If I wanted to play the game “I’m thinking about something that…” and have kids guess what I’m thinking about would I say: “Divine sa m’ap panse…” and “M’ap panse sou yon bagay ki…”? What would be the most natural way to phrase this?

Hi. Although both can be used, the first one gets my mind ready to start guessing....feels more interesting.
And I think you would proceed slightly differently with whichever one you use. For example, if you're thinking about a banana,

Devine sa m’ap panse… li jòn ... li long... li se yon fui...
M’ap panse a yon bagay ki jòn... ki long... ki se yon fui...

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

What does lanjèz mean? I always hear "yo lanjèz"

Landyèz or landjèz - malicious, gossiping woman with a dirty mouth.

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

Is there a certain poem or biblepassage, common at Creple weddings, that contain the phrase-you are the breath of my life. Please explain.

When you say Creole weddings, do you mean Haitian weddings?
 Nope, we do not have any traditional bible verse or poem that includes this passage in the Christian arena. There are a couple of traditional hymns that we do sing at Christian weddings, especially #312 of the Haitian Chants D'Esperance. These days most Haitian weddings are westernized, but you can still see traditional Haitian weddings in the countryside.
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Someone told me that retresi and ratresi are not the same. retresi is used for things like shoes that has shrunk and ratresi means to shorten something. Can you give me some examples of that?

Actually ratresi and retresi are synonymous. Some Haitians in one region say retresi and others say ratresi.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

I'm looking for all the lyrics for "Li Touche m"

Kè mwen te chaje ak fado lou

Peche ak wont mwen te kouvri mwen

Alò men Jezi te touche m

Kounye a mwen santi vin chanje

Li touche m

O li touche m

E lajwa te neye nanm mwen

Yon bagay te pase

Kounye a m konnen

Li touche m nan gran bonte li

Depi m te jwenn Sovè beni an

Depi l te sove m e geri m

Mwen pap janmen sispann louwe li

M ap chante glwa li etènèlman

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

What does "Mazonbel" means?

It's a root vegetable.

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

Just wondering if you know of any Haitian Proverbs related to gratefulness? Thank you!

Hi, a couple of proverbs about gratefulness:
Poul bwè dlo, men li pa bliye Bondye - Chickens drink water, but they don't forget God
Sonje lapli ki fè mayi leve - Remember the rain that makes corns grow.

And a couple of proverbs about ingratitude:
Ou pa ka chita sou kui bèf enpi w ap pale bèf mal - You can't sit on the cow's leather and then badmouth the cow.
Fè byen, granmesi nanpwen - There's never any thanks for good deeds
Granmesi bourik se kout baton - Gratefulness is shown to the donkey by whipping the donkey.


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Hi Mandaly, what's the reference here? bet mouri kite mize pou pwal (or po)? thanks

I think is bèf (with an accented "e" and an "f" at the end) mouri kite mizè (with an accented "e") pou po (instead of pwal) li.

bèf mouri kite mizè pou po li - some people may have different meaning for this, but my grandmother used it to refer to what happens to this animal's hide after death. The hide is used in drum, whip, stool, floor mat fabrication and many other things.  She especially says it to refer to many beatings sustained by the drum's or conga's head.

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

Yon zanmi m te ban m "Dous makos." Ou konnen manje sa a?

Yes, it's a type of milk caramel candy.

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

How do you say these terms in the context of playing a game: "it's your turn," "go clockwise" or "counter-clockwise"? Mèsi!

It's your turn - Se tou pa w. Sometimes we also say Se kou pa w.
your turn - tou pa w. or kou pa w.
Go clockwise - Ale an rotasyon adwat, tankou zegui yon revèy.
Go counterclockwise - Ale an rotasyon agoch, nan san envès zegui yon revèy.

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Could you help me translate this instruction: “Read this story out loud, please. When you’re done you can keep it.” (I’m stuck on how to specify “out loud” as opposed to silently and on “keep it.”)

Haitians say a hot vwa or byen fò for out loud or aloud
to keep (in this instance) may be translated as kenbe or pran.

"Read this story out loud, please. When you’re done you can keep it.”  - Tanpri, li istwa sa a a hot vwa. Lè nou fini, nou mèt kenbe li.

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what is the difference between "mwen sonje ou" and "'mwen manke ou"?

