Kondoleyans (AUDIO)

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Mezanmi! Ou konnen, kè m fè m mal pou madan Paul ak timoun li yo.

You know I feel bad for Mrs Paul and her kids.

Wi, lanmò mari l se yon gwo sezisman pou tout moun. 

Yes, her husband's death is a big shock to everyone.

Se kisa mari a te genyen menm?

What was wrong with the husband exactly?

Li te fè yon kriz kadyak.  Li mouri sibitman.

He had a heart attack.  He died suddenly.

Podyab timoun yo, kounye a yo san papa!

Poor kids, now they're without a father.

Lavi sa a kout.  Se pou sa nou dwe viv li abondamman

Life is short.  That's why we should live it to the fullest.

A wi, ou pa janm konnen ki lè jou pa w la va rive.  Sa se vre.

Yes,  you never know when your time will come. That is true.

E kòman fè ou poko al vizite yo toujou?

And how come you have not gone to visit them yet?

Nan sikonstans sa yo, mwen twouve li difisil pou m jwenn sa pou m di yon moun ki nan lapenn konsa.

In these circumstances, I find it hard to find what to say to someone in such sorrow.

E byen, ale wè yo non. Mwen sèten prezans ou sèlman va sifi.  Petèt ou te ka ede madan Paul ak timoun yo tou pandan li okipe ap resevwa moun ki vin swete l kondoleyans. Oubyen ou ta ka pote yon ti goute pou bay etranje ki vin wè li.

Well, go see them.  I'm sure your presence only will be enough.  Perhaps you could help Mrs Paul with the kids also while she's busy receiving guests that are coming to say their condolences.   You could bring snacks for her guests.

Ah wi se yon bon lide.  Mwen va ale wè li toutalè.

Yes that is a good idea.  I will go to see her soon.

M panse li va apresye sa.

I think she'll appreciate it.

Wi sa w di a se sa. Mwen va fè l konnen ke kè m byen atriste pou tande sa ki pase a, e pa genyen yon mo ki sifi pou retire lapenn ni, men m’a kenbe l nan lapriyè. 

Yes you are right.  I will let her know that I'm sad to learn about what happened, and that there are no words enough to remove her pain, but I'll keep her in my prayers.

Pafwa nou pa konn sa pou n di pou n konsole yon moun ki nan chagren, men zanj yo konnen.

Sometimes you don't know what to say to comfort a person who's grieving, but the angels know.

M kwè jodi a se yon bon jou pou m di w m apresye tout sa ou fè.

I think today is a good day to tell you that I appreciate all that you do.

Wi, nou pa di sa ase.  Nou pa di li souvan.  Li pa bon lò nou tann jouk li twò ta.  Mwen apresye ou tou.

Yes, we don't say it enough.  We don't say it often.  It's not good to wait until it's too late. I appreciate you too.

Track # 10 - from The good news is the bad news was wrong.
Mèsi Bémòl :)

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

Sezisman - surprised?

yes.
sezisman - shock, confusion, stunner

fè sezisman - to be in shock, to be shocked

Nou fè gwo sezisman lè l tande pitit li a mouri.
We were shocked to hear that her child had died.


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

what is 'yon pa kare'?

It's same idea as "pa fè wonn pòt"

Li pa fè yon pa kare - she didn't go anywhere

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What are words for 'middle school' and 'junior(community, two-year) college'? Also, what are names for 'freshmen', 'sophomore', 'junior', and 'senior'(if any exist) in creole?

middle school - lekòl primè or lekòl elemantè
junior college (community college, two-year college) - kolèj, inivèsite
freshman, sophomore, junior, and senior years will go by premye ane invèsite, dezyèm ane inivèsite, twazyèm ane ..., etc....
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Besides "w'ap konn jòj' and "w'ap gentan konnen'', does this expression ''w'ap konn kawò" mean the same thing as the two above? If not, then what is the meaning of it? Are there other synonymous expressions for all of those?

I am not familiar with the term "W'ap konn kawò."   Could be a regional term.

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Fè e fò ? What does that expression mean?

fè efò (fè zefò, fè jefò) - make an effort, to try

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What are words for 'lipstick', 'lip balm', etc in creole?

lipstick - woujalè, fa
lip glos (lip balm) - briyan, pomad

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I woke up this morning constructing sentences in my head in Kreyol. One of them was "Yon vreman gran machin." and "Vreman gran machin nan." What I was wondering is on this last sentence could or should it be "Machin nan vreman gran. Mesi. Jan Rachal

You can pretty much use all three examples in a sentence.  They are all different.
The first two examples aren't complete sentences,but they definitely can be incorporated in a sentence.
The third sentence is complete - correct - and anfòm.

As for the word 'gran', it does translate great, awesome, wonderful, mighty, etc....
You might instead use the word 'bon' for "reliable and great" car; and the word 'gwo' for "big size" car; and 'gran' for a reputable brand of a car for example: "Toyota se gran mak machin."

Dakò, here are your examples:

#1 - "Yon vrèman gran machin...." - "a really great car...."
        Did you mean "Sa se vrèman yon gran machin" - "This is truly a 'great' car"?

#2 - "Vrèman gran machin nan..." - "The truly great car ......"

#3 - "Machin nan vrèman gran." - The car is really 'great'.

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How do you say "that's okay" or "that's fine" in Creole?

That's okay. / That's fine. .
Se oke.
Se dakò.
Se byen.
Anfòm.
Pa gen pàn.
Pa gen pwoblèm.

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Sa m fe m ap peye???

