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This first course in Haitian Kreyol hosted by Justicia Global began March 5, 2006 and meets from 2-4 on Sunday afternoons. We invite you to learn along with us!
If you understand Spanish, check out the Spanish-Kreyol translations, as that page is more complete. |
Alfabé Kreyòl - Kreyol Alphabet
All words in Kreyol take the emphasis on the final syllable. The Kreyol alphabet does not contain the following consonants: c, h, q, x. The accents connote slight differences in pronunciation that are really hard to explain on a webpage, so let's not worry about that now.
a (as in "father")
b
d (dz as in "adds")
e (as in "bed")
f
g (as in "golf")
i (as in "Lisa")
j (French "j", sounds like zsh)
k
l
m
n
o (as in "hotel")
p
r (French "r", sounds like w)
s
t
v
w
y (as in "happy")
z
ou (oo as in "boot")
ò (as in "ox")
Salitasyon - Greetings
Bonjou - Good morning
Bonswa - Good afternoon/evening
msye - sir
madanm - madam
matmwazel - miss
Kouman ou ye? - How are you?
Byen – Fine
Pa pi mal – Not bad
Anfòm! - Great!
Fanmi – family
Kouman fanmi ou ye? - How is your family?
Fanmi mwen byen, mesi – My family is well, thank you.
Jounen - Days of the Week
lendi - Monday
madi - Tuesday
mecredi - Wednesday
jedi - Thursday
vandredi - Friday
samdi - Saturday
dimanche - Sunday
Jodi a se dimanche - Today is Sunday.
Demen se lendi - Tomorrow is Monday.
Yé se samdi - Yesterday was Saturday.
Kesyon - Question words
Ki sa sa ye? - What is that?
Kouman mwen di ___ an kreyol? - How do I say ___ in kreyol?
Kouman mwen ekri ___ an kreyol? - How do I write ___ in kreyol?
Ki le li ye - What time is it?
yon, de, twa, kat, senk, sis, set, uit, nef, dis - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10
eka - quarter past
edmi - half past
Li senké swa - It's 5 p.m.
Li katé dis di matin - It's 4:10 a.m.
midi - noon
minwi - midnight
A ki lé nou prale? - At what time are we leaving?
A ki lé klas la? - At what time is the class?
Fè manje chocolat - Making hot chocolate
Chocolat - chocolate
lèt - milk
dlo - water
sik - sugar
mete - to pour
alimet - match(es)
Ou mete dlo sou dife cho - You pour the water (in a pan) over a hot fire
Ou mete lèt la avek chocolat la - You pour in milk and (powdered) chocolate
Ou mete yon kiyé sik - You add a spoonful of sugar
Ou bwè li! - You drink it!
Vèb - Verbs
bezwen - to need
genyen - to have
vle - to want
pale - to talk
di - to say
renmen - to like, to love
pran - to take
bwè - to drink
manje - to eat
ekri - to write
li - to read
fé - to do
Question words
Konbyen - How much/many?
Ki sa - What?
Kote, ki kote - Where?
Kimoun, kiyes - Who?
M ap vini - I'll be right back
Mwen rive - I'm back, I arrived
Byen kontan trekonet ou
- Great to meet you
Nimero - Numbers
venn - 20
trant - 30
karant - 40
senkant - 50
swasant - 60
venn te en, venn de, venn twa, venn kat, venn senk... - 21, 22, 23, 24, 25...
Mwa - Months
janvye - January
fevriye - February
mas - March
avril - April
me - May
jouen - June
jwiyè - July
out - August
septanm - September
oktòb - October
novanm - November
desanm - December
Konvesasyon - Conversación
Nan gwo sal inivèsite a, venn senk me, de mil sis. Nou rekontre
a delegasyon ayisyen an pou konferans Jistis di Latè.
In a big auditorium at the university on May 25, 2006. We meet the Haitian delegation at the Justicia Global summit.
| 1: Alo! |
Hello! |
| 2: Byenvini, msye. Kouman ou rele? |
Welcome, sir. What's your name? |
| 1: Mwen menm m rele Msye Kiran. E ou menm? |
My name is Mr. Kiran. And you? |
| 2: Mwen rele Tim. Kouman ou santi w? |
I'm Tim. How are you feeling? |
| 1: Mwen santi m byen, mesi. |
I feel well, thank you. |
| 2: Kote ou soti? |
Where did you come from? |
| 1: Pótoprens. |
Port-au-Prince. |
| 2: Chita no. Kouman rout la te ye? |
Have a seat. How was the trip? |
| 1: Pa mal, gras a Dye. Konbyen moun nou envite isit? |
Not bad, praise God. How many people did you all invite here? |
| 2: Nou envite diswit moun. |
We invited 18 people. |
| 1: Pou konbyen jou? |
For how many days? |
| 2: Konferans la dire twa jou. Poukisa ou deside vin la? |
The conference lasts 3 days. Why did you decide to come here? |
| 1: Mwen deside vin la paske mwen enterese nan jistis sosyal. |
I decided to come here because I am interested in social justice. |
| 2: Sa bon, mwen menm tou! Annou mete tèt ansanm. |
Great, me too! Let's get our heads together. |
| 1: Yon sèl dwèt pa ka manje kalalou. |
One lone finger can't eat okra. (You can't get things done by yourself.) |
Chante bon fèt - Singing "Happy Birthday"
| Bon fèt, Ana. |
Happy birthday, Ana. |
| Jodi a se fèt ou, |
Today is your birthday, |
| Se pi bèl jou ki gen nan ane a. |
It's the most beautiful day of the year. |
| Mwen pa genyen lajan pou m ba ou. |
I don't have money to give you. |
| Se ti powèm sa mwen ka ba ou. |
It's this little poem that I give you. |
| Mesi! |
Thank you! |
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