Lesson 20 - The verb "To give"

In Trinidadian French Creole, the verb "to Give" is bay which is pronounced (buy, bye, by)

You will see the Creole word "bay" written in three different ways:

Ban, ba, bay

ban [bah(n)] comes before the Creole pronouns "mwen" and "nou"

Example:

Yo ké ban mwen yon tas. - They will give me a cup.

Yo ké ban nou yon tas. - They will give us a cup.

Ba [bah] is used before the pronouns OU, LI, YO

Example:

Mwen ba'w lajan. - I give you money.

Mwen ba y lajan. - I give her money.

Mwen ba yo lajan. - I give them money.

Note: 'w is a contraction of the pronoun "ou"

'y is a contraction of the pronoun "li"

Bay (buy) is ALWAYS used at the end of a sentence

Example:

Kisa ou vlé nou bay? - What do you want us to give?

Ou voudwé bay? - Would you like to give?

Lastly ba and bay can be used interchangeably when they appear after pronouns and before nouns.

Example

Mwen té bay Miguel bèbèl-la. - I gave Miguel the toy.

Mwen té ba Miguel bèbèl-la. - I gave Miguel the toy.

Li ba James dé bèl sak. - She gave James two beautiful bags.

Yo ba Jézi yon kouwonn pikan. - They gave Jesus a crown of thorns.

Bay Jézi lavi-w. - Give your life to Jesus.

Sé pou maman bay ti-moun lanmou - Mothers must give children love.

Using the reflexive pronouns, how would I say, "I do not want to do it by myself." Would it be, "Mwen pa vle fe i mwen menm." or "Mwen pa vle fe i ko-mwen." Or should I add ba ko-mwen in the sentence.

You would use ''mwen-menm since in that sentence emphasis is placed on self (emphatic statement) so you would say

mwen pa vlé fè y mwen-menm - I don't want to do it myself


If you wanted to say that you don't want to do something alone, you would say.

mwen pa vlé fè sa mwen yon.

or

mwen pa vlé fè sa tousèl.


In the above sentences, the words yon and tousèl allow the speaker to express the fact that the action is done without the help of anyone else

yon means one
tousèl means alone


If you want to express that you are doing something to yourself you prefix (kò) to the pronoun. Kò means body so it represents self)

Example

1. mwen ka lavé kò-mwen - I am washing myself


2. ou ka lavé kò-ou - You are washing yourself.


3. li ka lavé kò-y - He is washing himself.


If you want to express that you are doing something for yourself or of your own will then you suffix (menm) to the pronoun. Menm means same so it represents self when self is stressed.

Example

1.Sé mwen-menm ki jiwé dòktè-a! - I myself cussed the doctor!


2. Ou pé pa wè sa ou-menm? - You can't see that yourself?


3. Non, li ké fè twavay-la li-menm! - No,he will do the work himself!

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Lesson 19 - Reflexive Pronouns

A reflexive pronoun is a pronoun that is placed after the noun, adjective adverb or pronoun to which it refers. In Trinidadian French Creole, when forming the reflexive pronoun, the appropriate pronoun is added to KÒ which represents self. There are six personal pronouns; therefore there are also six reflexive pronouns. Each one of these corresponds to a personal pronoun.


Example


myself - kò-mwen


yourself - kò-ou or kò'w


himself, herself, itself - kò-y


ourselves - kò-nou


themselves - kò-yo


yourselves - kò-zòt


Example


1. Mwen té ka palé ba kò-mwen.
I was talking to myself.


2. Ou enmen kò-ou?
Do you love yourself?


3. Fòk li wéspékté kò'y.
She must respect herself.


4. Nou ka gadé kò-nou nan glo-a.
We are looking at ourselves in the water.


5. Ès yo té tjwé kò-yo?
Did they kill themselves?


6. Zòt ké blésé kò-zòt!
You will hurt yourselves!


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Whenever there is a need to place emphasis on self, "menm" is placed after the pronoun. This construction also appears in six forms, one for each personal pronoun. When self is emphatic, "menm" represents self.