"Sa'm fè m'ap peye?" 
Mande sa ankò.  Se pa yon kesyon ki toujou gen repons.

Dabitid, si yon moun rive nan yon faz kote l dwe mande kesyon sa a, sa vle di moun nan ka ap pase yon moman difisil.  Li ka santi se pini Bondye ap pini l.  Li ka santi se malediksyon k tonbe sou li.  E nan ka pifò Aysisyen, li ka byen panse se yon moun k'al chache fè l ditò kay yon oungan.

Sa'm fè m'ap peye?  Pou ki krim m'ap peye?  Pouki m'ap soufri konsa?  oubyen Poukisa m'ap pase mizè konsa?

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One more thing... Is - kite koze pran pawol - the same as - kite kantik pran priye?

☺Wi  fwenk! You're right on the money :)
Sa vle di pawòl la boukante katye.  Ou kite yon koze w'al tonbe nan yon lòt.

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poukisa grangou se mizè enpi vant plen se traka?

Wi, se toujou konsa :)
Grangou se mizè, vant plen se traka
kind of like:
Damned if you do, damned if you don't

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Is 'charite' also used as a verb. here's a sentence: "ya charite nou yon moso teren nan zon nan pou nou sa travay fe manje dekwa pou n pa mouri grangu"

Yes.  It means to donate, to assist by giving alms.

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When do you capitalize words in Creole? Do the same rules apply as in English (proper nouns, titles, etc.)?

Yes.  We do not capitalize the first letters of the days of the week or months.

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Yon machin tèt chaje? (Audio)

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- Mezanmi bòs! Eskize m deske m anreta jodi a.

  Oh my goodness boss! I am sorry for being late today.

-Sa fè twazyèm fwa nan semèn nan ou vin travay anreta.  Si sa rive ankò, m’ap oblije kite w ale. Konpani an pa kapab pwogrese si travayè yo pa bay sanpousan.

 (Lit: This makes the third time this week you come to work late.) This is the third time you're late to work this week. If this happens again, I'll have to let you go.  The company can't progress if the workers don't give one hundred percent.

-Se pa fòt mwen non, bòs.  Machin mwen te anpàn.  Se apye m vin travay jodi a.

  It's not my fault boss. My car broke down.  (Lit: It is on foot I came to work today) I walked to work today. 

-Chak kon ou vin travay anreta ou ban m menm koze machin anpàn nan. Kijan fè machin ou anpàn chak jou? Se pa machin ou fenk achte mwa pase a?

 Every time you come to work late you give the same story of your car breaking down.  How come your car breaks down everyday?  Isn't it the car you just bought last month?

-Wi se li menm menm.  Trouve ke machin sa a se yon machin tèt chaje.  Chak jou li ban m yon pwoblèm diferan.

  Yes it is indeed that same car.  It so happens that this car is a piece of junk.  Everyday it has a different problem.

-Ki kalite pàn li genyen menm?

 What kind of problems does it have precisely?

-Enben Lotrejou motè a tonbe chofe nan men m.  Anvanyè, se te pàn batri l te genyen.  E maten an, malgre tout mannèv m fè, li pa’t fouti derape. Se chak jou mwen kay mekanisyen.

 Well, the other day it started heating up.  The day before yesterday it had battery trouble.  And this morning, in spite of all the manipulation I did, it couldn't start.  (Lit: It is everyday I am at the mechanic's) I am at the mechanic's every day.

-Nan sitiyasyon sa a, m ta konseye w si machin nan sou garanti toujou,  pote machin nan tounen kote w t’achte l la.  Fè yo remèt ou lajan w – enpi achte youn ki pi bon.  Paske si sa ap kontinye konsa ou sanlè pèdi dyòb ou – e m pa ta vle sa fèt.

In this situation I would advise you, if the car still has a warranty, to bring the car back where you had bought it.  Have them give you your money back - and then buy a better one.  For if this continues you're on the brink of losing your job.  And I wouldn't want this to happen.

-Dakò se sa m’ap fè.    Petèt m’a kabap boukante l enpi achte yon lòt. 

 Agree, that's what I'll do. Maybe I'll be able to exchange it and buy another one.

- Tanpri fè sa san pèdi tan.

   Please, do this right away

-Men annatandan, bòs, eske ou konnen yon moun ki ka ban m woulib pou vin travay  rès semèn sa a?

  But in the mean time, boss, do you know someone that can give me a ride in order to come to work the rest of the week?

-Madanm, m’ap okipe zafè travay ou, mwen pa ka okipe zafè transpòtasyon w tou. Pifò anplwaye nan konpani an pa gen machin.  Genyen ki vin travay apye, genyen ki vin travay nan bis – men yo pa janm anreta.  Alò chache degaje w pou tèt pa w.

 Man'm, I'm taking care of your job situation, I can't take care of your transportation too. Most employees in the company don't have a car.  Some come to work on foot, some come to work by bus. but they're never late.  So try to manage on your own.

-Dakò bòs mwen konprann.  Mwen va la demen maten bonè bonè.

  Yes boss I understand.  I will be here tomorrow very early.

-M pa bezwen w vin bonè non, mwen senpleman bezwen w vin alè.

 I don't need you to come earl , I simply need you to come on time.

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rès?

rès - remainder, the rest of, what's leftover, leftover

I'll stay at home during the remainder of the week
M'a rete lakay pandan rès semèn nan.

Do you the leftovers?
Ou vle rès yo?
Eske ou vle rès ki rete yo?

Do you want the leftover food?
Eske ou vle rès manje yo?

