Lesson 35 - The verb "to have"

In today's lesson, we will learn about the Kwéyòl verb "tini or ni" which means "to have". It is an extremely important verb. This verb is used in many everyday expressions as well as in idiomatic expressions. Unlike its French counterpart "avoir", the Kwéyòl verb is not irregular, since there is no conjugation of verbs in Kwéyòl.

to have

The verb tini or ni means "to have"  in most senses, including having in one's possession and currently experiencing. Many things that you have, both literally and figuratively, can be expressed using the Kwéyòl verb tini.

Mwen ni/tini twa fwè.
J'ai trois fères.
I have three brothers.

Ou ni/tini yon lidé.
Tu as une idée.
You have an idea.

li ni/tini twòp kanmawad.
Il a trop d'amis.
He has too many friends.

Nou pa ni/tini anpil zanmi
We don't have many friends.
Nous n'avons pas beaucoup d'amis.

Mwen ni/tini dé lanmen èk dis dwèt.
I have two hands and ten fingers.
J'ai deux mains et dix doigts.

Ou ni/tini yon lakay adan lakanpay-la? Chiven!
You have a house in the countryside? Cool!
Tu as une maison à la campagne? Chouette!

Mwen ni/tini yon ponm-fwans.
I have an apple.

J'ai une pomme.

Jàn épi mwen, nou ni/tini dis liv.
Jeanne and I  have ten books.
Jeanne et moi, nous avons dix livres.

Mwen ni/tini dé plim.
I have two pens.
J'ai deux stylos.

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Idiomatic Expressions with the Kwéyòl verb tini/ni:

The French Creole verb tini/ni literally means "to have" and is also used in many idiomatic expressions. Here are a few that are most commonly used.


ni_______lanné
to be_______old.
avoir_______ans.

Ex. Ou ni disèt lanné = You are seventeen years old.


ni pou +infinitive
to have to do something
 avoir à  + infinitive

Ex. Mwen ni pou di''w an bagay = I have to tell you something.

ni konfyans an (you can also use the verb konfyé)
to trust, have confidence in.
avoir confiance en

Ex. Mwen ni konfyans an savans-ou. = I have confidence in your expertise.


 
ni chans (means "to have luck")
to be lucky
avoir de la chance

Ex. Ou ni chans, ou sòti genyen an motoka! = You're lucky, you just won a car!

ni wézon
to be right (about something)  
avoir raison

Ex. Jàn ni wézon, wòb-la byen lèd! = Jeanne is right, the dress is very ugly!

ni tò / ni fòt
to be wrong (about something)
avoir tort

Ex. Ou  kwè mwen ka manti, sé ou ki ni tò! = You think I'm lying, you're wrong!


ni dwa
to have the right (to something or to do something)
avoir le droit

Ex. Yo pa ni dwa pwan lajan-ou. = They don't have the right to take your money.

la + ni...
there is, there are....
il y a...

Ex. La ni anpil moun isi-a. - There are many people here.
      La ni yon Bondyé tousèl. - There is only one God.