They both supposed to mean I miss you.
But the difference is if someone says Mwen sonje w, you know that they are 100% Haitian natif natal speaking our beloved Creole. If they say Mwen manke w, then they are definitely some fake Haitian who mistakesFrench for Creole. Be careful, those are the types of people that will give you Nana for Sizàn.

Bay Nana pou Sizàn (literally to give Nana for Suzanne) means to give someone an imitation product instead of the real thing, it also means to be a sham or to try to trick someone.

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I am listening to Yves Dejean's lecture. I cannot translate the proverb he quotes, "Baton ou gen nan men w se avè l ou bay kou". Èske w ede mwen? Mèsi!

Hi. Sorry for the late response :)

Sometimes Haitian say: Baton ou gen nan men w lan, se avè l ou pare kou - You use the club that you have in your hands to block a blow.
or sometimes they say: Baton ou gen nan men w lan, se avè l ou bay kou - You use the club that you have in your hands to give a blow.
Both meaning that you use your the resources, skills, or talent you already have to work to your advantage, to get you ahead, or to get you out of a jam.  Wouldn't it be harder to use resources that you don't have to get what you want? :)

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

How do you say refrigerator magnet in creole?

Refrigerator magnet - leman pou frijidè

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What does this sentence mean: bizou a nou tou lede ok!

I think they meant to write nou toulede (from French touts les deux) or nou toude which means both of you.
bizou a nou toulede - kisses to both of you

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What is the creole word meaning drifter (to wonder)

A wanderer?
We may call them vagabon, moun k ap drivaye, grenn pwomennen, , fritè, or penpennè, ets.

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Why would a Haitian waitress cross a knife and fork on a plate

I wouldn't look too much into it. It's probably just by force of habit and lack of training by her employer or the restaurant.


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Hi Mandaly! What does this expression mean, "Jodia dan pouri gen fòs sou bannann mi"? Thanks!

Well, basically it's always been that way ----Dan pouri toujou gen fòs sou banana mi. (a rotten tooth always prevails over ripe bananas)
 The proverb in question suggests things as they usually are.
Other proverbs that may be in the same category:
Ravèt pa gen rezon devan poul. (Roaches don't have a chance when it's time to face chickens)
Jodi pou ou, demen pou yon lòt. (Today is your turn, tomorrow is someone else's.)
Yon jou pou chasè, yon jou pou jibye. (a day for the hunter, a day for the prey)

Your question is a little confusing because the word jodia erroneously implies that the tables have turned.






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s "chagren" ever used as a verb when I want to say "I miss you"? Eg.: Mwen chagren w I also know I can say: Ou manke m, Mwen sonje w.

Hi,
It is best to use chagren as an intransitive verb if using it as a verb.
Kè m chagren.
Mwen chagren.
Maybe you could say ou ban m chagren lè w pa la or kè m chagren lè w pa la.

Chagren n. - anguish, sorrow, grief, heartache, regret....
Chagren v. - to be filled with grief


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Pitit fi mwen, se pou w aprann tande lè yo pale ou.

Thank you Willeen for sending in this beautiful poem:

Pitit fi mwen, se pou w aprann tande lè yo pale ou. 

Avanse pi pre, pou m bay de twa ti koze 
  
Met zorèy ou byen fen pou w tande lè yo pale ou.  
                  
Depi m te tou piti maman m te pase m mesaj sa a tou.      
   
Pawòl sa yo te toujou nan tèt mwen, yo te ede m pase tout gè katòz
                                     
Y ava itil ou pou w pase nan pikan, pou w manje tout kalite zèb...   

E lè w di vwazinaj yo lonè, y ava toujou reponn repè pou ou. 

Pitit fi mwen, se pou w aprann tande lè yo pale ou. 
    
      
Ou gen yon trezò nan men w pitit mwen, w ale lekòl toulejou. 

Se vre chimen an pa fasil e li chaje gèp panèl. 

Men fò w ou toujou sonje... 

Apre bondye, se li k manman w, se li k zanmi w, se li k manje w,  e se li k tout ou. 

Se pou w renmen li, anbrase li, ancheri li, ba li tout nanm ou. 

Paske tout kote w ap pase, se li k ap akonpaye w. 

Angle, franse, panyòl, doktè, agronòm, pwofesè ,..

Yo tout se li. Pitit fi mwen toujou koute lè yo pale ou.   

