Kijan ou di "you sound like?" Ak "What do you mean"

You sound like
Ou pale tankou
Ou gen vwa
 
You can also use “sanble” – It seems
 
You sound like a robot.
Ou pale tankou yon wobo.
 
You sound like your mom.
Ou pale tankou manman w.
 
He sounds like girl.
Li gen vwa yon vwa yon ti fi.
 
You sound like your mom (have the same voice as)
Ou gen vwa manman w.
 
The wind sounded like a howling dog.
Van an te soufle, sanble yon chen k’ap wouke.
Van an soufle tankou yon chen  k’ap wouke.
 
What do you mean?
Ki sa ou vle di?

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

“Nou pa bo isit jodi a”.Why isn’t “pa” negative here?

Actually, just having this as an independent sentence, it can be either positive or negative.

Now sometimes we do say, “nou vin pa bò isit jodi a.” Or “Ou pa bò isi?” where “pa bò isi/isit” means “by here” or “in this area”; and “pa” actually translates the English prep. “by”.

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

Ki mo nan langue Créole la ki pran cédille anba c a? Eske mwen dwe retire cédille nan nom François lè m’ap ekri an Créole?

Non, pa genyen mo ou ankenn lèt “c” ki pran sediy nan lang Kreyòl la.  Mwen pa wè ankenn rezon ki pou ta fè w retire sediy nan non François a, menm si se Kreyòl ou t’ap pale. Si yon moun vle ekri François an Kreyòl, sa se yon lòt afè.

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

I thought it was interesting that H. Creole word ‘sou’ is used as ‘be in the mood for’. If I say ‘m pa sou manje’ it means ‘I’m not in the mood for food’. Did I get this correctly? Can “sou” be used for other activities?

Yes. I can give you some examples:

1.

M pa sou pale kounye a. – I’m not in the mood for talking right now.

2.

Li pa sou etidye.  Se televizyon ki enterese l. – She’s not interested in studying. She’s interested in watching tv.

3.

Nou pa sou sa. – We’re not in the mood.

4.

M pa sou bò w. – I’m ignoring you.

5.

Misye fè tout sa l te kapab pou atire atansyon ti fi a, men ti fi a pa’t menm sou bò l. – He did all he could to attract the girl’s attention, but the girl was not even interested in him.

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

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

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

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

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

What is Haitian Creole for pillowcase?

pillowcase - sak zorye, tèt zorye, tèdoreye

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

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

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

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


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

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

It's in this post: FÈK KARE?

1.

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

2.

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

3.

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

4.

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

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

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

You can use papa papa, granpapa, or granpè

 Or manman manman, grann, or granmè

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

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

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

Tan – this much, so much, an undetermined number

Some examples how it is used.

1.

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

2.

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

3.

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

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

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

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

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

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

What does "konn sa'm kite" mean?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Egzanp:

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

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

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

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

 

“M’ap fè w kite dènye mès”?

 

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

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

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

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

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

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

 

Kouman w fè l?

How do you do it?

 

Kouman ou fè fè l?

How did you succeed in doing it?

 

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

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

Tèt Chaje! (E anpil anpil lòt ekspresyon)

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Track: Jou Ouvè by Malavoi

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

How is the letter r pronounced? I was told it was silent? Example how do you say the name Robertson? Like in English or is r silent making it Obertson? Is it silent at beginning or word and not when in middle? Thank you.

No it’s not silent – if you see an “r” you should definitely say it.  What would become of the words rara, merite, libreri, and all the others if the “r” were silent?

But the letter “r” is usually pronounced like a “w” when placed in front of the letter “o” in H.  Creole.

That’s why you’ll see that some Haitians write “ròch” and others write “wòch”.

