Haitian Creole

Hello Mandaly, What are the many terms of respect that exist in creole? For example, "Mant Jean" or "Mant Pauline" Can you also show the proper ways to use them?

I still find it hard to call people who are older than me by their first names.
Yes, we do use matant (mant), tant, monnonk even if the person is not our aunt or uncle.
We tend to call our boss or people who practice a trade bòs. We put sè (females) or frè (males) in front of the names of people who frequent the same church. We sometimes put matmwazèl in front of a young unmarried woman's name. We use the title of madan (or man) for married women. Doctors are dòk. Nurses are mis. We are more comfortable addressing anyone by a title which describes the roles they play in our lives.
Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words

Kisa " reskonsab" vle di? Egzanb: Moun yo ki reskonsab pou pote tout bagay ki apa net ou Bondye a. Does it mean responsible ?

Yes.

We say reskonsab or responsab. It means to be responsible, to be in charge of, to be accountable

moun yo ki reskonsab pou pote tout bagay ki apa nèt pou Bondye a
People who are responsible to carry things that are consecrated to God

Se ou ki reskonsab tout sa ki sot pase la a.
You are responsible for everything that just happened.

Se yon moun ki responsab li ye.
He/She is a responsible person.

Mwen mete yon moun reskonsab timoun mwen yo antan m al travay.
I put someone in charge of my kids while I go to work.

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

What are the various ways "and" can be written or expressed in Haitian Creole. I have noticed ak but also "e" , and epi...are these all correct.

Yes. We use e, epi, ak, avèk avè.

"e" joins two or more independent clauses
Mwen bouke, mwen grangou, e dòmi nan je m.
I am tired, I'm hungry, and I'm sleepy.

"epi" - and, and then, then
Li te rele m de (2) jou pase pou revoke m, epi apre sa li pa janm rele m ankò.
He called me two days ago to fire me, and after that he never called me again.

ak, avèk, avè joins two or more words or groups of words.

Papa w ak frè w te vin wè w maten an men ou pa t lakay ou.
Your father and brother came to see you this morning but you weren't home.

Machin ak vwati se menm bagay la.
Machin and vwati are the same things.

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

How would you spell she or he was a Christian

He/She was a Christian. - Li te yon kretyen.
Sometimes we describe Christians in Creole as pwotestan.

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

se sepet onswa sapat?

Ou di sèpèt, mwen di sapat. Se menm bagay la :)

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

When do I use the word "sou"? Can I use it for all... "Turn on the light" "Place that on the table" "They are on their way"

Hi :)

There are many instances where you can use "sou":

1.
as a preposition when you use on, on top of, over,
such as in your example: Place it on the table - Mete li sou tab la.
other examples:
The plane flew over our heads - Avyon an pase sou tèt nou.
on the third day - sou twazyèm jou an
on my belly - sou vant mwen

2.
You can also use "sou" to say "about (regarding)"
We spent some time talking about the parking problem. - Nou te pase yon ti tan ap pale sou pwoblèm pakin nan.
We already talked about it. - Nou te pale sou sa deja.

3.
You can use "mache sou" to say "towards/close to a certain time".
Joseph t ap mache sou dizan depi l pa t wè manman l. - It was getting close to ten years since Joseph has seen his mother. (Or literally translated as Joseph was walking towards ten years since he had not seen his mother.)

4.
You also use "sou" to describe an action that is repeated.
Li avèti sou avèti yo, men pyès moun pa t ap koute. - He warn them again and again, but no one was listening.
Nou eseye sou eseye kontakte li men li pa t janmen reponn. - We kept trying to contact her, but she never replied.

5.
You can use "sou" or"sou sa" to describe whether you're in the mood for something or not.

Mwen pa sou manje jodi a. - I don't feel like eating today.
Mwen pa sou sòti. - I don't feel like going out.
Mwen pa sou sa. - I am not interested. I am not in the mood for ...that.
Li pa sou sa. - He's not interested. He's not in the mood for ... that.
Mwen pa menm sou bò w. - I'm not even interested in what you're doing or what you have to say.
Mwen pa sou bò w. - I am not paying attention to you.
M ap pale ak ti Jo, li pa t menm sou bò m, se sou televizyon an sèlman je l rete kole. - I was talking to little Jo, he wasn't even interested in what I was saying, his eyes remained stuck to the television.