Is this all that remains?
Eske sa se tout rès la?
Eske se tout sa ki rete?



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annatandan (an atandan)

annatandan - meanwhile, in the mean time, until

An nou chita annatandan tou pa n rive.
Let's sit down until our turn has come.



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avanyè (anvanyè)

avanyè (anvanyè) - the day before yesterday
yè (ayè) - yesterday
today - jodi a, jodi, jounen jodi a
nan demen (nan landmen) - the next day
nan demen maten (nan maten) - the next morning
twa jou apre - three days later
de mwa apre - two months later

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Pousantaj (pousantay) - percentage

percent - pousan
one percent - yon pousan
ten percent - di pousan
fifty percent - senkant pousan
one hundred percent - san pousan

What's the percentage?
Ki pousantay la?

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Is kase bwa nan zorey a good term or not?

a good term in relation to what now ?
I am not sure if it can be categorized as good or bad.  It means to sweet talk, to say sweet nothings in someone's ears.


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Eske w s on grimèl chode?

M'ap mande m si kesyon sa a politically correct :)

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How do you say lonely in creole?

lonely - sèl, pou kont (pronoun)

I feel lonely
Mwen santi m sèl.
Mwen santi m pou kont mwen.

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In the video of the kid yelling at himself on YouTube he speaks creole at the end. What does it mean?

Hi :)
I'm not sure I know which video you're talking about - send me a link.  Thanks.

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Isn't this? - Isn't it?

Isn't this?
Isn't it?
Eske se pa...?
Se pa...?

1.
Isn't this the guy that stole your purse?
Eske sa se pa mesye ki te vòlè bous ou an?
Se pa mesye ki te vòlè bous ou an


2. 
Isn't it true?
Eske se pa vre?
Se pa vre?

3.
Isn't it your birthday today?
Eske se pa fèt ou jodi a?
Se pa fèt ou jodi a?

4.
Isn't it the car you bought yesterday?
Eske se pa machin ou te achte yè a?
Se pa machin ou t'achte yè a?

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Can you translate 'toutan' as 'the whole time' here? toutan l t ap pwoche zye nou te kenbe kontak?

Yes sure.

" Toutan l t ap pwoche zye nou te kenbe kontak"
"We kept eye contact as he/she was getting closer."

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how do you translate "drese" in English as in drese yon tab OR drese yon plan OR "drese yon bilan pozitif" ? These examples are the ones I have made a note of. It seems to have a different meaning in each of these. Thanks

drese - to prepare, to set up, to erect/build

drese yon tab - to set up the table
drese yon plan - to prepare/set up a plan
"drese yon bilan pozitif" - to set up /prepare a positive statement
drese yon poto - to erect a pole
drese yon plat manje - to prepare a plate of food
drese kò w - sit up straight
drese yon timoun - discipline a child, to refine the child, to rear the child in a strict or disciplinary way.

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What is "bonkou" in Haitian Creole? "nou bote bonkou dlo met la"?

bonkou - a lot, many

1. Nou bote bonkou dlo mete la.
    We fetched plenty of water to have around.

2. Misye rich kounye a. Li fè bonkou lajan nan biznis li a.
   He's wealthy now. He makes a lot of money in his business.

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Mandaly, In the Kreyol sentence "Konbyen moun ki genyen nan fanmi ou?" And then the response "Gen sis moun." Is "mwen or m" in "Gen sis moun." understood and that is why "mwen" is left out? Or am I off with this? Also should this sentence be "Gen si moun?" I have learned to drop the "s" in sis, and dis, and the "t" in uit when using monetary terms (goud ak dolar). Does this hold true to the above sentence? Lately I have been exposed to more and more sentences which do not drop these letters (s ak t). I thought it was more popular to drop these letters in numbers? Am I wrong? Mesi anpil Jan Rachal

Sorry, I took some time answering your question.  I was away.
I am back home now :)

There's no "mwen" or "m" in that sentence as it is:
"Gen" stands for there is, there are, is there or are there

Konbyen moun ki genyen nan fanmi ou?
How many people that there are in your family (literally)
How many people are there in your family?

Gen sis moun.
or
Genyen sis moun.
There are six people

I would not drop the last letter here.
We do drop the last letter when using monetary terms, but some people do not drop it.

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Hey I keep hearing this word that sounds like "achehhh". Is it some kind of expression of disbelief?

The word is "adye"; it's an interjection used to express sympathy, shock, surprise
It can translate Alas! What a pity! Poor thing! Oh dear! Gee!, etc...
You might hear it as

Adye o!
Adye mezanmi! 
Adye Bondye! 
Adye widan!
Adye frè!
Adye sè!
Adye manman!
Adye papa!
Adye e e!

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What's the creole word for mean (not nice) and what's the word for grumpy?

mean (hostile) - mechan, rayisab, gen move manyè, malouk, malveyan, san santiman, sankè
grumpy - tyak (or tchak), chimerik, malouk

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How do you say spoiled brat? Like when a child is being spoiled?

spoiled child, a spoiled brat ( a child) - yon timoun gate, yon timoun malelve, yon timoun enpètinan

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Translate "TO HAVE" someone do something - mesi

to have someone do something?
Fè yon moun fè yon bagay.

Have them all sit down.
Fè yo tout chita.

I'll have her call you.
M'ap fè li rele w.

We will have the kids quiet down by the time you get back.
N'ap fè timoun yo pe distans ou tounen.