                       
Jodia dan pouri gen fòs sou bannann mi, 

Pa solèy leve sou ou pitit di m, lanati va ban m rezon sou ou . 

W ava bezwen pran yon tèt zegui nan on chan mayi. ou p ap trouve li.    

Lamizè gen gou anmè, soufrans san konfyans se kraze nana. 

Men paske ou te tande m, lanati va louvri bra l pou ou, 

Zetwal va bat bravo pou ou, 

Linivè va kontan paske ou te ede l. 

Pitit fi mwen...lavi mwen...koute lè yo pale ou.

By Willeen (2016)

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

Mandaly, could you explain the rule, when to pronounce a hard "nn" as opposed to a nasal "en", such as in jén?

Sure.
If there is a double n or an accented letter before the n, then you will the "nn" prononciation, as in
kabann
lamàn
ijyèn
lapenn
reponn
sann
bann
pann
pàn
Otherwise it should bea nasal (non-resonating sound).
manman
tonton
lapen
san
ban
pan

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HI Mandy, I realize now that 1 carreau de terre is not 1 acre.what's the equivalency? thanks

1 kawo tè is approximately 1/3 of an acre.

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

Question: What does "lanjèz"mean and "fè zè"? Are they the same?

fèzè- people who likes to brag.
landyèz - scandalous and slanderous person

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

Question: Can the Creole word "men" have another meaning aside from "hand" or "but"? Could "men" translate to a contraction? I am trying to translate this sentence: "Oke kijan ye Men"

No. it is not a contraction of any word.

people usually say Kijan ou ye menm? it's an expression which means How are you?

As for the word men, you can use it in  other expressions and terms other than 'hand' or 'but'.
For example, men can translate here in this sentence Men ni/li. → Here it is.
Another example would be Men liv mwen te prete nan men w lan. which means Here's the book I borrowed from you. The first 'men' means 'here' and the second means 'hands'.

Don't forget that as a conjunction, men can also translate however, yet, still, etc...

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Question: Map brase vodou nan bouda What does that mean?

Lol!
It basically means "I'm going to do some voodoo after you" - and this was not said in a nice way.
Thanks
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Duke HAITI LAB | MIT-Ayiti | Kreyòl Alphabet Song

Here's a summary of the Haitian Creole Alphabet project.
Should be very helpful for those of you who had some questions.
Thanks

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How do you say: “Put your hands down, please” and “wait your turn” and “don’t grab”? (the context is getting mobbed by kids trying to grab stickers or such out of your hands ;)

Awesome :)

Put your hands down, please.  
Desann men ou tanpri. (singular)
Desann men nou tanpri. (plural)

You may put your hands down.
Ou mèt desann men ou.
Nou mèt desann men nou.

Wait your turn.
Tann tou pa w.

Don't grab (them).
Pa fè va sou yo.

You can also say: Pa fè va sou mwen  which would mean don't mob / rush together towards me

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

Bonswa , m gen yon kesyon , m ta renmen konnen si let H fe pati alfabe lang kreyol la , paske nan liv Iv Dejan H pa egziste paske se yon lang myet . M te byen kontan jwenn yon repons souple. Mesi

Bonswa zanmi.

Wi, lèt H a fè pati òtograf  kreyòl la wi.
Ou va jwenn lèt sa a nan mo tankou lahèn, hounfò, anhan, enhen, hinghang, hey, lahont, hougan, etc.....

Alfabè Kreyòl la genyen 32 lèt/son.
Sa yo se lèt nan alfabè kreyòl la.

a      an    b    ch      d      e      è     en    f

g       h     i     j         k     l       m    n     ng  

o     ò     on     ou    oun     p       r        s      t    

ui       v     w      y      z

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

How do I ask "Where can I get my shirt ironed?"

Ki kote mwen kapap pote chemiz mwen pou yo repase li?

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When would you use this proverb: "Chemen long pa touye moun" ? Thank you

I would use it if I wanted to encourage someone who's working on a long-term goal or a time-consuming project, to discourage them from taking shortcuts an to keep their eyes on the rewards of  perseverance.
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Why do you think about the official language being french instead of kreyol? Do you speak french or would like to learn ? Or do you feel kreyol is the pride of the haitian people?