Example


myself - mwen-menm


yourself - ou-menm


himself, herself, itself - li-menm, i-menm


ourselves - nou-menm


themselves - yo-menm


yourselves - zòt-menm




1. Mwen té fè bonbon-an, mwen-menm!
I made the cake myself!


2. Ou ké di papa'w sa, ou-menm.
You will tell your father this yourself.


3. Vèw-la li-menm ké koupé 'w.
The glass itself will cut you.


4. Nou genyen match-la nou-menm
We won the match ourselves .


5. Sété yo-menm ki té chanté mal.
It was they themselves who sang badly.


6. É, sé zòt-menm ki ka woti poulé-a
Hey, it is yourselves who is roasting the chicken.

Woulo ! Bon travay la !

woulo (woo-low) is generally used when giving congratulations. It means well done.

Sometimes you will hear "woulo bravo" (bravo) is added to indicate that the speaker thinks you've done exceptionally well.

Woulo bravo! can translate as "Let's hear it for...!"

Bon travay la! literally means Good job!

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ankouwajman,demildouz,kontinyasyon what is the meaning of these words sorry it write like that space 2 small 4 long words

ankouwajman (an-koo-wahj-ma) = "encouragement"


Kontinasyon literally means continuation,. If you say "bon kontinasyon", it can mean the following depending on context:

1) Keep up the good work

2) All the best


Démildouz = 2012 is constructed from the following words:


1) Dé (sounds like day) it means "two" as in the number 2.

2) Mil (sounds like meel) it means "thousand".

3) Douz (sounds like dooz) means "twelve".


Dé mil douz literally translates to "two thousand and twelve".

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[Mizik Kwéyòl] Kassav - Ou Le (Twoubadou)

Mi on bèl mizik kwéyòl ba tout zélèv Klas Kwéyòl

Twoubadou is a style of guitar music from Haiti, over the years it has become popular in Cuba.

please help me out with words gen, ah dako, moun, tounen, chanson, keyson, and kriyan

"Gen" is NOT used in Trinidadian French Creole. It is a Haitian Creole word which means "to have".

Ex:

Mwen gen yon gwo kay. - I have a big house.

The word "dakò" (dah-koh) is generally used as an interjection to mean ''okay''.

Ex:
Doudou, mwen ké wè'w pli ta, dakò? - Darling, I'll see you later, ok?


The word "dakò" can also be used as a verb it means "To agree".

Ex:
Nou dakò épi'w. - We agree with you.


The word moun (moon) means person or people.

Ex:
Nou tout sé moun! - We are all people!

La ni bon moun nan fèt-la! - There are lots of people in the party!


The word tounen (too-neh[n]) is a verb, it means "To turn".

Ex:
Maché dwèt dé pa, épi tounen lanmen gòch. - Walk two steps, and then turn to the left.


"Kriyan" is NOT used in Trinidadian French Creole. It is a Haitian Creole word that means screaming.

Ex:
Lè li te tande maman'm te mouri, li te kriyan!
When she heard my mother died, she was screaming!


Chanson is a noun. It means song (from French [la chanson]). The word chanté is heard more often in Creole. It is a verb meaning "to sing", but it is also used as the noun for "song".

Ex:
Mwen kontan chanson-sala! - I like that song!


Keyson is more properly written as kèsyon or kwèsyon. It is a noun meaning question.

Ex:
Sa sé yon bon kèsyon. - That's a good question.

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"vle" and "anvi" they both mean want but they spelt differently, what's the reason 4 this?

"Anvi" (a(n)-vee) indicates a strong want, the word carries a strong sense of desire or longing; anvi is used to place emphasis on desire.

Mwen anvi wè'w ankò. - I really want to see you again.


"Vlé" (vlay) is most commonly used to indicate that something is wanted.

Ès ou vlé dansé épi mwen? - Do you want to dance with me?