6.
You would not use "sou" for:

on Mondays - le lendi
on Wednesdays - le mèkredi
I go to church on Sundays. - Mwen ale legliz le dimanch.

He will fly to New York on March 17th. - L ap vole ale New York le disèt (17) mas.

His birthday is on January 3rd. - Fèt li se le twa (3) janvye.

Turn on the light - Limen limyè a.
Turn on the television - Ouvri televizyon an. also Limen televizyon an
Turn on the radio - Ouvri radyo a. also Limen radyo a

They are on their way. - Yo nan wout. (sometimes, Yo sou wout)
I am on way. - Mwen nan wout.

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

'fo nou rebat kat la', in a conversation that had nothing to do with cards, but may have been about making changes, was not about dealing cards, was it?

Probably not. If the conversation was about making a change, fòk nou rebat kat la would mean that we need to restructure or rearrange things.

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

What does "bali boulova" mean in Creole?

It's a meaningless phrase that started probably as an inside joke, that some radio commentators from a radio show used to express enthusiasm and excitement.

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

Hi Mandaly, This isn't a question, but I just wanted to say how pleased I am to see new posts on your site. Your site is such a great resource and I can't even begin to tell you how often it's been a help for me. Thank you for being so helpful, and for your site.

Thanks.
We're moving forward :)

Kenbe la.

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

What is the difference between gade and wé?

gade - to look, to look at, to watch
M' ap gade televizyon - I am watching television
Gade li. - Look at him
Gade! - Look!

wè - to see
Mwen pa janm wè w ankò. - I don't ever see you anymore.
Èske w kapab wè byen? - Can you see well?
Mwen kapab wè miyò gras a linèt la. - I can see better thanks to the glasses.
Èske w te wè sa a? - Did you see that?
N a wè. - We'll see.

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

Find your joy? (Creole)

Find your joy. - Jwenn jwa pa w.

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

Can you explain the use(s) of "sa"? When should it go before, when should it go after words? Thank you!!

In English you have the demonstrative adjectives and pronouns.

demonstrative adjectives
this house - kay sa a (some people may say 'kay sa')
that book - liv sa a
these cars - machin sa yo
those houses - kay sa yo
So, in that case 'sa' always goes after the noun.

pronouns
This is my book - Sa se liv mwen.
That is my dad - Sa se papa mwen.
These are not my clothes. - Sa yo se pa rad mwen.
Those are beautiful. - Sa yo bèl.
It's really bad. - Sa vrèman mal.
What is this? - Ki sa sa ye?
Do you want this one? - Èske ou vle sa a?

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

Explain the word sou moun. To me it means ON PERSON. Does it have a bad meaning? Use it in a sentence.

sou moun - to come on too strong
you moun ki sou moun - a shameless individual, who is very forward.

Fefe pa gen okenn modesti. Li sou moun konsa.

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How do you say when your intuition told you to do something please? I remember my mom would say le leda ou (spell check) thanks

Yes. That's right.

lide - idea, thought, opinion, hunch, instinct

Lide m di m fè yon lòt wout. - My instinct tells me to take another route.

Yè, a lè konsa lide m te frape sou ou. - Yesterday at this time I thought about you.

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

What does FEM konprann mean?

Fè m konprann. or
Fè mwen konpran.
Make me understand.
Help me to understand.

fè - to make, to do
m or mwen - me, I, my
konprann - to understand

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

Bounjou :) When we talked about the comparison of adjectives in class, our teacher only gave us examples with 'pi + adjective + pase', e.g. « Yon elefan pi gwo pase yon chen. ». But what term do you use in Haitian Creole when you want to say "less"? Maybe "mwens"? Is «Yon chen mwens gwo pase yon elefan. » a grammatically correct sentence? Mèsi davans :)

On occasion, I've heard people use mwens ... ke, mwens ... pase
Egzanp: Vwayaje nan avyon mwens fatigan pase vwayaje nan machin. - Traveling by plane is less tiring than traveling by car.
Egzanp: Le vandredi ofis la mwens anime pase tout lòt jou yo. - On Fridays, the office is less busy than any other days.

