English?

kenbe kout - to stay close to, to pursue, to give no rest.

1. Ti pitit la te kenbe pye manman l kout.  Tout kote manman l fè, li fè tou.
    The kid stayed close to his mom.  He went everywhere his mom went.

2. Ou dwe kenbe l kout jouk li renmèt ou lajan w.
    You must give him no rest until he reimburses you your money.

3.  Nou kenbe pye Bondye kout.  Nou pa lage l yon may.
     We stay close to God.  We don't stray away from him.
   
   

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

How can I communicate, "Turn around". For example: "Turn around and look at me" or "Turn around and walk the other way"?

There are different ways to translate "to turn around" in Haitian Creole.  But "turn around" here is translated as "vire"
Turn around → vire
Turn around and look at me → Vire enpi  gade m. You can also say Vire gade m.
Turn around and walk the other way. →  Vire enpi mache ale nan lòt sans lan. You can also say Vire enpi mache ale laba. 

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

Madanm, Are the billions written as: de milya twa milya sis milya uit milya ETC? Mesi anpil.

Yes.
We also say dèmilya de moun billions of people; yon milya de dola a billion dollars
We TEND to put "de" after milya sometimes.

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

can you explain more "pran fil". No English translations in your examples please. I want to read through them and try to understand.....

pran fil - expression for to be succeeding at something, to thrive, to progress, to flourish

1. Apre sèlman de jou nan klas Kreyòl la blan meriken an fin pran fil nèt nan lang lan.  Lotrejou tout moun kanpe sou ran pou gade l k'ap fè pri tenkantenk ak yon machann an Kreyòl.

2. Li gen twa mwa sèlman nan travay, li gentan pran fil nèt.  Kounye a se li'k manadjè.

3. Anna apenn vin abite nan vwazinay la, men tout vwazen gentan konn non l.  Tout moun se zanmi l.  Li fin pran fil nan katye a.

4. Biznis la ouvè de pi dezan, li pa janm pran fil.  Sanble yo pral oblije fèmen l.

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

How do you use OLYE (instead) here? "I'll have water instead"

You should use PITO here.
olye - in place of, rather than, instead of
pito adv - instead, preferably, rather

FYI: pito v → to prefer; it is preferable that, it is better to

1. I'll have water instead.
    M'ap pran dlo pito.
    but you can say:
    I'll have water instead of coffee.
    Olye kafe, m'ap pran dlo.

2. Let's go to the movies instead.
    Ann al nan sinema pito.
    or you can say:
    Olye pou n al nan konsè a, pa pito n t'al nan sinema.
    Instead of the concert, what if we go to the movies?

3. I prefer to have a salad instead.
    Mwen pito pran yon salad.

4.  Olye pou ap gaspiye tan w la a, pa pito ou te tounen lekòl.
      Instead of wasting your time here, wouldn't it be better if you went back to school?

5. Olye pou ap babye pou frijidè a ki vid, pa pito w ta al fè makèt.
     Instead of nagging about the empty fridge, why don't you go to the market?

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

Madanm, In the sentence, "M ka ba ou senkannsenk (ou, oswa, osnon e oubyen) swasannsenk goud. Are the words for "or" in brackets ALL interchangeable? In other words, is each of the four words correct in this sentence? Mesi anpil.

Yes they are.
Or - ou, oubyen, onswa, ouswa, osinon, osnon

These conjunctions can also be used to translate:

osnon  (osinon) → or, otherwise, or rather
1. Lè yon fanmi w osinon yon zanmi w trayi w, sa kapab afekte anpil.
    When a family or a friend betrays you, that can affect you a lot.

2. Tout sa mesye sa a di, kit se byen osnon mal, moun toujou aplodi l.
    Everything this man says, whether is good or bad, people always applaud him.

Ou/oubyen/onswa ... ou/oubyen/onswa → either ... or


3.  Onswa ou sèvi Bondye onswa ou sèvi lajan.  Ou pa kapab fè toude.
     Either you serve God or money.  You can't do both.

4.Oubyen ou menm onswa mari w ka vin chache l.
    Either you or your husband  can come pick it up.  


