Haitian Creole

Pou valè moun k'ap chache sekrè lavi a enpi se ou k jwenn ni. please translate 'vale" in detail.

Valè, in Haitian Creole, translates worth, value, cost, price

It also translates many, so many, plenty, an abundance, a large number

We’ll concentrate on this second translation as this is what’s used in the audio post.

Here are some examples of using “valè” to translate ….many or a large number, …. As it is used in the audio post:

In these first groups of examples, we use it to say “large quantity”:

Gen yon valè moun ki pa konn li nan peyi sa a. – There are a number of people that do not know how to read in this country.

Mwen gen yon valè bib lakay mwen, m’a prete w youn. - I have many bibles at home, I’ll lend you one.

Sometimes we say “pou valè” – basically ….for the amount or because of the amount…..

Pou valè bagay mwen gen pou‘m fè jodi a, m pa kwè m’ap kapab ede w. – Because of the many things I have to do today, I don’t think I’ll be able to help you.

Pou valè mechanste m tande ou fè, m pa kwè m ka fè w konfyans - For the amount of wickedness I’ve heard that you’ve committed I don’t think I can trust you.

And sometimes we use “Valè” before a noun where it means …so many, many, a great undefined number, …

Valè moun ou genyen nan fanmi w, enpi ou pa't ka jwenn youn ki ka ede w - You have so many people in your family, and you couldn’t find one that can help you.

Valè malonèt yo fè w, enpi ou retounen isit la toujou. Ou pa gen nen nan figi w. - In spite of all the insults thrown at you, you still come back here. You have no shame.

Valè Ayisyen ki gen nan sal la, enpi pa menm gen youn ki ka pale yon bon Franse. M twouve sa dwòl.. - All these Haitians in a room and not even one can speak perfect French. I found that bizarre.

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

How do you write dates in creole. Example. Friday 14th march 2014. What are the personal pronouns?

written in this sequence: Day – date - month - year

The baby was born on October 7^th, 2013 – Bebe a te fèt 7 oktòb 2013.

Everyone should meet up here on Friday March 14^th, 2014 – Tout moun dwe rasanble isit la vandredi 14 mas 2014.

here's a link to personal pronouns: personal pronouns

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

what is creole ajou?

ajou - updated

Yo mete tout moun ajou sou sa k ap pase.
They updated everyone on what's going on.

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What’s the meaning of move san? Thanks

Fè move san? – to be upset

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ordinary man, simple guy, " joe"?

An “average joe” may be translated as yon moun òdinè, ensiyifyan, yon nonm senp, yon moun konsa konsa, yon rapyay, as opposed to an extraordinary/important person ( yon grantèt, yon gwopalto, yon gwo chabrak, gwo boujwa)

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Sa ki fè sa? (why?)

Sa ki fè sa? Or Sa k fè sa?, used to ask the question ‘why is that?’

1.

Sa k fè sa menm? – Why is that anyway?

Sa k fè ou toujou ap manje dan’w? – Why are you always grinding your teeth?

Sa’k fè w dekouraje konsa? – Why are you so discouraged?

Si w pa renmen lekòl la, sa’k fè w pa kite l? –If you don’t like the school, why don’t you quit?

Sa k fè w pa di m poukisa w anreta? – Why don’t you tell me why you’re late.

M te pran pán kawoutyou, se sa ‘k fè sa. – I had a flat tire, that’s why.

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Rete kè pòpòz (Remain Calm) - Audio

Download link: http://limanecasimi.audioacrobat.com/download/adc55445-43d5-cac3-bd14-c9a63bee3b2f.mp3

Listen to audio here: http://www.audioacrobat.com/play/WKpjtc0W

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

Mezanmi, Mariette toujou kè pòpòz. Li pa janm gen kè sote.
Mariette is always calm. She's never anxious.

Ou menm nenpòt ti bagay kontrarye w. Dis min toujou mare nan fwon w. Lè w gen pwoblèm, men longè bouch ou.
As for you, anything little thing upsets you. You always have a frown on your face. When you have problems, your lips are that long (pouting).

Se lavi a k'ap malmennen m pitit. Kanta pou Mariette, m pa konnen kouman fè li pa janm kite anyen twouble l. M'ap mande m kijan l fè l.
Life isn't good to me child. As for Mariette, I don't know how come she never lets anything trouble her. I wonder how she does it.

Enben petèt li pa gen okenn tèt chaje nan lavi l.
Well maybe she doesn't have any problems in her life.

Okontrè, dam sa a plen pwoblèm. Li pa viv lasante. Bòs li toujou ap ba l presyon nan travay li. E mari l ap fè l pase nan je zegwi.
To the contrary, this woman has a lot of problems. She's not in good health. Her boss is always giving her pressure at work. And her husband does not treat her that well.

