Question: What does "fè manti" mean?

The word manti (mahn-tee) means "to lie"

The phrase fè manti (feh mahn-tee) also means to lie

To tell a lie.

Fè manti (feh mahn-tee)

Bay manti (bye mahn-tee)

Nan manti èk (nah mahn-tee ehk)

Tiwé mansonj (tee-way mah-sonzh)

or 

Benyen épi/èvè manti (beh-yeh ai-pee mahn-tee) [use when there's an object]

or

Béwé épi manti (bay-way ai-pee mahn-tee) [use when there's an object]

Examples:

He lies.
Li kapab fè manti (lee kah-pab  feh mahn-tee)
Li ka manti (lee kah mahn-tee)
Li ka tiwé mansonj (lee kah tee-way mah-sonzh)
Li nan manti (lee nah mahn-tee) 

He lied to everyone.
Li bay tout moun manti (lee bye toot moon mahn-tee)
Li béwé tout moun épi manti (lee bay-way toot moon ai-pee mahn-tee)
Li benyen tout moun èvè manti (lee beh-yeh toot moon eh-veh mahn-tee)

You lied to me.
Ou ban mwen manti (oo bah mweh mahn-tee)

I can't lie.
Mwen pa sa fè manti (mweh pa sah feh mahn-tee)
Mwen pa sa bay manti (mweh pa sah bai mahn-tee)
Mwen pa sa manti (mweh pa sah mahn-tee)

You are lying to yourself.
Ou ka bay kò'w manti. (oo kah bai kau-oo mahn-tee)
Ou ka manti ba kò'w. (oo kah man-tee bah kau oo)


I can't say that I love you, I won't lie to myself.
Mwen pa fouti di mwen enmen'w, mwen pa ké manti bay kò-mwen.

To tell a lie on someone. 
Fè manti asou yon moun (fè mahn-tee ah-soo yoh moon)
Bay manti asou yon moun (bai mahn-tee ah-soo yoh moon)

You lied about me.
Ou té fè manti asou mwen (oo tay feh mahn-tee ah-soo mweh)
Ou té bay manti kont mwen (oo tay bai mahn-tee kont mweh)

Question: How do you say where do you live?

Where do you live?

**(Ki) koté ou ka wèsté?
(kee koh-tay oo kah wes-tay)

**(Ki) koté ou ka wété?
(kee koh-tay oo kah way-tay)

Éti ou ka wèsté?
(ay-tee oo kah wes-tay)

Note: The words wèsté and wété are interchangeable with wèsté being preferred by most people.

** The word ki is often dropped when asking this question.

Question: is there a difference between ès and èskè?

No there is no difference. Ès is a question marker for any question that can be answered with a simple yes or no response. There are several variants of the word ès I will list them all below:

Ès <--- This is the most common form of the word.

Ex. Ès ou vlé alé épi papa'w? - Do you want to go with your dad?

Èskè <--- The most common variant of the word Ès.

Ex. Èskè nou sé moun ki mové? - Are we evil people?

Other less common forms are (èski, es si and ensi)

Note: The word 'ès' and all other variants is always placed at the start of a sentence.

Preposition 'On'

On ---> Asou

He was sitting on the chair.
Li té ka asiz asou chèz-la.

Don't allow the little girl to stand on the couch. 
Pa kité tifi-a doubout asou kouchton-an.

Lè mwen fouté'y épi baton-an, i tonbé asou do'y.
When I hit him with the staff, he fell on his back.

Ès ou té wè zagwiyen-an ka maché asou finèt-la?
Did you see the spider walking on the window?

Yo lésé tjèk lajan asou tab-la ban nou.
They left some money on the table for us.

Question: How do you say speak slowly?

Speak slowly
Palé dousman
(pah-lay doos-mah)

Speak more slowly please.
Palé pli dousman souplé.
(pah-lay plee doos-mah soop-lay)

Question: How do you say "you're out of your mind" or you're not in ''your right mind?''

You're out of your mind
---
Ou pèd bon sans ou.
[oo pehd boh sans oo]
---
Ou fou. [fou used for men]
[oo foo]
---
Ou fòl. [fòl used for women]
[oo fuhl]
---
Tèt ou pati.
[teht oo pah-tee]
---
Tèt ou gaté.
[teht oo gah-tay]
---
Tèt ou pa bon.
[teht oo pah boh]
---
Sèvèl ou chaviwé.
[seh-vehl oo sha-vee-way]

Question: How do you say never mind in Patois?