Creole is the language that we speak from birth.
It is the language we speak at home.
It is the language we hear even when we are still in our mother's womb.
It is the language in which we say our first word.
It is the language in which we're most comfortable to curse you
It is the language in which we express our love to you
French is awesome, yes. It is part of our heritage too. The majority of Haitians start learning French once they start going to school. So we either speak or understand French. But Creole is the language that unites us as a Haitian people. Thanks
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La gè aveti pa touyé kokobé. Sal vlé di?

Sorry for the delay in answering your question.

This proverb means the same as "The early bird gets the worm'

If you require an explanation, let me know :) Thanks

Blackmasta says

I think it means If I act first, I have more chance of being successful.

mandaly says

You got it!

Literally it says: War that is predicted doesn't kill the handicap.

I'll translate it as, in a race the disadvantageous people should know to get a head start.

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koman yo pase examen pemi lisans Orlando florida

Si w ap pale egzamen pèmi pou kondui nan eta Florida la, depi ou gen liv la, se etidy pou w etidye li.
Li pa twò difisil.
Senpleman pran san w. Li enpi reli liv la pou w kapab vin familye avèk enfòmasyon yo.
Mwen ta konseye w pou pa bat pa kè paske ou kapab retni enfòmasyon an pi byen e pou pi lontan lè ou pran san w pou li enfòmasyon an. Bòn chans :)

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Happy Holidays and keep on doing the good work that you are doing.

Mèsi wi :)

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How do you ask: "How do you spell your name?" and "How is his name spelled?" and "Did I spell his name correctly?"

How do you spell your name?
Kijan/kouman yo eple non ou?
Kijan/kouman yo eple non w?

How is his name spelled?
Kijan/kouman yo eple non li?
Kijan/kouman yo eple non l?

Did I spell his name correctly?
Èske mwen byen eple non li?
Èske mwen byen eple non l?

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

Moun sa son moun ki extérat or something like that? What does it mean please?

Moun estera - Moun ki renmen fè briganday, people who are disruptive and rowdy.

We also use the word estera to mean noise, disruption, racket. For example, 'Poukisa w ap fè tout estera sa yo?'
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How is the dialect in Port-Au-Prince different from the rest of the country?

It is pretty much the same. Although there are regional variations in some of the terms that are used, the Creole spoken in Port-Au-Prince is the same as anywhere in Haiti.

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Avantaj ki genyen lè òtograf timoun lekòl yo ap aprann nan baze sou lang matènèl yo

Kòm pwofesè Michel Degraff di, "Nou gaspiye richès lengwistik lè timoun lekòl Ayiti yo koumanse aprann fè lekti avèk yon òtograf ki pa baze sou lang matènèl yo".
Richès yon peyi se nan kilti li, nan kalite manje li fè, nan tradisyon mizik li, e nan lang li tou.
Ameriken yo p ap janm fè timoun kindergarten yo koumanse li nan lòt lang pase angle sèlman.
Franse yo p ap janm kite timoun klas anfanten li yo koumanse li nan okenn lòt lang pase franse sèlman.
Timoun panyòl yo toujou koumanse aprann li nan lang matènèl yo.
Aktyèlman, tout timoun tout peyi toujou koumanse aprann li nan lang ke yo konnen depi yo piti.
Nou espere timoun Ayisyen yo va suiv menm egzanp sa a.
Pou nou gen "lekòl tèt anwo, nan yon peyi tèt anwo", fòk nou eksplore richès lang kreyòl la nan aspè syantifik li. Suiv tweets @MichelDegraff yo pou nou rete konekte avèk dènye nouvèl sou avansman lang kreyòl la. Enpi gade e pataje videyo sa:

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Chef Rafi kuit yon soup joumou Ayisyen byen gou! / Chef Rafi makes a tasty Haitian squash soup!

It's been our tradition for more than 200 years now, soup joumou on January 1st, Haitian independence day. Haitians have celebrated their independence every year since 1804 by eating and sharing this tasty soup. Chef Rafi, the young chef who's brought us so many international and exotic dish is bringing us a delicious soup joumou in his usual playful cooking show on his cooking channel.
The section of young  Chef Rafi's cooking show that he dedicated to this Haitian delicacy is aired in both English and Creole, so you will even learn the name of the ingredients in Creole. Each show ends with some sayings and proverbs, and you will definitely learn some Haitian wisdom in this portion of the show. Haitian independence day without soup joumou is like celebrating Thanksgiving without the yummy turkey and stuffing. Be sure to check out Chef Rafi cooking show and make the soup with him in honor of Haitian Independence Day.