This makes both spellings:
Rouj and wouj (red)
Ront and wont (shame)
Arondi and awondi (to make round)
Roroli and wowoli (sesame seed)
Ronronnen and wonwonnen (to purr)
And other words like them acceptable in Haitian Creole

When it comes to names in Haitian Creole, Haitians would drop the “r” if it’s not  in front of a vowel, and turn “RO” to “WO”

Example:

Sara will be Sara
Rachel will be Rachèl
But
Berton will become Bètonn
Darline will become Dalin

 Some Haitians do have a Creole version of their name like Jean-Robert will become Jan-Wobè; Rony will become Wony; Robertson will become Wobèsonn;

Many Haitian authors do that too (Having their name written in Creole).  They also publish their work under their Creole names.
Jean-Marie Mapou writes his name as Jan-Mari Mapou,
Roger Savain has published work under Woje Saven
Yves Dejean has used Iv Dejan
Jacques Roumain's name is written as Jak Woumen in some of his novels
Frank Etienne also writes his name as Frank Etyèn

But, to me, unless the name is on your driver’s license and official documents such as a birth certificate, a Creole name is just a pronunciation of your name in Creole.

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

What is koukout an creol please?

koukout - sweetie, darling
ti cheri koukout - sweetie, darling
cheri koukout - honey

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

Have you ever felt extremely isolated when initially arriving in the US from Haiti? When I first returned to my US (single occupant) dorm room, after becoming accustomed to sleeping in a Haitian household, I was shocked at how quiet my room was and how alone I felt.

Yes, you’ll be thinking of Haiti and the ones you left behind for some time before life slowly gets back to normal. 

In Haiti, in the morning, you are awaken with so many sounds – people walking the streets, animal noises, people’s voices preparing for the day ahead whether you’re in the capital or lakanpay.  During the day you are surrounded by people.  Neighbors are practically living in your living room.  Most friendly visits are unannounced.  People just drop by.  If you’re a loner, you may be sure someone is watching, studying you, and probably trying to find the best angle to approach you.  The markets, se moun sou moun; the streets too… always busy with pedestrians.  At nighttime, in some parts of the country , lack of air condition and sometimes lack of entertainment produced by electricity forces everyone out on their galeri and patios in spite of the smoke from people burning their trash, but the smoke keep mosquitoes away.  You can tell tales to keep the kids busy, hang with friends and families, gaze at the stars if it’s a clear night (but isn’t it always?), or just enjoy the same sounds that had awaken earlier that morning. That’s what I miss most about Haiti.

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

In Pignon there are many cactus plants and hedge bushes. What is the creole word for cactus?

Cactus – rakèt

The ones that look like chandeliers, we call kandelab. Some people say kandelam.

In my childhood home in Arcahaie, Haiti our house was fenced with “kandelab” trees, I would say, about 4 to 5 inches tall.  My aunt would periodically trim them.  When the branches are cut, a white sticky and milky liquid pours out.  We used that liquid at times as paper glue J

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

Can you explain ‘pran yon kal nan soley’

Pran yon kal – take a beating

Bay yon kal – to give a beating

Kal, from “kale” – to beat , to whip

 Pran yon kal nan solèy – to take a beating from the sun (it’s figurative)

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

This is not a question, put here is a nice lecture given in slow Haitian Creole for beginners to listen to for listening comprehension.

This is not a question, put here is a nice lecture given in slow
Haitian Creole for beginners to listen to for listening comprehension.
The Creole starts at around 6 minutes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DpXc7ylYwYk

-TiWil


 Yves Dejean's (Or Iv Dejan's) FIU lecture in writing for those that need it.
Thanks TiWil.
-Mandaly

********************************

Lecture starts at 6:18


Mwen sipoze tout moun ki la yo konprann Kreyòl.
M’ap eseye pale dousman, mwen p’ap pale vit.
Si nou pa konprann, m ta kontan nou leve men nou,
nou di m nou pa konprann pou m ka repete pawòl la,
Oubyen pou m di de twa mo Angle

 Men nou mande m fè koze a an Kreyòl
Se pou sa m’ap fè l an Kreyòl
Si yo te mande m fè l an Angle m t’ap fè l an angle.