Never mind
Nenpòt, sa pa anyen
[neh-puht sah pah ah-yeh]
---
Kité sa
[kee-tay sah]
---
Bliyé sa
[blee-yay sah]

Pa otjipé ou
[pah ot-zhee-pay oo]

Question: How do you say "You're welcome, it's my pleasure" in Patois?

You're welcome
Sé pa anyen
[say pah ah-yeh]

It's my pleasure
Sé tout plézi mwen
[say toot play-zee mweh]

Ni wézon

ni wézon - to be right, to be correct, to be at a advantage. 

Ou ni wézon.  
You are right.

Kilès ki ni wézon, kilès ki pa ni wézon?
Who is right, who is wrong?

Wavèt pa ni wézon douvan poul.
Roaches are at a disadvantage when facing chickens.

Sé ou ki ni wézon!
You are the one who is right!

Dapwé yo, li toujou ké ni wézon douvan'w.
In their opinion, she will always be right, not you. 

How to speak in the Past Tense [It's very Easy]

Past Perfect tense

The PAST PERFECT TENSE indicates that an action was completed (finished or "perfected") at some point in the past before something else happened. This tense is formed with the past tense form of "to have" (HAD) plus the past participle of the verb (which can be either regular or irregular in form):

I had walked two miles by lunchtime.
I had run three other marathons before entering the Boston Marathon


If you ever took Spanish or French in school, you're more than likely hate the word conjugation. Right?

GOOD NEWS, the beautiful language of Patois (also known as Trinidadian French Creole) does not conjugate its verbs, or in other words the verbs don't change depending on time or condition. Even English conjugates its verbs.

Example: I talk / Yesterday I talked

So how does one speak using the past perfect tense in Trinidadian French Creole / Patois?

It’s as EASY as “Té” (sounds like tay)

Yes, just those 2 letters!

By SIMPLY adding this word “té” before any verb, it makes the sentence past tense.

Even though in English we typically speak in the past tense by adding “ed” at the end of a word, the creole word “té” is easier to remember by relating it to the English word “had”.

Examples:

1. Mwen té palé = I had talked / I talked
2. Mwen té wè = I had seen / I saw
3. Mwen té manjé = I had eaten / I ate
4. Mwen té kouté = I had listened / I listened 
5. Ou té kwéyé = You [singular] had created / you created


So my friends, now you know how to speak in the Past Perfect Tense.

If you enjoy the Free Creole Lessons on my blog, please SUBSCRIBE to this blog so you get updates with more free and FUN Creole Lessons. 

Saying Let's (let us) in Trinidadian Kwéyòl

In Trinidad French Creole, saying Let's or Let us do something is very straightforward, The word Annou (ahn-noo) is placed before the verb. Most people say Annou but you will also find that some people contract the word and just say Ann.

===

1. Annou /Ann palé ba yo.
   Let's speak to them.

2. Annou /Ann chanté ansanm épi'y.
   Let's sing together with him.

3. Annou / Ann sispann goumen.
    Let's stop fighting.

4. Annou / Ann vansé.
   Let's go forward.

5. Annou / Ann pa gadé dèyè.
    Let's not look back.

6. Annou / Ann désann an vil.
    Let's go into town.

7. Annou / Ann fè yon sòti òswè-a.
    Let's go on a date tonight.

8. Annou / Ann glowifyé Senyè-a!
    Let's praise the Lord!

9. Annou / Ann pa pèdi lafwa.
    Let's not loose faith.

10. Annou / Ann pa bay yo an lokazyon pou akizé nou.
      Let's not give them an opportunity to accuse us.

11. Annou / Ann fè lanmou.
      Let's make love.

Saying there is / there are

There is / there are

i ni
(ee nee)
==
or you can also say:
 la ni
(la nee) <-- I usually say "i ni"
===

There was: 

i té ni
(ee tay nee)
==
or you can also say:
 la té ni (la tay nee)
===
There will be:
la ké ni
(la kai nee)
or you can also say:
 i ké ni (la kay nee)

In Order To
Pou (poo)

In order to = pou (poo)

Example using There is / there are : LA NI OR I NI

I ni anpil moun ki pa enmen manjé vyann
There are many people who don't like to eat meat. 

Example using There was: LA TÉ NI OR I TÉ NI

La té ni an gwo bitasyon anlè mòn-lan 
There was a big estate on the hill.

Example using there will be: LA KÉ NI OR I KÉ NI

Boug, la ké ni bon bèl fanm adan fèt-sala! 
There will be lots of beautiful women in that party, man!

Example using "in order to": Pou

An tan lontan, moun té ka pwan bato pou wivé Toko.
 Long ago people used to take boats in order to reach Toco (Trinidad).