Sometimes if the English sentence calls for mwens ... ke/pase, we tend to turn it around to use pi/plis ..... pase/ke

Egzanp: The bike is less expensive than the car - Bekàn nan pi bon mache pase machin nan.

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

eske li liv chak an anglais ka edem pale anglais

Pa sèlman li non, men pale tou.
M espere ou genyen yon moun ki la pou ede w pale ak li, dekwa pou yo ka korije w lè ou fè yon erè.
Bòn chans zanmi :)

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

Mandaly, mesi anpil pou blog ou! ke Bondye beni ou! M' gen yon kesyon sou kafe nan ayiti. Eske pifo moun yo bwe kafe nan maten an oubyen se selman yon liks pou yo. Nan etazini preske tout moun bwe kafe. Se la memn nan ayiti? Eske kafe bon mache pou moun yo ki rete nan andeyo ki pa gen anpil kob?......

You asked.....
Mandaly, mesi anpil pou blog ou! ke Bondye beni ou! M' gen yon kesyon sou kafe nan ayiti. Eske pifo moun yo bwe kafe nan maten an oubyen se selman yon liks pou yo. Nan etazini preske tout moun bwe kafe. Se la memn nan ayiti? Eske kafe bon mache pou moun yo ki rete nan andeyo ki pa gen anpil kob?

Le moun yo rekolte pwa kafe yo vet, dwe kite yo sech. Apre sa, kijan yo prepare kafe pwa nan lakay ou? Mwen te li ki yo kwit pwa yo nan yon chodye anle twa roch yo, pou osige vennsenk minit yo. Le you vide pwa kafe soti chodye e mete sik andann chodye e kwit jouk sik te vin koule lo. Pwochen yo melanje pwa kafe e sik ansanm and vide sou yon moso tol. Apre li fret you kraze l' nan moulen kafe.

I hope I said this correct in Kreyol. ?? I will say it in Engish now just in case you don't understand my elementary grammar in Kreyol. Feel free to correct it if you want and send it back to em. Here are my questions in English because I want to do a Christian womens conference and have a coffee theme, but first I need to understand somethings about coffee in Haiti. Does almost everyone drink it in Hait in the morning like in the US. Is it a common household item or is it too expensive for most and considered a luxary? I know they grow it on Hait but is it acessible to most and is it affordable? I know are the very poor and then the wealthier in Haiti. But what is a general answer? Also how are coffee beans processed in Haiti. If a haitian in the country side would buy freas green coffee beans, how would the ground them up at their homes. I read on the internet that they cook them in a heavy iron kettle over the 3 stone fire for about 25 minutes to roast them. Next they pour them out to let them cool and in the mean time they cook sugar until it is an amber color. Then the mix the roasted coffee beans together with the sugar and then pour ot onto a piece of tin to let it cool. Next the crush and ground it up into coffee grounds. Also when I am in Haiti the coffee that the cooks serve us is ground so fine it is almost like powdered sugar. They do not put it into a sock but put it directly into the water and boil it. It is delicious! and also very mild even though it is very black in color. Is that because there is sugar added? I am continually learning more about the cultture of Haiti, and will never stop learning as I am a foreingner. But I was wondering about how relavant the daily routines of coffee are in Haiti! You know us Americans! we don't think we can live without it! and Jesus, of course!. Like they said, "In the morning all I need is a lttle bit of coffee and a whole lot of Jesus" If I said this is creole: is this correct?

" Nan maten an selman mwen bezwen se yon ti kase coffee and anpil Jezi!"

Mandaly says.....
Mèsi anpil pou kesyon ou. Mwen konprann tout sa ou ekri :)

"In the morning all I need is a little bit of coffee and a whole lot of Jesus"
"Le maten tout sa m bezwen se yon ti tas kafe ak yon gwo gode plen ak Jezi!"