Men, ann komanse:
Mwen vle pale nou de yon problèm ki enpòtan anpil pou Ayiti
Se enpòtans lang kreyòl pèp Ayisyen an pou edikasyon lekòl Annayiti.

Nou kab konnen, kòm mwen wè nou se moun  ki enterese nan pwoblèm Ayiti, 
nou kab konnen jiskounye a lang lekòl Annayiti se Franse.

Lontan menm menm menm, yo te pini timoun ki pale Kreyòl lekòl.
Kounye a yo preske pa fè sa, men yo fè l toujou wi sèten kote.
Men tanzantan gen pwofesè ki bay ti esplikasyon an kreyòl
M’ap kòmanse avèk pwoblèm enpòtans lang kreyòl la
Si mwen pa pale ase klè, fè’m yon siy
Nou pa bezwen pè, entewonp mwen si pawòl mwen pa klè
E si nou pa fin konprann jan m pale a.
M’eseye pale dousman.

Continue reading at this link: The Politics of Language: Haitian Creole and the Educational System in Haiti

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

what does the kreyol expression "fanm se yon grenn banann" vle di? Also what does "fanm se yon boutik ki ranpli ak yon boutey vid" mean? the second expression is a french quote translated into kreyol btw. Mesi anpil Mandaly!

"Fanm se yon grenn bannann”
(I have to laugh at that one :)
Women are diverse.   They are all kinds and shapes … and fulfilling in different ways

I haven’t heard the second one (about boutèy) … not in French. In Haitian Creole tales, it would have meant beauty in diversity, but I’m not sure it’s the same with the French expression.

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

When "bèl" is used to describe a film, does it mean "good" or does it have a more literal meaning of "aesthetically pleasing"?

Generally, yon bèl fim is a film with all the elements…. having a good script, being enjoyable to watch, ….a good product.

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

I am having a tattoo done. Would “Live : Laugh : Love” be...”ap viv (or just viv): ri: renmen”Thanks!

Just “viv” is ok.

"Viv – Ri – Renmen" is just perfect.

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

Nouvel nan bon ti manmit

Nan bon ti mamit
Accurate, concrete

We say mamit or manmit

Nouvel nan bon ti manmit
Accurate or trusted news

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

Abse mete sou klou

abse mete sou klou (sometimes we say apse instead of abse; and sometimes we say met instead of mete) - to add insult to injury; a bad situation has become worse.

We say:
Se apse met sou klou (literally an abscess on top of a  blister)
Se abse mete sou klou (literally an abscess on top of a  blister)
Se klou sou maklouklou (literally a blister on top of a hydrocele)

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

What is pase nan je zegwi and also what’s bakoulou?

"Pase nan je zegwi" (lit. to go through the eye of a needle) – to go/jump through hoops,  to go through a difficult situation
egzanp:

Bòs mwen ap fè m pase nan je zegwi.

Se nan je zegwi m’ap pase nan travay la.

Bakoulou is a charlatan, a con artist who does not do well with the ladies.

  

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

Madanm. I keep hearing "fi a" ak "fi an" in conversations. Which form of this is more prevalent?

Bonswa Mesye Rachal,

Yes you are right.  “fi a” is more prevalent. Some people from certain regions tend use nasal vowels especially with words ending in “i” ….zanmi, fanmi, mi, fi, etc …..

And one of the reasons for this is they’ll do that if the preceding syllable has a nasal  sound like fanmi, zanmi, kanni, ranni, etc…..

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

what is pe kou?

I'm not sure. It's very hard to figure it out when taken out of its context.  Maybe you can send the sentence it was used in. thanks.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

What is fanm masay? Is their work voodoo related?