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and also at the beginning of a sentence as in "and also i didn't see you" translate as "tou mwen pa te we ou"?

use EPITOU or NITOU

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meaning of egare?

egare - dazed, stupid, nonsensical

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Also 'li lolo l byen lolo' what does that mean, is lolo short for something since I can't find it anywhere (dictionary or online translators)

lolo (chouchoute, flate)  means to flatter, to butter up, to sweet-talk

Li lolo l byen lolo.
He/she did a good job seducing him/her...
He/she sucked up to him/her...

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Can you tell me what mouri poul mean please? what's the literal translation? kill chickens or kill for it? thanks

mouri poul is and expression which means to stay under the radar, to take it easy,to calm down
egzanp:
Misye mouri poul li pou l pa nan okenn lòt pwoblèm ak lalwa.
He calmed down to prevent further problems with the law.

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yon moun mande m kesyon li di "ki te premye fwa ou fè en kout pye nan peyi a?" Eske pou moun nan pa t di "ki premye fwa" enpi elimine 'te' patisip pase a?

Si se te mwen, m ta di ki premye fwa, paske se konsa m pale.  Men moun nan gen dwa se fason sa a l pale.  Se pa premye fwa m wè moun poze kesyon konsa...
Depi Kreyòl pa Franse sirèt, li se Kreyòl rèk :)

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what does it mean to say 'leve rad'?

In what context?
literally it means to lift one's clothes

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how do you use APA in Creole? when you ask a question with it what does it mean? For example someone asked me APA OU PA ALE? Is this question asking 'Why didn't you go?

"Apa" may be used in an interrogative sentence. In that instance it's more like and acknowledgement and question both in one.  "Apa w'ap kriye?" will translate "so you're crying?" and "How come you're crying?"

1. Apa ou pa ale?
   I see that you didn't go, how come?

2. Apa ou pa di anyen?
    So, you're not saying anything?

3. Apa ou la toujou.  Eske ou pa't gen pou w al travay?
   I see that you're still here? Didn't you have to go to work?

4. Apa w'ap manje vyann? M te kwè ou te di ou se yon vejetaryen.?
    How come you're eating meat?  I thought you said you were a vegetarian?

It is also used in non-question sentences.  It may be an interjection or an acknowledgement:
5. Ou di w t'ap chache liv la e ou pa't sa jwenn li.  Apa li la a.
     You said you were looking for the book and you couldn't find it.  There it is.

6. Apa nou!
    So here we are!

7. Apa tout moun ap mache san soulye.
    I see that everyone is walking barefoot.




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can you explain DIRE in KOM KI DIRE

dire, here, mean to say

kòm ki dire - as if to say, that is to say, seemingly
and you'll also see it here:  andire (an dire, ondire, an dire ke)
and you'll also find too:  moun ta di, ou ta di → one would say

1. Andire pitit vwazen an ansent.
    It seems (it looks) as if the neighbor's daughter is pregnant.

2. Andire l pral fè lapli toutalè.
    Seems like it's going to rain soon.

3. Li gade m ak yon move rega, kòm ki dire m te fè yon bagay ki mal.
    She gave me a bad look as if I did something wrong.

4. Ti gason an ap manje.  Li kenbe asyèt la byen di.  Moun ta di li pa't manje depi yon semèn enpi li pè pou yo pa rale asyèt la nan men l.
    The boy is eating.  He's holding on firmly to his plate.  One would say that he hasn't eaten in a week and he's afraid they'll yank the plate from him.

5. Jan m wè w'ap pale a, andire ou fache.
    From the way you're talking, it seems as if you're angry.

6.  Jan m wè bagay yo la a, andire nou p ap rive.
     From the looks of things, it seems like we're not going to make it.


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Can you explain what 'bouke' mean when used at the beginning of a sentence?

It would mean the same thing as 'sispann', it would mean "to stop"

1. Bouke kriye.
    Stop crying.

2. Bouke fè jouda nan zafè moun.
    Stop meddling into people's affairs.

3. Bouke pale zanmi w mal.
    Stop 'badmouthing' your friends.

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What does "sak sik" mean, when referring to a person?

sak sik (you moun ki chita sou bouda l, ki p'ap leve ni lou ni lejè) - lazy

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What's the creole word for "gross"? Like, disgusting, but to a lesser extent...

gross - repiyan, rebitan

or the exclamation Eew gross! will be translated as wouch!

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what does it mean to say 'ou genyen mizè rekonesans'?

genyen mizè rekonesans - to enjoy / like living in misery

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When someone says 'mwen pral beni bag la', is that a special ceremony after the wedding where you that?

beni bag means to get married, to have a religious person perform the wedding.

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What does 'rèk' mean when talking about a person? And is it a synonym for 'ripe'? mèsi :)

rèk - mature
When talking about a person it means that the person is old or older than he/she looks.

You can use the word "rèk" to describe a fruit that is ready to be picked, but not  necessarily ripe.


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I know "konstriksyon" is construction in english. But my Indiana University Kreyol dictionary does not have the word constriction in it, or at least I cannot find it. This dictionary is exhaustive for Kreyol, but it is that; Kreyol only, not an english to Kreyol. Would you please tell me the Kreyol word for constriction? Mesi anpil.

You are right, I haven't found the English word "constriction" in any Haitian Creole dictionaries that I've come across.
constriction → retresisman, kontraksyon
constrict - resere, ratresi

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how to you say "to" in Creole when saying -from the ceiling to the floor-? I'm tempted to say "de twati a a ate a", but the two "a" happening back to back here seems confusing..

You can use JOUK, JOUS, JISKA, RIVE in this case.