Making coffee part of the daily morning routine is something we have in common. After that everything else is a little different.
I could explain it like this. For Americans, coffee in the morning is the 'energizer that keeps the energizer bunny going'. It is something that mostly only adults do. To Haitians coffee is more like breakfast... nourishment. It is for kids and adults. We usually have coffee with bread, sometimes buttered bread in the morning. We like to dunk our bread in our coffee. Where I was raised, we roasted our own green coffee beans in a big iron skillet until the beans becomes dark. We used a big mortar (pilon) and pestle (manch pilon) to pound on the coffee. Now, this is a 3 to 4 feet mortar and a pestle that weighs about 2 to 5 pounds. One person may do the pounding. Sometimes two people may pound on the coffee. 1 mortar, two pestles, two people. The people, usually women, stand facing each other with the mortar in between them and they start pounding alternatively. It's done in a rhythmic fashion. They pound, crush and grind without missing a beat. We called this pile kafe. The coffee is then passed through a strainer. We boil water in a coffee pot called kafetyè. We put the coffee powder (poud kafe) in a cloth filter or sock filter (grèp) and pour the hot water through the filter over a cup.

Coffee with sugar is for breakfast. We do not usually drink it throughout the day.
Coffee is not a luxury. A lot of people in the provinces grow their own. We share with our neighbors. You may have a big yard that have 5 to 10 little houses. So we share with our neighbors. In the US, some people might look at you funny if you go knock on their door to bring a plate of food. But in every Haitian know that we have a hunger problem in Haiti. We know that our neighbors may not be able to eat one day. So we share, just in case. It is not rare for a national to wake up in Haiti and put a grain of salt under their tongue so that they can survive the day. But they won't tell you their business, so we share our morning coffee and bread, in case that is all the nourishment they'll have for the day.

In the provinces (outskirts of Haiti), we usually roast own own. In the capital, we'd either buy the powder, or rely on families that live in the outskirt to bring some coffe for us, on their regular visits to the capital.

Coffee without sugar (called kafe anmè) is a remedy for people who are suffering from acute emotional distress as a result of a traumatic event.

We used the coffee grounds to clean our dirt floor (which is inside the home). We sprinkle it on the floor, in the bedroom, living room, etc..., we may sprinkle some water too, and then we sweep it out. A lot of the homes on the outskirts have dirt floors.

Coffee powder (poud kafe) also means money.

Sometimes Haitians tell their age by the number of coffee harvests they've seen: 40 year - 40 rekòt kafe.

Port-Au-Prince is somewhat westernized, but if you're ever in the outskirts of Haiti and hear the thumps of the big pestle and smell the coffee, stop by for a ti tas kafe. .

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

Bonswa! I never understood when people said " pa okipe'l lespri lap fe" (when referring to kids acting crazy), what is lespri exactly, break it down.. mesi davans cheri

Hello! I am having a hard time translating something for a Bible study. How would you translate words into Kreyol such as righteous, just and divine?

Your choice of words may be based on the context of the conversation.

righteous - jis
righteousness - ladwati
in righteousness - nan ladwati

just - jis
divine - diven

Give me an idea of what you are trying to translate.

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Hello!! As always, I love your blog! Thank you for all your help! I work with an orphanage in La Plaine and on my most recent trip I asked all of the kids "What do you want to be when you grow up". One of them responded "Yon Dwayen" I am not familiar with this word. Do you know what it means?

Dwayen is the dean of faculties, the one who manages one or a group of universities.

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

Hello again! I know I already asked a question today, but I have another. I asked someone what they are good at and they said Football. Then they said something I didn't understand: "Nan peyi nou an yo pa ankadre moun ki gen talon." I'm under the impression "ankadre" means "to frame" and maybe "ki gen talon" refers to ability to play soccer. Is he saying "In my country, they can't frame people who play soccer well"?