Sounds like a masseuse.
A fanm masay may perform some sort of ceremony before she massages you (anvan li rale w).  Usually they work on things like sprained ankle, displaced joints, back alignments, etc....
I had once sprained my ankle, and my dad took me to a 'fanm masay'.  First of all he was a man.  So maybe we should say 'gason masay'.  The man did do a few things before he started working on my foot.  He burned three pebbles in some ashes along with a sour orange.  He took the first pebble and drew a cross on my foot and threw that first pebble over his left shoulder, he did the same thing with the second pebble and threw that over his right shoulder. The third pebble, he threw over his head after he drew the third cross on my foot.  At the time I was thinking "Whoa! did my dad see that!?"  My dad was a pastor and preached against vodou all the time.  But he was right there watching and said nothing.  So I guessed it is just something they do. At last the man cut the hot baked orange in half, poured some oil on my foot and started pulling on my foot.  The orange was very hot and my foot hurt really bad, I was screaming.  I must have fainted 'cause I sincerely don't remember what happened after that.  I don't remember having the pain after that either.

These people don't go to massage school but the good ones are said to have that unusual gift of knowing how to fix you 'straight' again.  I do believe that they learn what they do from a 'master masseuse' or something :) There aren't too many of them.

My haitian girlfriend misreads the things that I say a lot. Quite often it may be a simple gesture or a sentence that gets reworded into the opposite of what it is. Does that have to do with haitan culture?

You think it's possible that a specific group of people or culture tend to misinterpret spoken words and SIMPLE gestures? That's unlikely.  It's true that some cultures understand some gestures differently, but it sounds like you and your girl  may be "out of sync" ...I may be wrong about this :-\

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

Mwen ap mande kesyon mwen nan Creole. koubyen tan mwen pral fe pou aprann lang Haitien Creole an?

Dapre sa m remake, chak moun ki ap aprann lang lan gen pwòp rezon pa yo.  Genyen se misyonè yo ye, genyen se nan zafè lasante y’ap travay, gen moun se kontra travay yo pral ranpli Ayiti, e genyen tou se zafè menaj yo y’ap regle. Donk m panse rezon ki fè ou aprann lang lan se li menm ki va detèminen  valè tan w’ap envesti pou metrize lang lan tou.  Resous ou genyen a dispozisyon ou kapab deside valè tan li va pran pou w soti depi “A” rive jiska “Z”.

Pafwa, yon moun poze kalite kesyon sa a (yo bezwen konnen konbyen tan l’ap pran yo pou pale Kreyòl), paske yo petèt te panse li t’ap pran yo mwens tan, ou byen yo gen dwa koumanse dekouraje paske yo pase anpil tan ap aprann, enpi lang yo lou toujou.  Si se sitiyasyon w sa, li ka byen bon pou chanje metòd w’ap aprann nan.  Chache mete tèt ou nan anviwònman ki ap pi enteresan pou ou – Antoure tèt ou nèt ak lang Kreyòl la.  Keseswa se jounal, televizyon, radyo, zanmi, legliz, kondisip travay, liv, etc….  Kwè m si w vle, anvan w bat je w, n’ap batize w AYISYEN :)

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

Is there another name for fried plantains other than banan frit?

fried plantains - bannann fri oubyen bannann peze

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

Science fiction lovers

If you love science fiction, do take the time to visit Escape Pod - The story featured this week, Into the Breach, is written by the author Malon Edwards and narrated by yours truly.  The story's got everything, action, drama, ....and a 'little bit' of H. Creole.
Here's a link: Into The Breach

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

pye sa m te manje m pa’t ba w

"pye sa m te manje m pa’t ba w" is an expression that's Haitians use to say that they were running for their lives. I guess it means something like feet don't fail me now.

When we use this expression, we say:
Lè mwen wè koulèv la, mwen di, "pye sa m te manje m pa't ba w!".  Mwen kouri ale. - When I saw the snake I said, "Feet don't fail me now!".  I ran.
But if you wanted to break this down, you'll have:
Pye, sa mwen te manje mwen pa te ba ou. (not in a contracted form)
Pye, sa'm te manje m pa't ba'w. (the expression)
Feet, what did I eat and I didn't share with you.
Basically, asking your feet not to fail you.  You've taken good care of your feet, feeding it well.  Now you need to run for your life.