The two words are used somewhat interchangeably in everyday speech.

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Lesson 18 - Asking questions with the "WH" words [part 2]

In this lesson we will learn how the form a sentence with WH words when the question word is the subject (thing being talked about) of the sentence.

Example:

What killed the plant?

When did he speak?

Which plastic shoe?

Who passed here?

Trinidad French Creole equivalent.

What ---> ki sa ki

When ---> kilè ki, or what + time + ki

Which ---> ki (subject) ki 

Who ---> (which one of) kilès ki 

Whenever we are using the question words as the subject of the sentence, ki is repeated. 

What - Kisa?

1. Ki sa ki ka fè'w twis?

    What is making you sad?

2. Ki sa ki ka fè'w kontan?

   What makes you happy?

3. Ki sa ki nan ji fwi-a?

   What's in the fruit juice?

4. Ki sa ki wivé'w?

   What happened to you? 

5. Ki sa ki ni? (Litterally means "what that has?" or "what have we?")

   What's going on?

Note: a shorter form of kisa ki ni is "sa ki ni?"

w is a contracted form of the pronoun "ou"

When, what time - kilè or ki tan

1. Kilè ki fèt mwen?

   When  is my birthday?

2. Ki tan ki akouchman'w?

    When is your delivery date?

Which - ki + subject + ki

1. Ki jou ki pli bon?

   Which day is better?

2. Ki bonbon ki pli dou?

  Which cake is sweeter?

3. Ki kay ki pli gwo?

   Which house is bigger?

Who - Ki moun?

1. Ki moun ki fè Jonny pléwé?

   Who made Jonny cry?

2. Ki moun ki nan batiman-an?

  Who is in the building?

3. Ki moun ki vlé djaman-an?

   Who wants the diamond?

4. Ki moun ki ka manti?

  Who is lying?

5. Ki moun ki ka pasé la?

  Who's passing there?

Kilès ki - who, which one of?

1. Kilès ki sésé'w?

   Who's your sister?

2. Kilès ki vlé alé avan?

  Which one of you wants to go first?

3. Kilès ki pwéféwé ponm-fwans?

   Who prefers apples?

the word old "vye" how do you pronounce it?

The word "vyé" is pronounced like vee-ay. When you say the word try to say it all at once (in one syllable).

If "pli" is "more" then how do you say "rain"?

The word for "rain" is lapli which is pronounced (lah-plee).

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In "ou ke kontwe y" is the "y" pronounced as "li" ?

In the sentence:

"Ou ké kontwé y", the "y" is pronounced (ee) like the name of the letter "E".

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how do you say the words "again, more and sorry"?

Again = "ankò" it is pronounced (a[n] koh)

More = "pli" it is pronounced (plee)

Sorry (adjective) = "dézolé" is pronounced (day-zo-lay)

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Lesson 17 - Yes or No questions

To ask yes or no questions in Trinidadian French Creole, place ÈS or ÈSKÈ at the beginning of your sentence. Èskè is a variant of Ès. It is used less frequently.

Example:

1.

Li jòlòt. - He's cute.

Ès li jòlòt? - Is he cute?

2.

Leonardo fen. - Leonardo is hungry.

Èskè Leonardo fen? - Is Leonardo hungry?

3.

Ou rayi nou. - You hate us.

Ès ou rayi nou? - Do you hate us?

4.

Glo-a cho. - The water is hot.

Èskè glo-a cho? - Is the water hot?

5.

Yo konnèt mwen. - They know me.

Ès yo konnèt mwen? - Do they know me?

6.

Tom té wivé Lendi. - Tom arrived on Monday.

Èskè Tom té wivé Lendi? - Did Tom arrive on Monday?

7.

André jalou. - André is jealous.

Ès André jalou? - Is André jealous?

8.

Mwen anmouwèz. - I'm in love.

Èskè mwen anmouwèz? - Am I in love?

9.