Yes, you got the literal translation well. I think he said, "Nan peyi nou an yo pa ankadre moun ki gen talan" which means "In our country they don't support people who have talents". He is referring to the poor sports infracstructure in the country. A lot of Haitians who live in Haiti are very talented athletes, but the country offers no training, equipments or environment to help nurture these talents. There are many Haitians-born athletes, or athletes of Haitian descent in foreign sports team who are doing awesomely well, but Haitians want to see Haitian athletes kicking butts at the World Cup or the olympics FOR Haiti most of all.

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

I saw your blog and you had answered this, but wasn't sure as there are many ways the word stop could be used. When I was in Haiti any Stop sign I saw was in English. What word in Haitian Creole should be on a Stop sign...sispann? Thank you so much!

Hi!
I love your question. Why, indeed, are all the stop signs in Haiti in English? Maybe when the Haitian government ordered the stop signs they sent them the wrong batch, and the H. government never thought to return them. No return slip included?

Anyways, the proper terminology for a stop sign on the streets of Haiti should be arè which means to halt. It comes from the French arrêt (noun), the verb is arrêter in French, and rete in Creole.

Other words in Creole that means to stop is kanpe.
Kanpe la! - Stop there!
Kanpe machin nan / Rete machin nan - Stop the car
Kanpe mizik la - Stop the music

It would be hard to use sispann in that sense. Sispann means to cease or to end something.
Li sispann pale. - He stopped talking
Konpani manifakti a sispann fè modèl rad sa a. - The manufacturing company stopped making this type of dress.
To use sispann by itself, you'll need a context.
Li lè pou sispann manje gato. Sispann! - It's time to stop eating cake. Stop!

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

Bonjou! When I was in Haiti a couple months ago we used a popular greeting with a fist bump, but I don't know how to spell it or what it literally means. It sounds like "ah - fom" in english. I would have expected the Kreyole to be like "an fam" or similar. Do you know what it is? Thanks,

Bonjou zanmi. With the fist bump greeting, they are saying "anfòm".

Anfòm can be used various ways. Usually it means awesome, great, excellent, attractive or sexy (if you're describe a female's physique), athletic or good-looking (if you're describing a male's body). When someone asks you about how your day is going, you can say anfòm! if you're having a good day.

Anfòm?

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

How do you say: "We are friends in Christ."

We are friends in Christ. - Nou se zanmi nan Kris.
We are friends in Jesus Christ. - Nou se zanmi nan Jezikri.

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

Hi Mandaly. Can you translate this proverb for me? What does it mean? le gen lanmou, gen doule

So true, isn't it? "Lè gen lanmou, gen doulè" - ""When there's love, there's pain."

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

how would you say present tense meaning they are doing it right that second? For example... I am sitting. I am cleaning. I am eating.

Use "ap" as the present progressive indicator

I am cleaning. - Mwen ap netwaye.
I am cleaning the room. Mwen ap netwaye chanm nan.

I am singing. - M ap chante. ("M" being a contraction of 'Mwen')

I am eating. - Mwen ap manje. or M ap manje.
We are eating. - Nou ap manje. or N ap manje.

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How can I say: "bust line, chest line, waist line and hips line" for teaching dress-making? Thanks a lot!

bust line - pwatrin
waist line - tay
hip line - kuis

bustline measurement - mezi pwatrin nan
What's your waist line measurement - ki mezi tay you
Take the hip line measurement - Pran mezi kuis la.

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

M salye ou. Mwen se yon ayisyen ki fet Itaz Ini. Mwen gen lontan map chache yon liv ki esplike reg grame kreyol la. Eske ou pa gen okenn ide sou ki jan mwen ka jwen akse ak yon liv konsa?

Bonjou zanmi, mèsi pou kesyon w lan. Kite m ba w enfòmasyon sou sit lengiwstik MIT kote ou va jwen lyen pou pifò ouvraj ki genyen sou lang kreyòl la. Pou le moman, liv gramè ke nou va jwenn sou kreyòl la se liv tankou "Ann Aprann Òtograf Kreyòl la" avèk plizyè lòt atik ki atake diferan pòsyon nan gramè lang lan. Tanpri, tcheke lyen sa a: http://t.co/h1MtJdrcfc

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

Can you translate 'se sèl sa yo te ka fè"? What is "sa" and "te"? Thanks

Se sèl sa yo te ka fè.
It's all they could do.