Depi nan plafon an jouk atè a.
Depi nan plafon an jisk'atè a.
Sot nan plafon an rive atè a. or sot nan plafon rive jous atè a*
The very last example is more like *"from the ceiling all the way to the floor"

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What are words for 'breakfast', 'brunch', 'lunch', 'dinner', 'supper', 'snack time'(if such a word for that exist) in creole? How does one say 'snack' and 'midnight snack' in creole?

breakfast - dejene, dejennen, ti dejene, dekoupe kòpyèz
lunch - lunch, manje midi
dinner - dine
supper - soupe
to have a snack - fè yon ti goute, pran yon ti soloba, pase yon bagay bò bouch ou.
meal - repa, manje, dine

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tapages (or tapagez) is what exaclty?

tapajèz - a rowdy or quarrelsome person (a female)

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"Ou pa konn sa m peze' seems to have nothing to do with weight or scale. am i right? if yes, what does it mean then?

Most likely it does not.  And you're probably asking because you realized that if you translated as "weight ....and such" it would not fit into whatever you're reading.
If this is the case, then it means "you do not know my strength /what I can do/ who you're dealing with/ etc..."
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Eske ou kapap di fraz sa konsa; "m pa poko fe li" or "m pa fe li poko"?

poko se yon mo negatif li ye.  Li vle di not .... yet.  Sètadi ou pa bezwen me te mo "PA" a lè w ap itilize l.

pa egzanp:
1. I have not eaten yet.
    olye pou w di
   M pa poko manje.
   ou va di
    M poko manje.

men yon lòt egzanp.
2. We have never seen anything like it.
     No poko janm wè yon bagay parèy.
    Nou pa mete "pa" nan fraz la.

Ou kapab wè mo "poko" a ekri diferan fason nan lang Kreyòl la.
Gen moun ki di poko, gen lòt ki di pako, gen lòt menm ki di ponkò; ou kapab menm jwenn moun ki di panko
Enpitou lè w ap itilize tan pase a ou va di patko oubyen pa te ko.

pa egzanp
3. Mwen patko wè fim nan, se pou sa mwen te vle ale wè l avèk nou.
    I had not seen the movie yet, that's why I wanted to go see it with you.
   


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can you tell me what 'gwo' means when you say, 'gwo lajounen'? thanks

usually it means in broad daylight

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"I need to recharge my phone, the battery is dead." "I laughed so hard, I peed my pants!" ;)

o o mezanmi o.....

"I need to recharge my phone, the battery is dead."
Mwen bezwen chaje telefòn mwen, telefòn mwen dechaje."

 "I laughed so  hard, I peed my pants!" ;)
"M tèlman ri m pipi sou mwen."

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I will trade the laptop for the art work.

"M ap boukante laptap la pou tablo a."

laptop - laptap, òdinatè pòtab 

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Does 'raje' translates 'empty land', 'empty lot' or 'empty green space'? Creole lingo gives definitions like 'backwoods', 'field', 'forest', etc. which could be used in the following context, but I am not sure. For example, "Back in the fifties, this neighborhood used to be nothing but empty land(or land)." or "Back then, this part of the beach, used to be an empty lot before they build a store there." Does 'raje' translates 'wasteland' as well? For example, "Ten years of drought had left the area a wasteland" Because I would hear Haitians used 'raje' for wasteland. If it is not the case, than what are some approriate words for 'wasteland'?

raje - brushwood, thicket
example: 
Yo te netwaye lakou a, yo te retire tout raje yo.
They cleaned the yard and removed all the shrub thickets

raje - sometimes people use it as synonymous to 'rak bwa'
example:  
Mesye a sove.  Li pran raje pou li.
The man ran away.  He took to the woods.

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What are some verbal expressions 'to be admitted to [hospital, etc]' and 'to be released/discharge from [hospital]'? For example, "My mother was admitted to the hospital on May 12 and she was released on June 8." Also, are there words for 'inpatient' and 'outpatient'? an outpatient is a patient who is not hospitalized for 24 hours or more but who visits a hospital, clinic, or associated facility for diagnosis or treatment. An inpatient is a patient who is "admitted" to the hospital and stays overnight or for an indeterminate time, usually several days or weeks (though some cases, such as coma patients, have been in hospitals for years). And one last thing, how does one translate 'nursing home' in creole?

to be admitted to the hospital - entène
an admitted patient - - pasyan entène, pasyan ospitalize
to be discharged from the hospital - egzeyate
nursing home - mezon retrèt
ambulatory patients - pasyan anbilatwa
outpatient - anbilatwa

"My mother was admitted to the hospital on May 12 and she was released on June 8."

Manman m te entène lopital douz me e l te egzeyate uit jen,

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ou jwenn bout mwen?

bout → end, edge, temperament

Ou jwenn bout mwen
lit:  You've found my edge/temperament
meaning: You get me; you understand me, you know how to deal with me

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onetete?

onètete (lonètete) - honesty
malonètete - defiance, arrogance

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what does pliye ko w mean? and also i saw that u used the word boukante to mean change. is this a word that can be used in everyday language?

pliye kò w (ploye kò w) → lit. to fold your body, to bend the body, also can mean to snuggle up

boukante is everyday language for to exchange, to swap in Haitian Creole

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definition of gouyad please?

gouyad - sexually suggestive dance moves, sensuous body movement (basically)

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bagay la mangonme - sa vle di kisa?