Subscribe to Chef Rafi's cooking channel

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Bonjou Mandaly! Mwen websayt ou anpil! So my question is: Many times I hear my family ask questions in creole without the "ye" Example: Kote Mandaly? Whats the difference in using ye and not using it? Also, in sayings such as "Sak ap fet la?" Sa gen la?" Whats the difference in saying it with or without the "la"? Mesi anpil!

Bonjou. Mèsi anpil.

In asking questions with the verb to be in Creole, yes, you can get away sometimes with not using 'ye' in a few instances. There's not much difference then.
Some examples other than yours are:
Kote li?
Kote li ye?
Where is he/she?

Konben li?
Konben li ye?
How much is it?

Or
Kilè fèt la?
Kilè fèt la ye?
When is the party?

Other times you have to use it, and the question will not make any sense without it. Some examples are:
kisa li ye?
kijan ou ye?
kilè li ye?
kimoun ou ye?

So when in doubt use 'ye'.
*****************************
And, in saying 'Sa k ap fèt la?' or "Sa k genyen la?", la retains its meaning of there, over there, around here. So some people say Sa k genyen? or they say Sa k gen la? . It's really similar to the difference between What's going on? and What's going here?




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Is there any difference between saying "Reflechi sou yon bagay" or "reflechi ak yon bagay"? What about "reflechi nan yon bagay"? I wouldn't say there's a big difference, is there?

Hi. Yes, there's a difference. The correct way is reflechi sou.

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

what does "jofre" mean? P.S. I believe there's an accent on the O. Mesi davans!

jòfre - sneak a peek, watch, take a look.

There's also bay jòf and pran jòf
pran jòf - to sneak a ppek, to take a glimpse
bay jòf - to let s.o take peek (at something that would otherwise remain hidden from view)

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I don’t know if I am writing it correctly but what does “maggy se karamèl” means?

Hmmm... that would depend on who or what 'maggy' is.
Looks like 'maggy' could be the name of a person.


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Is this the use of 'mete men' correct here? tout moun dwe mete men pou pwojè a kapab reyisi.

Li kòrèk wi. Ou byen ekri li.
Mete men se fè konbit, se travay ansanm pou reyisit yon objektif.

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Michel DeGraff E Inisyativ MIT-Ayiti a Pou Avansman Lang Kreyòl La

Michel DeGraff E Inisyativ MIT-Ayiti a Pou Avansman Lang Kreyòl La

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Surtab et MIT-Haiti Initiative s'unissent pour la promotion du créole

Surtab et MIT-Haiti Initiative s'unissent pour la promotion du créole

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let me write this in Creole :) question: is 'rele apre you moun' and 'rele apre ko (body) ou' menm bagay?

Rele apre yon moun vle di repwoche oubyen reprimande moun nan.
Nou p ap ka itilize men kalite vèb repwoche a pou 'kò w'.
Rele apre kò w vle di menm bagay avèk ranmase kò w. Lè ou rele apre kò w se lè ou pran swen kò w pou kapab fè tèt ou pli atiran. Se lè ou gen sousi pou aparans ou. Se lè ou pa kite kò w lage nèt.

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

Does pa chat always mean "an extramarital affair"?

No. Not always. Yon ti pa chat could also be other 'reckless exploits'.

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

What flour or wheat product is used to make akwa or akra? It tastes like potato cakes. thanks

It's 'akra'.
We use the root vegetable 'malanga' or 'taro' to make akra.
To my knowledge, we do not use any type of flour.

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Jodia se jounen entenasyonal lang kreyol vre? Kiyes ki te chwazi jou sa e poukisa?

Yon gwoup lengwis te mete tèt ansnam nan mwa oktòb, ane 1983 pou rekonèt lang kreyòl ak pou fè plis rechèch pou benefis lang lan. Yo te deside chwazi jou 28 oktòb la pou selebre eritaj kreyòl la chak ane – se te premye selebrasyon jounen entènasyonal kreyòl la. Tout peyi ki pale kreyòl vin patisipe nan selebrasyon sa a. Malgre genyen ki obsève li nan yon diferan dat, yo toujou rezève mwa oktòb la pou sa.