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

Is it best to use the word 'andikape' as opposed to 'kokobe' when referring to a handicapped person in Haitian Creole?

Yes. We use the word andikape or enfim.

yon moun enfim - a handicapped person
yon moun andikape - a handicapped person

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

This blog is amazing! How can I say" we miss you very much and we will be back to see you soon"? Mesi!

Thanks!

We miss you very much and we will be back to see you soon.
Nou sonje w anpil e nou va retounen wè w byento.

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

sèjousi meaning?

sèjousi - these days, lately

M pa wè w sèjousi. Kote w ye konsa? Sa w ap regle?
I haven't seen you lately. Where have you been? What are you up to?

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How do you say sides in kreyol? Like if I was getting a haircut and I wanted to say to the barber "Cut the sides" how would I say that?

sides - bò, kote, arebò

cut the sides (haircut) - taye arebò yo

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

How do you say "I'm confused"?

I'm confused - Mwen twouble
I'm confused - Lespri m bwouye.

I was so confused - M te fin gaga nèt.

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

How do you say ... or disturbance in creole. And also could you .......

disturbance (ruckus) - lòbèy, deblozay, lobo, or kabouya

Jean caused a lot of disturbance at work when the boss fired him.
Jean te fè yon bann lobo nan travay la lè patwon an te revoke l.

2.
disturbance (illness) - twoub
emotional disturbance - twoub mantal

This doctor also treats people with mental disorders.
Doktè sa a trete moun ki gen twoub mantal tou.

3.
disturbance (shaking) - soukous, sakaj

We experienced a lot of disturbance during the flight today.
Avyon an te ban n yon bann soukous pandan vòl la jodi a.

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

How do you refer to someone's height in creole? Like if I said "He's 5'10", how is that said?

What is your height?
Ki wotè w?

I am 5'10".
Wotè m se 12.7 cm. (cm is preferred)

5 feet - senk pye
10 inches - dis pous

I am 5 feet 10 inches.
Wotè m se senk pye, dis pous.

How much do you weigh?
Konbyen w peze?

I am 145 pounds.
Mwen peze san karannsenk liv.

You gained weight.
Ou gwosi. or
Ou pran pwa.

You lost weight.
Ou megri. or
Ou kase. or
Ou pèdi pwa.

What size clothes do you wear?
Ki gwosè rad ou mete?
Ki lajè rad ou mete?

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

How do you say "I'm not sure" and the word cleanse

I'm not sure .
Mwen pa sèten.

I'm not so sure.
Mwen pa fin twò sèten.

to cleanse (to clean)
netwaye

to cleanse (to purge)
fè yon lavaj

a body cleanse
yon lavaj

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

How do you say disturb or disturbance in creole. And also could you show the way the word "pete" is used?

disturb - annuiye, deranje

I'm very busy. Please don't disturb me.
Mwen okipe anpil. Tanpi pa deranje m.

Sorry to disturb you, but did you order ten boxes of pizza?
Eskze m si m deranje w, men èske w te kòmande dis bwat pizza?

Why do you keep disturbing me? I told you I was busy. Don't disturb me again, you hear?.
Poukisa w ap pede annuiye m konsa? Mwen di ke m okipe. Pa deranje m ankò tande?
-----------

pete - to fart
pete - to explode, to pop
pete - to break out (the news)

I can't eat pizza, it makes me fart too much.
Mwen pa ka manje pizza, li fè m pete twòp.

You shouldn't fart in public like that. You should do that in private.
Ou pa dwe pete sou moun konsa. Ou dwe fè sa an prive.

Also, we say fè van for to fart

Li renmen fè van sou moun - He likes to fart in public
Pandan li t ap dòmi, li te fè yon bann van. - While he was sleeping, he farted a lot.