Bagay la magonmen (jwèt la mare) →Things are tense

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What are names for these devices people use when they cannot walk: 'cane', 'crutches', 'walker', 'wheelchair', and 'scooter' respectively in creole?

cane, walker  - baton oubyen badin, also machèt
wheelchair - chèz woulant
crutches - beki
scooter - scooter, twotinèt (pou ti mopèd de pye yo)

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Eske cho devan bann nan se menm bagaille avek cho pase leve danse?

Sa pral depann jan ou vle itilize li.  Toude ekspresyon endike gen yon moun (oubye nenpòt kisa) ki antyoutyout.
Li cho devan bann nan  (li pi prese pase tout moun; li se nimewo en nan yon aktivite l ap antreprann; se limenm ki sesi seli menm ki sela)
Li cho pase leve danse (li pa ka tann; li eksite; li zele, ...)

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How does one translate 'shift' as a noun regarding employment in creole? For example, "We'll work three shifts a day till the job's done." or "She prefers the morning shift." or "The night shift reported." or "One day last June, nine hours into his shift, Mr. Zamora was coughing and asked to go home, complaining of a fever, he said." or "As the night shift leave/leaves, the day shift arrive/arrives." or "Are you on the night shift or the day shift?" or "He's working the afternoon/evening shift this month." or "The morning shift came into work looking sleepy." What are verbs and/or verbal expressions for 'to change shift' or 'to rotate shift' or 'to alternate shift' in creole? For example, "Myself and my colleges currently work a rotating shift pattern of 6am-2pm and 2pm-10pm, alternating between the two shifts every two weeks." or "My friend changes/rotates/alternates shift with me from time to time."

Lè m'ap pale Kreyòl mwen toujou di "pòs"
shift - pòs

"She prefers the morning shift."
Li pito pòs maten an.

"Are you on the night shift or the day shift?"
Eske ou travay pòs aswè oubyen pòs maten?

"My friend changes shifts with me from time to time."
Zanmi mwen boukante pòs travay avèk mwen detanzantan.

Dakò.

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Mandaly. As I am fine-tuning my Kreyol Ayisyen, I have a simple question: In "Ki kote fanmi ou ye (an/nan) Ayiti?" Are both of these Kreyol words interchangeable in brackets? If not, then are there rules in Kreyol on which one to use at a given time? Mesi anpil.

This "an" acts as a preposition and translates in, of, or from
egzanp:
 M'ap rantre an Ayiti demen. → I'm coming to Haiti tomorrow.
Kote frè w la?  Li an Ayiti? → Where's your brother?  Is he in Haiti?
Mwen fèk soti an Ayiti semèn pase a. I just came from Haiti last week.
Li te gen yon bèl bag ki fèt an ajan. She had a beautiful ring made of silver.
etc...

Regarding your question... yes we might say:
Ki kote fanmi ou ye an Ayiti?
or 
Ki kote fanmi ou ye nan Ayiti?

we will also say:
Ki kote fanmi w ye Ayiti?

Dakò?

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hi, i've asked you before about the term 'ou pap sis' ... I understand what it says, but are there other equivalent Creole sentences - I want to understand what I'm saying....

Men wi. ou kapab di "Ou pa ladan l." oubyen "Ou p'ap reyisi" oubyen "Ou p'ap rive." selon kontèks la.

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This is what i read - zafe l pa t korek donk li mouri ko l yon kote pou l pa tonbe nan si m te konnen....so i thought 'mouri' meant to die and 'mouri ko' to kill himself, only to find that he s still alive in the story? Can you explain that please? mesi

Keep in mind I do know the context of what you're reading...

mouri kò is an expression which means to lay low, to take it easy
and Si m te konnen in that sentence means regret

zafe l pa t korek donk li mouri ko l yon kote pou l pa tonbe nan si m te konnen
His affairs weren't right (legal?) so he laid low so that he doesn't regret his actions

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bonjou,to say to die suddenly, how do you translate "suddenly"?

suddenly - sibit, bridsoukou

sudden death → mò sibit, mò frèt

He died suddenly.
Li mouri sibit.
Li mouri mò sibit.
Li mouri sibitman

You can die suddenly.
Ou ka mouri mò sibit.

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pou mo "defi" ou fek ekri, eske ou ka di "M defi ou fe sa" (I challenge you...)

Ou kapab di pito:

M ba w defi fè sa.
oubyen
M defann ou fè sa.

itilize "bay defi" tankou yon vèb.

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please tell me what these things mean 1) sibi 2) byen jwe 3) se jwe pou w genyen thanks

1) sibi - to go through, to suffer
    Li sibi yon move maladi - He suffering from gave disease

2) byen jwe - to play well
     Ou byen jwe jwèt la. - You played the game well.

3) se jwe pou w genyen - you must have a play/game

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what does defi and rasi mean?

defi (n)  is a challenge
rasi (adj) → stale (bread), short (person);
you moun rasi → a short person

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Is this dialog correct? I've been using your blog to help construct a brief exchange for a story I'm writing in which an amnesiac (K) speaks with a friend (R) who he doesn't remember. K is still a little bit out of it, so it's alright if his dialog is off, but I wanted to know if the rest is correct, and whether it sounded natural: ........

R: "Bonjou, zanmi'm. Depi tanndat m pa wè w."
(Hello, my friend. It's been a long time since I've seen you.)
K: "Zanmi? Eske m konnen w?"
(Friend? Do I know you?)
R: "Ou te konn."
(You did once.)
K: "Oh...eskize mwen. Mwen pa sonje."
(Oh...I'm sorry. I don't remember.)