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

I have a few questions from church yesterday. What is otonde lamizik? Maybe something like syncopate? Does griyen dan mean to laugh? Does it mean anything else? What is dyak, or maybe it's djak? The woman used it in referring to receiving prayer for healing. Thanks!

“otonde lamizik” (or “au ton de la musique” in French) – to the pitch/tune of the music

Dyak – deacon

Yes, “griyen dan” means to laugh, to laugh satirically, to joke or clown around

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

can you explain the meaning behind fet an kwaf?

Kwaf – caul

Fèt ak kwaf – to be born with a caul over one’s head and face

Such a person is considered to be lucky in life. They are very intuitive.  In the region I’m from, they say these people can see ghosts or sense things that others can’t

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

"tout jwet se jwet kochet pa ladan’l" when can you use this?

Tout jwèt se jwèt kòchèt pa ladan’l – Everything is funny (or everything is a game) until someone starts breaking the law.  Or No dirty trick.  Or Roguishness is not part of the game.

You can use it to say that things have gone too far, that things are turning ugly.

 

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

please what does Sa m we pa ka pale mean?I see this a lot. thanks

Sa’m wè m pa ka pale (I'm not sure if translating this literally will make any sense…) - I was shocked (rendered speechless) by what I saw. (either because  of shock, astonishment, or sheer terror and awe)

Haitians may recount a story and they’ll say: Mezanmi! Sa m wè m pa ka pale! (Man! I can’t express through words what I saw)

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

Hi can you provide some examples on how to use the word ‘blanch’ when it means empty? Thanks for all you do.

The Haitian Creole word blanch translates white (female).  It's not used for all feminine words, just a few.  You can always say BLAN instead of BLANCH:
cheve blan or cheve blanch
yon fanm blanch
dan blan or dan blanch


Blanch –lacking, barren, vacant, devoid of ….

1. Nou manje diri a blanch – We ate the rice plain. (the rice lacks rich meat sauces, legumes, bean sauces, etc….)

      Now if we do say diri blan it means white rice.

2. Lari a blanch, pa gen okenn moun deyò a. – The streets are vacant, there’s no one outside.

3. M pase yon nuit blanch yèswa. - I had a sleepless night last night.

4. Ban m kay la blanch tanpri. - Vacate the house please.

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

how do you say:Jesus died on the cross to forgive us for our sins. this is a gift,totally free.

Jezi te mouri sou lakwa pou l te padone nou pou peche nou yo.  Sa se yon kado, konplètman gratis.

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

I am trying earnestly to learn Haitian Creole as the people of Haiti have stolen my very heart and soul. I go on mission trips 6 times a year and am finding it very hard to understand and learn the language. Where do you suggest starting?

Awesome :)  Haiti does grow on you, doesn’t it? I’m glad you’ve found love and attachment there.

An introductory Haitian Creole language class is highly recommended. It’s a great environment for you to practice listening and speaking. Many people try to learn H. Creole on their own because Haitian Creole language classes are not as available as ESOL, Spanish, French, Italian, etc…. And some people are successful at learning independently using all the resources they can.  Learning on your own has one down side though, you don’t get to practice the speaking part as much as you’d like to.  You understand every written and spoken word but speaking the language is a big challenge.

Isn’t it just discouraging when you think, Ok I’m ready.  I can handle a basic conversation In Haitian Creole.  I KNOW I CAN!  I have done it in my head many many times.  And then you approach this native guy and say one sentence, like Bonjou, kijan ou ye?  hoping that he notices your obvious accent and would reply with a slow paced response just like the conversations that you’ve practiced on the audio tapes and CDs, but no!  The native throws at you one long sentence spoken at a million miles per second, all the words bunched up together, and you’re very sure that he must have spoken a full paragraph. You smile and shake your head pretending to agree with whatever he’s saying, but really you are scanning the string of words coming out of his mouth looking for a familiar sound, but NOTHING!   At last you are grateful that you had learned this sentence (just in case):  Speak more slowly please! (I used that a lot when I was learning English); ¡Hable más lento, por favor! (I’ve actually had to pull that out of my Spanish language repertoire once in a while) and Pale pi dousman tanpri! (you’ll say to the natifnatal guy) and he might take time to enunciate and you’ll learn that all he replied was Bonjou, mwen byen e ou menm?   