Pete - to explode, to pop

He popped the ballon.
Li pete blad la.

To pop a pimple.
Pete yon bouton.

Don't pop pimples on your face. It will leave a mark if you do.
Pa pete bouton nan figi w. Li va fè yon mak si w fè sa.

The car caught fire, and we got out just before it exploded.
Machin nan te pran dife e nou gentan soti anvan li pete.

Li pete bow!
It exploded boom!

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

How do you say tasty in kreyol? Also how do you say "He has arthritis"

tasty - gou
It's tasty - Li gou.
It's tasty - Li gen bon gou.
Se kou dwèt! - It's finger-licking good!

athritis - atrit
arthritis - maladi atrit

He has arthritis - Li soufri maladi atrit.
He has arthritis - Li fè maladi atrit.
He has arthritis - Li fè atrit.

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Question: I'd like to know these phrases in kreyol:

I want to be a doctor - Mwen vle vin yon doktè
I want to sudy medicine - Mwen vle etidye lamedsin

That's amazing - Se mèveye
That's amazing - Se bèl bagay

That's a big commitment - Se yon gwo angajman

to be committed - devwe, gen devouman

I admit.... - Mwen admèt....

I'll bring you to him - M ap mennen w kote li.
I'll bring you to him - M ap mennen w ba li.

I was thinking of you - Mwen t ap panse a ou.

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how would you say he/she is competitive in kreyol

competitive - agresif, debouya

always trying to be competitive - toujou sou konkirans, toujou ap fè konkirans

always trying to compete with - toujou nan konkirans ak

She's always trying to compete with her brother - Li toujou nan konkirans avèk frè l la.

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what is lam veritab in english?

lam veritab - breadfruit

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Hi Mandaly! How are you? One question, I heard someone ask someone in creole how are they and the person said "Nan nòd". What does that mean??? Would it mean I'm fine, because I don't think "in north" makes sense.?

Sounds to me like N annòd (or Nou annòd) which means We're in order, We're straight, We're in shipshape.

annòd means in order

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What are words for a "know-it-all"? For example, "He likes to show off because he is a know-it-all."

know-it-all - konnen tout, konn tout, pedan

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Happy Mother's Day Mandaly! Bòn fèt de mè Mandaly! Bonne fête des Mères Mandaly! Feliz dias de Madres Mandaly!

O O! Mesi wi!

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kijan mwn ka kree yon username pou yonaplikation job

Dabitid si w bezwen yon non itilizatè (yon username), w ap bezwen yon modpas tou.

Donk chache yon non ki ap fasil pou sonje, enpi chache yon modpas ke ou p ap bliye fasil.

Gen non itilizatè ki egzije pou gen yon nimewo tankou 1 a 9, yon karaktè tankou !$*, ak yon lèt majiskil, chache rantre tou egzijans sa yo nan non itilizatè a. Pa egzanp mwen kapab itilize yon non itilizatè ki genyen tout egzijans sa yo tankou 3Tanbou!, li genyen yon nimewo, yon lèt majiskil, lèt miniskil, ak yon karaktè. Bòn chans :)

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how do you say "it's required"

It's required - Li obligatwa

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Thank God for your blog! This is the BEST resource I have come across since I started to learn how to speak creole! Thank you for all the work you put in, have put in and will put into this blog.

Nice. Thanks!!

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This isn't a question because so far I am finding almost all of the answers I am looking for already on this site. I am amazed at the resources in this blog. Thank you very much!

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

M pa konprann espresyon "Te fè tè fè"? Pa egzanp .. chak pa l te fè te fè l vin pi pre vil Niniv. E m pa konprann espresyon "fè n fè tèl ou tèl" Pa egzanp "Pou rezon sa a, li posib pou yo pa konprann rezon k fè n fè tèl ou tèl bagay" Mesi pou Ed.

fè yon pa is an expression which means to take a step.
for example we can say.
Mwen p ap fè yon pa. - I will not take a step. (I won't move).
chak pa mwen fè - each step I take
chak pa nou fè - each step we take
chak pa li fè - each step he takes
chak pa li te fè - each step he took (this is the form used in your sentence, with a contracted 'l' for 'li')

and then, fè is also a verb that means to do, to make, to help, to fabricate, to produce, ...