So far so good :)
On the highlighted part, it's better to write "konnen" instead of "konn".
You may have the sentence as: "Ou te konnen m - You knew me"; or "Ou te konnen m yon lè - You knew me once."
and if you really don't want to have the whole sentence and you want a phrase similar to "You did once", then you could write:  "Wi, yon lè" or "Wi, yon fwa", or simply "....yon lè".

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Madanm. It is getting somewhat confusing where to place the adjective in sentences. Pou egzanp: Yon tranzaksyon presi. oswa, Yon presi tranzaksyon. Se vreman bon. oubyen, Se bon vreman. What has "thrown" me is: "Gran fi yo ak gran gason yo." I know this is correct, but here the adjective is in front of the noun. Up above it is not. Are there specific rules in Kreyol for this, or is it by sound only? I believe the first examples above are correct, "Yon tranzaksyon presi." for example. Mesi anpil.

Only a handful of adjectives are placed before the noun in Creole.
They are not too many, so you can even memorize them.

A.
Some adjectives that describe size: gwo (big), gran (great, older), katafal (huge), manman (huge), potorik (brawny), ti (small), ti zing (tiny), ti kras (small).  ("laj" → large doesn't belong in this group)
egzanp:
yon gwo gason
yon manman fanm
yon ti zwazo
yon ti kras pen
Li te achte yon gwo manman kabrit.

B.
Some adjectives that describe order: premye (first), dènye (last), senkyèm (fifth)
premye bagay la
yon dènye fwa
Yon senkyèm machin te antre.

C.
Some adjectives that describe age: vye (old, shabby), [ansyen (ancient), jenn (young), nouvo (new) can go before or after at times]
yon jenn fi
yon vye kay.
yon ansyen legliz oubyen yon legliz ansyen


D.
Some adjectives that describes  state /condition : bèl (beautiful, pretty, nice), bon (good, compassionate), move (bad)
He gave me a beautiful ring.
Li te ban m yon bèl bag.

Ou konpoze yon move nimewo.
You've dialed the wrong number.

Li se yon bon moun.
He is a good person.

E.
And also some adjectives that describe quantity: anpil, kèk, enpe, etc...
____________________
Yes, you are correct about "TRANZAKSYON PRESI", "presi" comes after "tranzaksyon" because
The other adjectives come after the noun- ...If I were to pick any random ones:

1. I like Haitian bread.
    Mwen renmen pen Ayisyen. (adjective "Ayisyen" come after the noun "pen")

2. The police car was speeding.
    Machin polis la t'ap fè vitès. (adjective "polis" come after the noun "machin")

3. I like the blue dress.
    Mwen renmen rad ble a. (adjective "ble" come after the  noun "rad")

If you were to have two or more adjectives:

4. I like the beautiful blue dress. 
    Mwen renmen bèl rad ble a. (adjective "bèl" comes before the noun "rad" and adjective "ble" comes after the noun "rad")

5. She bought the small red car.
    Li te achte ti machin wouj la (adjective "ti" comes before "machin" and adjective "wouj" comes after "machin")

6. A great wonderful God rules over the whole universe.
    Yon gran Bondye mèveye ap reye sou linivè antye. (adjective "gran" belongs before and adjectives "mèveye" and "antye" belongs after the noun)

7. A beautiful attractive woman was asking for you a few minutes ago.
    Yon bèl fanm atiran t'ap mande pou ou sa gen kèk minit. ("bèl" belongs before and "atiran" belongs after the noun.)

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Hey I have been hearing "Pa fem sa" lately but can't quite figure out what it means.

Pa fè m sa.
Don't do that to me.

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I know what 'moun pa se dra' mean because you told me - now where does the meaning come from?

Well it's a proverb.
I'm not sure if you're looking for literal translation:
Moun pa ("pa" being possessive) → your own people, your esteemed friends
Se dra → are covers/blanket

the term "moun pa" also translates favoritism

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Question: Mandaly, in phrases such as: "ti moun yo", "gason yo", "fi yo", nimewo yo Is this fairly much the case in Kreyol for making plurals? Would you say "Kreyol Ayisyen yo" for "the Haitian Creoles", or "Kreyol yo" for "the Creoles"? Am I on track here? Mesi anpil.

Yes :)
You are on track.

As far as "Kreyòl Ayisyen yo" is concerned; it's grammatically correct  as an example -
But since there's one Haitian Creole, you would probably mostly see this term in singular form  (like Kreyòl Ayisyen an)

For "Kreyòl yo"; yes, you will find that a lot :)
some additional examples on top of what you have are:
Kreyòl karibeyen yo
Kreyòl Antiy yo
Kreyòl Afriken yo

Dakò?
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Here's another question I meant to ask you Mandy, when Haitians keep saying 'pa fe fo! pa fe fo!' do they mean 'pa fe zefo'?

They mean Pa fè fò - to be frugal, to go slow, to conserve more

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leu yon moun semante 'anverite trois fois' eske o gen rezon pou pike zotey yo? eske se menm bagay avek leu yo cross your finger?

Sèl rezon ki pou ta fè yon moun pike zòtèy li anba tè lè l'ap sèmante se si l'ap bay manti.  Se sa m konn tande yo di.
Zafè kwaze dwèt dèyè do w la, se nan peyi Etazini m te vin aprann sa.  Ameriken fè sa paske yo swete yon sityasyon ta rive tout bon vre.
Men lè yon moun pike zòtèy li anba tè pandan l'ap sèmante (dapre sa m konnen), moun nan fè sa paske li pa vle malè rive l.  Pa egzanp, si moun nan sèmante konsa, "Tonnè kraze m....!" oubyen "M mande Bondye machin frape m....!" - moun nan va pike zòtèy li anba tè pou tonnè pa boule l ak pou machin pa frape l; sitou si l'ap sèmante pou twonpe moun.