Selebrasyon kreyòl la se pa senpleman fete lang ki ini nou kòm yon ras, ... yon pèp, se ta dwe okazyon ki nan kalandriye nou tout tan pou fè nou sonje li lè pou nou klase lang lan nan plas li, kòm lang prensipal kominikasyon nou nan tout aspè.

M ap mande tèt mwen, nan tout peyi sa yo ki ap selebre lang kreyòl la, konben nan yo ki bay lang kreyòl la premye plas nan kilti yo vrèman?

Konben nan peyi sa yo, lè tan an rive pou prezante yon bagay ofisyèl, se franse onswa yon lòt lang yo chwazi?

Kisa ki gani tab ou? Franse onswa kreyòl?

Si yon moun k ap selebre lang kreyòl la panse kreyòl gen ti mank, pou se lòt lang l ap chwazi pou regle koze ofisyèl, moun sa a nan gwo ipokrizi.

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

Podcastle - The Half Dark Promise: A little Creole in the Fiction makes it real interesting.

This week's work of fiction by Malon Edwards in the Podcastle, The Fantasy Fiction Podcast, is a thrilling story, The Half Dark Promise, narrated by yours truly :)
Be sure to check it out.
Here's the link: The Half Dark Promise

Podcastle: The Half Dark Promise

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

Am I phrasing this correctly? "Jis paske mwen pa konprann tout bagay, sa pa vle di mwen pa konprann anyen." -JC

Yes. it is phrased correctly.
Kenbe la :)

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

Who's maitre jean jacques? 'souer kou maitre jean jacques'?

If I understand this well, I think that mèt Jan Jak is the 'resourceful' one.
If you're going to use 'swe' in this comparison, you should say 'Bouki'.
It goes like: swe kou pitit Bouki (literally: as sweaty as Bouki's child) meaning "very sweaty".

But if you meant to say mèt Jan Jak in your comparison, we say 'degaje kou mèt Jan Jak' which means to be as resourceful as one can, to do everything in your power to take care of things.

It's two different things.

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

How would your translate "it's for for your own good" in Creole==? mesi

It's for your own good. - Se pou byen w.
I'm doing all this for your own good. - M ap fè tout sa pou pwòp byen pa w. / M ap fè tout sa pou byen w.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Bonjou! Mpral bwe yon tas kafe anme avew! Sa sa vle di?

bwè yon tas kafe anmè ak yon moun - gen yon konfrontasyon, regle yon dispit, twoke kòn nou pou rezoud yon dispit.

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

Mandaly mta renmen konnen si ''joumou pa donnen kalbas'' se tarduction creole ''le fer s'aiguise par le fer''?

Hi.

Joumou pa donnen kalbas, pou mwen vle di paran ak pitit toujou gen menm karaktè, dispozisyon ak mantalite. Si paran yo se move moun, yo gen tandans panse pitit lan se yon move grenn tou.

Kisa w panse?

2 comments:

willeen Jean LouisOctober 25, 2015 at 3:30 PM

Mesii anpil. Se vre se sitou granmou mkonn tande kap di timoun sa le fe on vye bagay tankou on repwoch.

Replies

MandalyOctober 25, 2015 at 3:50 PM

Wi se sa. E, sa w panse de ekspresyon, "Pitit tig se tig"?

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

Can you explain me what is "frè kot papa"? I am refering to the tropicana song.

Frè kot papa - brother on the father's side (same father, but not the same mother)



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

Yet one more questions about yo. Can you have it in the following sentence Jan rayi chat yo (as in the French: Jean déteste les chats)

Grammatically your sentence is correct.
Jan rayi chat yo correctly translates the sentence Jean hates the cats.
In French, it's ok to have 'les' (art.) before 'chats'.
Just remember that it is not necessary to add 'yo' if the noun 'chat' is no specified.

Some examples.
Jan rayi chat. - Jean hates cats.
Betty pa renmen zaboka. - Betty doesn't like avocados.
Li pa renmen gason. - She detests men.
So, there's no need to add yo to know that these nouns are plural.

But you can, of course, add 'yo' if the nouns are specified.
Kilè ou pral mennen chat yo kay veterinè a? - When will you take the cats to the veterinarian?
Mèsi pou tout danre ou pote yo, men mwen pa vle zaboka yo. Ou mèt pran yo. M pa renmen zaboka.
Thanks for all the produce that you brought but I don't want the avocados. You may have them. I don't like avocados.