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

qu'est que ça veut dire "tonsiton"?

tonsiton - matching colors, coordinating colors.

Mesye a abiye tonsiton.
The man is dressed in coordinating colors. (His clothes, shoes, sock, ties match fashionably well)

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

Is there any way usually used to differentiate we from you (plural)?

No.  Not in H. Creole.  You may have to look within the context of the paragraph or sentence to find out if the word "nou" means we/us/our or if it's you (plural).

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

Madanm, In "bye a, diven an e wiski la" do you eventually know which article to use by sound, or is it by rules of grammer only? I guess what I am saying is, do you just learn which article to use when you learn a particular word? So far I have not had much difficulty in memorizing which article to use when I learn a certain word. Mesi Madanm.

The Haitian Creole grammar makes it easier to know which def. article to use.
It says to go by the -ending of the words...

P.S.  the word "wiski" will take another vowel, not "la".  After reviewing the following rules, would you like to figure out which def article goes after "wiski"?

After a vowel (vwayèl bouch) (a, e, è, i, o, ò), we use "a":
examples:
kò a
matla a
mont Kendra a

after a consonant (t, y, l, d, etc....), we use "la"
examples:
pitit la
kay la
mayo Pòl la

After an "m" or "n" sound (machin, fanm, kazèn) we use "nan" - sometimes people use "lan"
examples:
madanm nan
mwa desanm nan
chemiz Edison lan

After a nasal vowel sound (an, on, en), we use "an"
examples:
pen an
pon an
Sa se òdinatè mwen an.

After a consonant which follows a nasal sound/vowel (vwayèl nen), we use "lan"
examples
mant lan
monnonk lan
matant lan

and then you will use the nasal "an" or "lan" if the word sounds nasal, no matter what the ending is:
examples:
zanmi an
fanmi an
lanmou an
Ban'm pitit la or Ban'm pitit lan.


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

How would you translate "is for" like "Anything that happens is for a reason." Do you use se?

Yes.

Anything that happens is for a reason.
Tout bagay ki rive se pou yon rezon.

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

Regarding your answer for "sa k fe sa" meaning "why" - can you as a 'why' question with is. "Why didn't you go?" I can say "POUKISA OU PA TE ALE" or "SA K FE SA OU PA TE ALE "?

If you choose to use 'Sa'k fè sa', you should write it without "sa":

1.
Sa'k fè ou pa te ale?
Why didn't you go?

other examples:

2.
Sa'k fè w kontan konsa?
Why are you so happy?

3.
Sa'k fè ou pa't di l sa?
Why didn't you tell him/her that?

Remember the Creole term Se sa'k fè - that is why? see link.

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

'yon ti jan a goch' Kisa li vle di isit la? "Nou pa p gen ta pase kay joanne paske wout kay li yon ti jan a goch"

agoch vle di 'a little bit out of the way" nan fraz sila a.

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

Ale kotew vle, mouri kotew ou te dwe??

Ale kote w vle, mouri kote w dwe.
You don't get to choose how you die.

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

Could you please explain ADEKE and use in a sentence?

Do you mean "adekè"?

adekè (lit. with two hearts) - with hesitation, with reluctance
It's used to indicate that you're rendering a service, or you're giving something away; but you're doing it without eagerness or willingness.
Example:

1. Si w'ap ede m ak de kè, pito w pa ede m ditou.
    If you're helping out and you have regret about it, it's better that you don't help me at all.

2. Nou bay mandyan an kòb la adekè paske nou pa konnen si se manje oubyen dwòg li pral achte avè l.
    We gave the beggar the money with reluctance because we don't know whether he's going to use it for food or drugs.

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

"From" continues to confuse me...I found a Jan 2013 post where you used 'moun' as 'from.' Is this the same as 'soti'? Mesi.

You can use 'MOUN" when indicating origin such as
Mwen se moun New york
I am a person of New York (literally)
I am from New York.

Li se moun Alabama.
She is from Alabama.

So yes,  it means the same as "Mwen soti New York" or "Mwen soti Alabama"

If you haven't done so already, check this link: Using FROM in Creole
And I have also used "moun" in the audio post titled Nan Estasyon Bis la