Lesson 24 - The conjunction "AND"

Conjunctions are words that provide a link between similar words, such as nouns, verbs, people, etc. This lesson will focus on the English conjunction "and" which has several different forms in the Creole language, with épi being the most commonly used form.


The conjunction AND appears in the following forms in Creole: é, épi, ék, and étou.

Here are some examples of how each form of the conjunction is used

Example:

ÉK is used when joining words of equal value.

Nou wè yon chyen ék kat liza. - We saw a dog and four lizards.

Mwen enmen fig ék zanana. - I like bananas and pineapples.

Mwen menm ék ou. - You and I.

Maman ék Papa ka alé. - Mom and Dad are going.

Example :

É is used to join clauses in a sentence, and its use is identical to the English "and."

Li enmen li é ou enmen dansé. - She likes to read and you like to dance.

Nou byen é ou menm? - We're fine and yourself?

Loulou ka li é ékwi sa ba'w. - Loulou is reading and writing that for you.

Mononk-yo manjé é bwè tout bagay. - Their uncle ate and drank everything.


Épi is used to join clauses in a sentence, it is interchangeable with é


Example:

Bann nonm-lan té vini épi bati kay-la.- The group of men came and built the house.

Fanm béké-a té vini épi ban nou dé bag dajan. - The White woman came and gave us two silver rings.

Chanté épi dansé bay Bondyé. - Sing and dance for God.

Vini épi alé. - Come and Go.


Étou


Example:


Chanm-lan bèl, gwo étou y bon maché. - The room is pretty, big and its cheap.

Wad-ou chifonnen, kòskèl, étou mès-ou sovay. - Your clothes are ruffled, mismatched, and your manners are wild.

Mwen anwita, zafè-mwen déwanjé, étou mwen pa menm pawé. - I'm late, my things are disorganised, and I'm not even ready.

Madou-mwen bèl, savan étou li wich. - My sweetheart is beautiful, smart and she's rich.