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

One more question about yo Can you have yo with boku M achte boko liv yo Thank you

You can say, M achte bonkou nan liv yo. - I bought many of the books.
or
M achte bonkou liv. - I bought many books. or I bought a great quantity of books.

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

What is the expression tanbou balan? How can i use it?

Did you mean tanbou batan which means first notice, first call
literally means ...at the first beat of the drum....
at the first call,
at first warning,

egzanp:
Nou p ap pèdi tan, n ap koumanse nan gran maten. Tanbou batan fòk tout moun gen tan la, prèt pou mete men nan travay la.

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

Translation for "shortcut" in different contexts in creole? For example, "We took a shortcut home"

chemen dekoupe, wout altène, altènatif, chemen kout

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

What are words for "networking" and "to network"? For example, "To get a job in today's economy, it is important to have a strong network." and "Many people find it worthwhile to network for jobs and information."

In Haiti we call this moun pa, piston, datou, gen koneksyon :)

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

What are words for "mindful" and "mindless" in creole?

Hi, I appreciate the examples that you gave with this question - I would rather have your own original sentences with your examples, otherwise we would have to cite and give references. Thanks.

According to the example that you gave you may translate mindful as sansib, konsyan, gen konsyans, gen respè or respekte. Depending on the context of the sentence you might have to use different Creole terms for the word mindful.
As far as the word mindless is concerned, a generic term is neglijan or manfouben.

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

Sorry, this is not a language question exactly-- just could not find any information on the topic elsewhere! Is there a specific reason that women who practice vodou wear certain types of headscarves? If they give up their head wrap, what is the significance?

I am not well versed in voodoo terminology or practice.
According to Saint-Lot (2003), The garments that the vodou worshipers wear, "hats, tailcoats, kerchiefs, capes, make-up, knapsacks, canes, jewelry and machetes , among other items" contribute to the elegance of the ceremony.
Clothes color, changing costumes, or lack of clothing, all have meanings - depending on the loa that is represented and depending on the rank of the worshiper.

Check out this book that I'm referencing: Saint-Lot (2003). Vodou a sacred theatre: The African heritage in Haiti. Coconut Creek, FL: Educavision.

ISBN: 1-58432-177-6

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

My question concerns the use of yo as a plural. If you say: I saw three boys .....

“My question concerns the use of yo as a

plural.

If you say:

I saw three boys in the courtyard yesterday. Two boys

were arguing and the third was trying to stop them.

How woud you translate

the part: Two boys were arguing there ?

'De timoun yo' te dispite or simply

without the yo

De timoun te dispite.

Thank you very much.”

mandaly says:

Hi,

Yes, using “yo” sometimes is complicated for foreigners because we use it as 1) definite plural article (the), 2) personal pronouns (they, them), and 3) possessives (their). If you have all these elements in one sentence, that can get tricky. I think it might be helpful to not translate word for word then. If you do translate word for word, try to rephrase the sentence after translation.

“I saw three boys in the courtyard yesterday. Two boys

were arguing and the third was trying to stop them.”

Translation:

Mwen te wè twa (3) ti gason nan lakou an yè. De (2) ladan yo t ap diskite, e twazyèm nan t ap eseye mete lòd.

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

What does “ Samedi jou baissé levé” means? There is also a song of shleu-shleu with that name.

In Haitian Creole we write  bese leve. In that context, it means housework, house chores, work or labor that requires physical efforts,  domestic work like cleaning, laundry (lesiv washing clothes by hand), etc.....

When I was growing up in Akayè our Saturdays was very busy with house chores, shopping at the market, cooking preparation (you know.... netwaye vyann pou semenn nan), cleaning, mopping and getting ready for Sundays. We also washed our hair on Saturdays.  We took our weekly medicine which was a laxative made of castor bean oil and some blended leaves....good stuff :)

Yes, jou bese leve se jou travay nan kay enpi, se jou tou,  pou fè lesiv ak ale nan mache.

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

Hi! Do you know or can you tell me where to find out how many words there are in Haitian Creole? Mesi,

Oh man! This is officially the most interesting question I have ever had on this blog :)
Although Haitian Creole is a full-fledged language, it is impossible to count how many words there are in this language. Here are the reasons why:

1. The Haitian Creole language has not had a comprehensive word-word definition dictionary yet. There are many Haitian Creole dictionaries including language translation dictionaries, but none that are complete.