Petèt li se milyonè, li pa gen pwoblèm lajan.
Maybe she's a millionaire, she doesn't have money problem

Se pa sa. Moun ki milyonè pa fè kalite dyòb l'ap fè a. Enpitou bil li men wotè.
That's not it. Millionaires don't do the type of job she's doing. And her bills are that high.

Petèt se medikaman li pran pou l kalme l.
Maybe she takes medication to stay calm.

Non. Si l t'ap pran medikaman li ta soule tout tan. Men li toujou ap souri. Kèlkeswa sa k pase li li toujou rete trankil. Li pa janm pèdi sanfwa l. Kè l pa janm kase. Kè l toujou poze. Sa k fè sa?
No. If she was taking medication she'd be drowsy all the time. But she's always smiling. Whatever happens to her, she is always temperate. She never loses her cool. She's never anxious. She's always poised. Why is that?

Enben, sanble li jwenn sekrè lavi a.
Well it seems that she has found the secret to life.

Sekrè lavi a? Kounye a ou vle di m ou konn sekrè linivè antye?
The secret to life? Now you mean to tell me that you know the secret of the entire universe?

M pa ka di w m konnen l men m gen yon lide.
I can't tell you that I know it but I have an idea.

Ki sa l ye? Di m li tanpri pou m ka gen lajwa tou.
What is it? Tell it to me please so that I may also have joy.

Gen yon pwovèb Ayisyen ki di, "Rete trankil se remèd kò". M panse sekrè lavi a nan pwovèb sa a. Pa chaje tèt ou, rete kè pòpòz. Se sekrè a.
There's a Haitian proverb that says, "Being serene is the body's remedy". I think the secret to life is in this proverb. Don't trouble yourself, remain calm. That's the secret.

Enben konpliman Monchè. Pou valè moun k'ap chache sekrè lavi a enpi se ou k jwenn ni. Se pou w vann sekrè sa a bay tout moun konsa nou va rich e mwen finalman va gen kè kontan tankou Mariette.
Well congratulations my dear. So many people are looking for the secret to life and it is you that finds it. You must sell it to everyone so that we will be rich and I'll finally be as happy as Mariette.

Eske w sèten Mariette se pa bonnanj ou?
Are you sure Mariette isn't your spirit (alter ego)?

W'ap pase m nan betiz. M p'ap okipe w. M'ap rete kè pòpòz.
You're making fun of me. I won't pay attention to you. I will stay calm.

Track: Sa nou ye? by Fernand Marlu

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pa viv lasante

pa viv lasante - to be in poor health, to be constantly ill.

Mwen pa viv lasante - I'm in poor health

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hindrance, to hinder

hindrance (nuisance) - kontraryete

to impede, to upset, to disrupt - kontrarye

Vizit yo kontrarye mwen anpil. - Their visit upset me a lot.
Maryaj la kontrarye etid tifi a. - The marriage disrupted the girl's studies.
Lapli a kontrarye jwèt baskèt la. - The rain disrupted the basketball game.
Mizik la ap kontrarye m. Desann volim nan pou m ka konsantre. - The music is disrupting me, turn down the volume so that I can concentrate.

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fè pase nan je zegwi

fè pase nan je zegwi – to mistreat, to treat unfairly, to push around

Bòs mwen ap fè m pase nan je zegwi nan travay la. – My boss is treating me unfairly at work

Mari l reyèlman ap fè l pase nan je zegwi. – Her husband is giving her a hard time.

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Can you translate kapab pa soufri

Capable people do not suffer.

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What is dra blan pa sal dra blan?

Dra blan pa sal dra blan - white sheets do not soil white sheets lit.

It’s a dangerous belief among a handful of Haitian Christians (I’m not sure if it’s just Haitians. I don’t know where you heard this). They condemn adultery between a non-Christian and a Christian, but approve of adultery between two Christians.

I know there was a church group in Miami in the late 1980s and early 90s that practiced this – I’m not sure if they’re still around.

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what does "pouba w bade" mean in h creole. thnxs

Does it say "pouba w bade" or "bouda w bade"?

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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?

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“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”.

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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:

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

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

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

M pa sou bò w. – I’m ignoring you.

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.

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“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.

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What is Haitian Creole for pillowcase?

pillowcase - sak zorye, tèt zorye, tèdoreye

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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?

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).

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

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.

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.

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“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.

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.

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?.

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”.

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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.

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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"

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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?

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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.

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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”?

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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 :)

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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?

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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

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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

Bonjou! Learn to Speak Haitian Creole