Ou ké kontwé'y. - You will meet him.

Ès ou ké kontwé y? - Will you meet him?

10.

Ou vlé kité sa. - You want to leave that.

Èskè w vlé kité sa? - Do you want to leave that?

Lesson 16 - Possessive Adjectives

Possessive Adjectives are a part of speech that modifies the noun by showing possession (or some other sense of belonging) to someone or something. In English, the words my, your and his are examples.


In Trinidadian French Creole, the Possessive Pronouns are:


mwen - my


ou, w - your (singular)


li, i (ee) - his hers, its


nou - our


zòt - your (plural)

yo - their





1. légliz-mwen - my church



2. Légliz-mwen piti. - My church is small.



3. fanmi-ou - your family



4. Fanmi'w wich. - Your family is rich.



5. zaman-li - his/her lover



6. Zaman-li tini bèl chivé. - His/her lover has beautiful hair.



7. Zwézo-a kasé zèl-li. - The bird broke its wing.



8. lakay-nou - our house



9. Lakay-nou pa gwan. - Our house is not big.



10. wido-zòt - their curtains

11. Wido-zòt blan. - Your curtains are white.

12. liv-yo - their book



13. Liv-yo déchiwé. - Their book is torn.

What is the meaning of the word "anchay"?

The phrase "an chay" (an-shay) means: much, many or a lot.


Nonm-lan té péyé an chay lajan pou wòb-la. - The man paid a lot of money for the dress.


Jézi tini an chay lanmou pou lézonm. - Jesus has much love for mankind.


Té tini an chay moun an fèt-la. - There were many people at the party.

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Es ou sa di mwen sa i vle di moukoumflaw. Meci anchay.

"Moukoumflaw" is a form of the word ''moukoum'' which is a vulgar term for the vulva, especially the clitoris.

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You have two kind of want anvi and vle. Explain me why is it spelled differently.

Anvi (an-vee) indicates a strong want, the word carries a strong sense of desire or longing; anvi is used to place emphasis on desire.

Mwen anvi wè'w ankò. - I really want to see you again.


Vlé (vlay) is most commonly used to indicate that something is wanted.

Ès ou vlé dansé épi mwen? - Do you want to dance with me?


The two words are used somewhat interchangeably in everyday speech.

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Lesson 15 - Asking Questions with the "WH" words [Part 1]

Asking questions with the WH- words using the auxiliary verbs. In order to start a conversation in any language, you have to use some key question words. Asking questions with the WH-words is formulated with the help of auxiliary verbs (do, did, will, should, etc.) In Trinidadian French Creole, most WH- questioning words are formed using “KI” (kee).


What - Kisa? (kee-sa)


When - Kilè or Ki tan (kee-leh / kee-ta[n])


Where - Ki koté or Ki bò (kee-ko-tay / kee-boh)


Which - Ki or Kilès <--- [which one] (kee / kee-lehs)


Who - Ki moun, Kilès, Kilès ki (kee-moon / kee-lehs / kee-lehs-kee)


Why - Pouki, Poukisa <--- [for emphasis] (poo-kee / poo-kee-sa)


In Trinidadian French Creole, WH-words must be placed at the beginning of a questioning sentence, in the correct tense; there are no exceptions to this rule.


1. Kisa ou anvi?
What do you want?


2. Ki lè nou k'alé nan New York?
When are we going to New York?


3. Ki koté mwen té ka alé?
Where was I going?


4. Ki bò lékòl-li yé?
Where is his school?


5. Ki mwa ou vlé pati?
In which month do you want to leave?


6. Ki moun mwen yé?
Who am I?


7. Kilès ou vlé?
Which one you want?


8. Kilès ki volè lajan-yo?
Who stole their money?


9. Pouki ou bwizé vaz-la?
Why did you shatter the vase?


10. Poukisa ou té manti ba yo?
Why did you lie to them?

Lesson 14 - Tell me about yourself

In today's lesson, we will learn how to give others information about yourself and get information from the person you are speaking to.