2. For a Haitian Creole word-definition dictionary to be comprehensive, it would have to also include regional word variations, and no one has tapped into that branch yet. What is the Haitian northerner's way of saying "manmit" for example? How many different ways can you say the word "ede" for example?

3. Do we count "gerizon" and "lagerizon" as two words? How about other words in that category: "delivrans" and "ladelivrans", "lwa" and "lalwa", or "kilbit" and "lakilbit"?

4. Language used voodoo worship may be widely unknown except for a small group of people. For example, is it "andjenikon" or "andyenikon" or "oundjenikon"?  How many variations are there? Do they all count as one word? How about katabou (conga rhythm), it might be known under a different name in other regions in Haiti. We need to know the many variations of terms that are used in this category.

5. We do not yet have standards for many medical terms in Creole yet.

6. Also based on our fast changing world, there are many new terms that become part of the Haitian Creole language every year or so, some are derived from other languages and other are conceived and named after the event that they represent.

There are many more reasons. I think when we have our first comprehensive word-word definition dictionary, we'll have an idea :)

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

ou kap itilize mo brave danje?

Brave danje? nan sans deskripsyon?
Ki kote ou te tande mo sa a? e kijan yo te itilize l?

ex: Mesye sa a se yon brave danje li ye.
Yon moun ki gen gason sou li, ki brav ki pa pè anyen.

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

Elèv nan lekòl Ayiti yo ap chante alfabè kreyòl la.

N ap di yon gran mèsi a tout lekòl ann Ayiti, a direktè ak direktris lekòl ki te onswa chante oubyen pral chante alfabè kreyòl la. Ti moun Ayisyen alèkile pral grandi ak konesans alfabè lang matènèl yo.

Si ou se yon direktè lekòl ann Ayiti ki po ko patisipe nan promosyon lang kreyòl la nan lekòl ann Ayiti, n ap mande w ki lè ou va deside mete men nan pat la?
Plizyè lekòl ann Ayiti, sitou nan klas fondamantal yo, te deside anseye elèv yo alfabè kreyòl la avèk DVD ki genyen 2 ti chante alfabè kreyòl la ke pwofesè DeGraff avè Louis-Charles te pwodui nan yon videyo.

Anplis de sa, n ap ankouraje tout lekòl yo pou yo chache aprann konnen ki sa Inisyativ MIT-Ayiti a ye. Genyen anpil resous sou pwogrè ki ap fèt avèk lang kreyòl la pa rapò ak ledikasyon ann Ayiti. Ou kapab koumanse enfòme w nan sit sa a: http://resourcecenters2015.videohall.com/posters/519

Tout pwofesè lekòl ann Ayiti ta dwe pran yon pozisyon aktif pou pwogram Inisyativ la ka disponib nan tout lekòl yo ....pi bonè se gran maten.  Plis nou aji pi bonè, se mwens tan ti moun yo pase ap aprann ak pwogram demode. Sèvèl ti moun yo pare pou aprann, an nou djigèt li ak bon jan teknoloji pou Ayiti ka koumanse pwodui plis syantis, chimis, matematisyen ak enjenyè ki gen konpetans global.

Jwenn plis enfòmasyon toujou. tcheke lyen sa yo: 

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.10160904120868872&type=3&mibextid=ncKXMA 

http://MIT-Ayiti.NET

https://mit-ayiti.net/resous/an-n-konprann-chante-alfabe-kreyol-la/

Institution Mixte Gethsemane ap fè gwo pa annavan - yo pral chante alfabè kreyòl la.

Ti katkat na lekòl Kindergarten ak Collège Said Nan Fontamara 43 ak direktè Marcelin Henson pral chante alfabè kreyòl la.

Institut Mixte Emmanuel de Leogane pral chante alfabè kreyòl la. Gwo kout chapo pou direktè Jules Jean Ladie ki ap fè yon gwo travay nan zòn nan.

Gwo bravo pou elèv collège Leonard Milord nan Leogane, rue St. Laurent avec Direktè Paul Fritz ki pral chante alfabè kreyòl la. Kontinye bon travay la.

Lekòl Kindergarten Joli Minou nan Timo Leogan avèk directrice Mitha Louis Meriser pral chante alfabè kreyòl la.

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