Chak | pa | li te fè | te fè | l | vin | | pi | pre | Niniv
Each | step | he took | made | him | come | more | near | Niniv

for the second question,
tèl means such
and you have to remember that the verb fè may be translated as to make, or to do.

fè | n | fè | tèl | ou | tèl | bagay
made | us | do | such | or | such | thing

Pou rezon sa a, li posib pou yo pa konprann rezon ki fè nou fè tèl ou tèl bagay.
For this reason, it is possible that they do not understand the reason that made us do such or such things.

You'll see this form a lot:

Fè nou fè volonte ou. (or in the contracted version Fè n fè volonte w) - Make us do your will or Help us to do your will.
or sometimes you will hear fè nou fè sa - make us do this
Se li ki te fè m fè sa. It is him that made me do this (or He made me do this)

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

Mwen renmen anpil mizik de gwoup Djakout Mizik, men kisa vle di "djakout"?

Dyakout or djakout is a bag made out of straws. It may be carried by hand or on the shoulder.

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What are words for "to match"? For example, "The color of his shirt does not match the color of his......

What are words for "to match"? For example, "The color of his shirt does not match the color of his pants" or "This username or password that you put does not match the one we have on file."

What about "match" as a noun? For example, "They are a match"

What are words for "to suit" in all contexts(if possible)? Here is one example, "This company suits him."

Mandaly says:

1.
We use the word 'ale' in the first instance.
Koulè chemiz la pa ale avèk koulè pantalon an.
The color of his shirt does not match the color of his pants.

And for the second sentence, we'd use the word 'koresponn'.
Mo itilizatè oubyen modpas ou antre a pa koresponn ak sa w genyen nan fichye w la.
This username or password that you put does not match the one we have on file

2. If we're not talking about competition or a game as in yon match foutbòl, we don't usually use the Creole word for match as noun.
It's a match or they are a match would be translated as: Yo ale, Yo sanble, Yo ale ansanm, or yo egal.

3. To suit - apwopriye, ale, sanble

This house suits you - Kay la ale avè w.
This dress does not suit the occasion. - Jip la pa apwopriye pou okazyon an.
This lifestyle does not suit you at all. - Estil lavi sa pa sanble w ditou.

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How would you say this is my mission statement in Kreyòl? Or explain the concept of a mission statement? - Se sa a di m nan kè m? - I won't lie m pa konnen.

mission statement - deklarasyon misyon, direktif
This is our mission statement - Sa se deklarasyon mission nou.
This is our mission statement - Sa se direktif nou.

You can also explain the mission statement as objektif misyon an

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How would you say "can I get smaller bills, please" in the context of exchanging money?

Can I get smaller bills, please?
Eske w kapab ban mwen lajan an degrennen?

Let me have smaller bills please.
Degrennen lajan an pou mwen souple.

to break a bill - degrennen lajan an

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I'm always looking for good creole expressions. I was hoping you could help me with an expression relating to: "without hesitation..." "without hesitating..." I've heard an expression where they've said: "san l bat de je..."

It depends on how you intend to you use this expression. You can use ....li pa fè ni de ni twa .... which mean that ... he/she immediately .... or you can also use the expression ...san gade dèyè... too.

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how do you say ( a servant of God )

a servant of God - yon sevitè Bondye.
for females you would say yon sèvant Bondye.

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Hi... You are doing a GREAT job with the translations!!! I'm looking for the lyrics for Anyo Imole but can't find it anywhere... would you happen to know it?

Leve men w devan majeste

Anyo imole

Mwen adore ou

Ou mouri nan plas mwen pou mwen gen lavi

Si se pa gras ou, m pa ta egziste

Senyè m adore w …

Paske w se Bondye…

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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...

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

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

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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.
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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

Bonjou! Learn to Speak Haitian Creole