1. Kouman non-ou? - What is your name?
A. Non-mwen sé Riko. - My name is Rico.


2. Koté ou fèt? - Where are you from?
A. Mwen té fèt an Biche, Twinidad. - I was born in Biche, Trinidad.


3. An ki mwa ou fèt? - In what month were you born?
A. Mwen fèt an Mas. - I was born in March.


4. Ki laj ou ni? - How old are you?
A. Mwen tini twant lanné - I am thirty years old.


5. Ès ou mayé? - Are you married?
A. Non, mwen pa mayé. - No, I'm not married.


6. Ès ou an fiyansé? - Are you engaged?
A. Wi, mwen fiyansé. - Yes I am engaged.


7. Ès ou tini zanfan? - Do you have children?
A. Wé, mwen tini tifi jimo. - Yeah, I have twin daughters.


8. Kisa ou ka fè adan lavi-a? - What do you do for a living?
A. Mwen sé yon politisyen. - I am a politician.


9. Kisa ou enmen fè? - What do you like to do?
A. Mwen enmen ékwi listwa kout. - I like to write short stories.


10. Ki kalité manjé ou enmen? What kind of food do you like?
A. Mwen enmen manjé Bwazilyen. - I like Brazilian food.


11. Ki nasyonalité ou yé? - What is your nationality?
A. Mwen sé yon Twinidadyen. - I am Trinidadian.


12. Ès ou enmen wvayajé? - Do you like to travel?
A. Mwen vizité plizyè péyi déja. - I have visited several countries already.


13. Ki koté ou té apwann palé Kwéyòl? - Where did you learn to speak Creole?
A. Mwen té apwann palé Kwéyòl an Twinidad - I learned to speak Creole in Trinidad.

Lesson 13 - Prepositions

Prepositions

A preposition is a function word that combines with a noun or pronoun or noun phrase to form a prepositional phrase that can have an adverbial or adjectival relation to some other word. Put simply, they are placed in front of nouns in order to indicate a relationship between nouns and the verbs, adjectives, adverbs and nouns that come after it.


E.g. Mété poulé-a asou yon zasyèt. – Put the chicken on a plate.



In the above sentence the preposition used is asou which means on was placed between two nouns it also appears between a noun and a verb linking the two parts of the sentence.



The noun that follows the preposition can be replaced by an object pronoun.


E.g Bonbon-an ka gouté bon dapwè mwen. – The cake tastes good (according) to me.


The following list contains prepositions used in Creole.

Creole	English	French
a	at, on, to	à
asé pou	as to, with regard to	à propos de
asou, lasou, asi	on	sur
anwò	above, up	en haut
anlè	on, atop, over	en l’air
anmitan	in the middle	en mitan
anba	under, down, below	en bas
andji	instead of, rather than	en guise de
anfas	facing, across from	en face de
atwavè	across	à travers
anvè	towards	envers
alantou, lantou	around, about	alentour
apwè	after	après
avan	before	avant
andidan	inside	en dedans
ant	between	entre
apami, pami	among	parmi
bò	by	au bord de
dan	within	dans
dapwè	according to [someone], to	d’après
déwò	outside of	dehors
dèyè	behind	derrière
dépi	since	dépuis
douvan	in front of	devant
di	of	de
disi	from here	d’ici
diwan, diwan tan	while, during	durant, pendant
épi	with	et puis
èvè, avèk	with	avec
pa	through, by [something]	par
pwè	near to	près de
pwè disi	near here	près d’ici
hòd	from, away from	hors de
jis, jik, jis tan	until	jusque
jis la, jik la	until then	jusque là
jous	up to	jusque
lòtbò	beyond	à l’autre bord de
malgwé	in spite of	malgré
pandan	during	pendant
pou	for	pour
san	without	sans
sòv	save, except for	sauf
silon	according to [someone]	selon
swivan	in accordance with, following	suivant