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"If.... you wouldn't be in this MESS" - Will "dezod" work her for "MESS"?

I am not sure if I get this entirely. The word "mess" seems to describe a dilemma, a bad situation?
if yes, then my first choice would be "meli melo" or "antrav".

Si m ta vle pran yon egzanp, m ta di l konsa:
Si w te fè respè w ou pa ta nan tout antrav sa a ( or antrav sa yo).

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Where should I put the article in this sentence: kote dlo "a" te ye te lwen ORR kote dlo te ye "a" te lwen ORR kote dlo te ye te lwen an?

put it after "dlo" and also after "ye".
Kote dlo a te ye a te lwen.

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I am using Google Translate to say the following: "you need to give me an installment of 175 monthly until it's paid off". Can you tell me what's the creole word for installment and paid off

installment (of payments) - vèsman
to pay off - fin peye

"You need to give me an installment  of 175 monthly until it's paid off."
"Ou dwe ban m yon vèsman 175 (san swasannkenz) dola pa mwa jouk ou fin peye l."

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pouse dife in English

pouse dife (chofe, eksite) - to excite, to provoke

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"we" with no accent on "e" (I'm sure). 'li we m anba chaplèt"

we (also bimen) v. → to hammer, to beat up, to pound on

Li we m anba chaplèt.
He/she beat me up with a stick.

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Give me some suggestions or books "How broadcasting has impacted Haitian culture?"

You might find
some information on the internet if you google it.  I'm not familiar with any books on that specific subject.
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What's the meaning of "tape" here. Li tape kontinye kouri sou wout la?

tape (te ap, t'ap, t ap, t'ape) - Past progressive

Li tape (t'ape) kouri.
He was running.


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monte bourik a homme et a femme- se diferan?

A homme, ou monte tankou gason.  Ou mete yon janm ou sou chak bò vant bourik la.
Si w monte l "a femme", toude janm ou va sou yon sèl bò vant bourik la.

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kisa foumi fou ye?

foumi fou - black ants; usually with erratic behavior

egzanp
M'ap mache kou foumi fou nan lari a. M pa konn kote m prale.

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tout moun mache sou menm pye??? Is this an expression

I think it's "...tout moun mache sou yon pye"; it means to join in and not stand out.
Usually, it goes something like::
Ou rive yon kote ou jwenn tout moun ap mache sou yon pye, ou mache sou yon pye tou.

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Why not use th articla "an" in the sentence "Chen ki mouri a" if the article modifies "chen"?

The article you use depends on the words that come before the article. In that case it's "mouri".
FYI: the article 'an' may follow the word "mouri" also because of the nasal  "ou" sound in "mouri"
so you can also say "Chen ki te mouri an".

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'Pa mete bouch ou sou mwen' would this be the same as 'don't meddle in my affairs'?

No.
If you want to use the METE BOUCH to say STOP MEDDLING, then you an say Pa mete bouch ou NAN zafè m.

Mete bouch SOU means to jinx or give bad luck in this original sentence.

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degobye an englais.

Ou kapab di "degobye" oubyen "degobe" - Nou menm Ayisyen konn di "rann gaz" tou.
Nan lang Angle a, se belching, burping

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Kile ki vle di "of" an Kreyol: "nan" oubyen "de"?

Dabitid "of" tankou yon prepozisyon pa tradui an Kreyòl.
Nou kapab pran kòm egzanp:
The dance of death
Nou tradui li
Dans lanmò

Men yon lòt egzanp:
She made a bunch of friends while she was at camp.
Nou tradui li konsa:
Li fè yon bann zanmi pandan li te nan kan an.

Gendelè nou kapab tradui li avèk Kreyòl's "nan"
Pa egzanp:
I only want one of them.
Mwen sèlman vle youn nan yo.

Three of the children became doctors.
Twa nan timoun yo te vin doktè.

Apre sa, malgre nou eseye pa itilize "de" kòm prepozisyon nan Kreyòl, sa pa anpeche kèk moun itilize li nan fraz tankou sila yo:
Sa'w panse de sa?
Pale m de ou.
Yon seri de moun.
etc....
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what is "lotrejou la a"?

lotrejou (lotrejou la a, lòt jou) → the other day

yon egzanp:
Lotrejou la a m kontre bab pou bab ak yon gwo papa koulèv sou wout mwen. Se konn kouri m ki sove'm.
The other day, I came across a huge snake on my way.  Knowing how to run saved me.

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..tonbe nan zafè pa bon???? Is it like to fall into poverty

yes, ...into poverty, into hard times.

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I have 'je baton' from 'fout yo yon je baton' translated as EYE STICK on my translator. The meaning is lost for me here... 'Give the an eye stick???'

I'm not sure what the context is, but I would translate "yon je baton" as "a good whipping / a good beating (with a stick)".
Basically Fout yo yon je baton will be translated as Beat the hell out of them (or something similar)

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Can a dress suit for women also be called kostim in Creol?

You can call it yon konplè.

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Is it necessary to say "lafyev cho" when describing a fever, or can I just say "lafyev"?

No it is not necessary. You can always just say 'lafyèv."

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eske ou tabde mo SALTENBANK deja? KISA li vle di?

Wi m konn tande li.
Saltenbank se conniver, charlatan
Se vakabon sansal ki ap pran avantaj sou moun.

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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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