If you cannot physically get to a class, try online group classes (Haitihub.com is a good place to start.  Their online program might be for you). If that’s not an option try books for beginners WITH audio.  If you do try books with audio, you’ll additionally need to practice with someone who speaks the language.  Listening to spoken Creole is as important as speaking it.  Listen to Haitian Creole radio programs, broadcast news, Youtube videos, songs, etc…  At first you might not hear anything that you understand, but little by little you’ll pick up words, then sentences, then expressions, and etc… Reading Haitian Creole is helpful too.  Begin with books of Haitian Creole tales or stories for kids, most likely written with elementary grammar. Some people find the audio part of this blog very helpful as they get to listen to H. Creole dialogues while you read them – and you can download and listen to them as many times as you need so you’ll actually hear some of those dialogues in conversations when you’re around  H. Creole speaking people.

If anyone has anything to add, any foreigner who’s been there,  who has either started with classes or on their own – please feel free to comment – you might be able to help our friend start on the right foot.  Mèsi anpil anpil.

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

Hello Can you get the lyrics for Emeline Michel Flanm or rodrigue Milien confessions? Either one would be great. Thank you

Pèsonn pa vle kwè se vre
Fwa sa m damou tou bon vre
Mwen t’ap jwe lago kache
Kache pa vle di kase
Pèsonn pa kwè, men se vre
Kounye a m damou tout bon vre
Nou tou pre, je nan je, kè m kase
Tout moun di sa k pral pase (M tou konn sa k pral pase)
Mwen jwenn yon zanmi
Dous tankou yon mango mi
Lannuit nou  pou n jemi
M pa sa dòmi
Nou met joure, n met kraze, n met brize
Lè kòk ap chante, n’a fèk kare ap danse
 
Lanmou se flanm ki klere devan m
Lanmou se kan’m, se sa m vle defann
Lanmou se zam  ki fè m santi m fanm
Lanmou se san m
 
Chak fwa tankou premye fwa
Chak fwa tankou denyè fwa
Lanmou nou se tout pou tout
Nou pa ka mize nan wout
Kò nou mare, swè koule, n depale
Kòk ap chante nou fèk kare ap danse
 
Wi lanmou se flanm ki klere devan m
Wi lanmou se zam ki fè m santi’m fanm

Wi lanmou se pa’m, wi lanmou se san m

Wi mwen jwenn yon nonm, nou vle ret ansanm

Wi lanmou, wi lanmou

 

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

M pa konn si w tande chante a ayisyen rele "Istwa Asefi" men m pa ka komprann kisa non sa siyifye. Eske w ka ede m?

Men wi m kapab ede w ti cheri a :)

The meaning of her name “Asefi” may have nothing to do with the song.  But it’s a somewhat common name in the countryside of Haiti meaning “no more girls”.  A parent may give a girl child that name when they intend to have no more girls (I don’t know how it’s possible :)

For boys the name might be “Aselom” (That’s it, no more boys!)

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

In your recent audio post you translated lefini as ‘afterwards’. Shouldn’t it be translated as ‘at the end’ instead?

“Lèfini” (sometimes you may see it as “lòfini”, it may also be written as two words “lè fini”) basically translates afterwards, after that, and then, then

1.

I am going to rest first and then I’ll take my shower. - M pral repoze anvan lèfini m’a pran beny mwen.

2.

Do your homework first, and then you can play. - Fè devwa w anvan, lèfini ou ka jwe.

3.

What you’re doing isn’t right. You spent all your paycheck in one day and then you want me to share my earnings with you. - Sa w fè a pa bon. Ou depanse tout chèk ou nan yon sèl jounen an lèfini ou vle pou m separe salè mwen avèk ou.

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