I have to (must) buy a NEW BED, IN ORDER TO sleep well:
Mwen ni pou achté yon KABANN NÈF, POU mwen sa dòmi byen.

I am covering the food, in order to prevent the dog from eating it.
Mwen ka kouvè manjé-a, pou anpéché chyen-an manjé'y.

WORD ORDER

(Basic)

The word order in Kwéyòl (Patois) sentences is generally similar to English, following a subject, verb, object pattern.

An indefinite article like "yon" (a) is placed before the noun, but definite articles like "la" (the); possessive pronouns like "nou" (our) and "yo" (their) are placed after the noun.

The following sentences can be translated, by simply substituting Kwéyòl words for English on a one to one basis.


1. I can stay there. 

   Mwen sa wèsté la.
  (mweh sah wes-tay lah)
==

2. We don't want to speak French. 

    Nou pa vlé palé Fwansé.
    (noo pa vlay pa-lay fwahn-say)
==

3. They want to speak Creole.

    Yo vlé palé Kwéyòl.
   (yo vlay pa-lay kway-yuhl)

==

4. He wants to eat. 

    Li vlé manjé.
   (lee vlay mahn-zhay)
==

5. Give Jean a cup. 

    Bay Jan yon tas.
  (bai zhahn yohn tas)
==

6. Do you want coffee? 

    Ès Ou vlé kafé?
   (es oo vlay cah-fay)
==

7. The house caught fire. 

    Kay-la pwi difé.
  (kai la pwee dee-fay)
==

8. The watch is beautiful. 

    Mont-la bèl.
  (mohnt la behl)
=========

Note in the last 2 sentences, the article (la) meaning "the" is placed after the noun.

Kwéyòl Nouns & Articles

Review (Part 1)

In the Kwéyòl language, nouns function differently from English and French. Generally speaking, Kwéyòl nouns do not have gender and although there are some gender specific nouns for human beings and some animals; the number of these nouns is so small that they can be memorised in a short space of time.
----------
When speaking English or French, the definite article (''the'' in English) will always appear before the noun.
----------
la guerre = (the) war
le basket = (the) basketball
la voiture = (the) car
----------
The exact opposite happens in Kwéyòl, with the definite being placed AFTER the noun. When written the noun is attached to its definite article by a hyphen. There are several definite articles, but for now, I will only use examples requiring the most common article (la) which is used with nouns ending in regular consonants.
----------
liv-la = the book
kay-la = the house
papay-la = the papaya (paw-paw fruit)
tab-la = the table
sik-la = the sugar
----------
There is only one form of the noun, it will never change form to reflect the singular or plural. There are 2 ways to pluralise a noun in Kwéyòl.
----------
1) When a noun appears alone without the singular indefinite article, or a quantitative number this represents a collective.
Flè = flowers.
Yon flè = A flower.
----------
2) When speaking of a specific plural number, the number is placed before the noun in order to quantify it.
Yon montay = A/one mountain.
Kat montay = four mountains.

The plural is also indicated by the plural marker (sé) which is placed before the noun with the definite article being placed after the noun.

The Kwéyòl preposition pou

The Kwéyòl preposition pou usually means "for," but has a few other possible meanings as well. It can be followed by a noun, pronoun, or infinitive, and can be used to indicate all of the following: In most cases the preposition pou is interchangeable with "ba" in cases where the word is used for indication or possession. 

The Kwéyòl word POU (poo) can be used as a:

 POU (preposition) –  for, indicating possession; for the benefit of

Examples:

1.  Mwen ké fè sa pou ou.
    I'll do that for you.

2. Mwen pa sa fè'y pou ou.
     I can't do it for you.

3. Tè sa-a sé pou yo.
    This land is their's (*for them)

4. Maman té voyé manjé pou mwen.
    Mother sent food for me.

5. Fwè'w ké twapé lajan pou ou démen.
    Your brother will get money for you tomorrow.

6. Sé kouch-sala sé pou kay mwen an.
    These beds are for my house.

7. Jézi Kwi mò pou tout moun.
    Jesus Christ died for everyone.

POU – in order to, so that

1. Nou tout vini la pou pwédyé ba'w.
    We all came here to pray for you.

2. Ban nou lè pou bwennen!
   Give us room to move!

3. Palé Anglé pou mwen sa konnpwann ou.
   Speak English so that I can understand you.

4. Ouvè radyo-a pou mwen tan nouvèl-la.
    Turn on the radio so that I can hear the news.

5. Nou alé nan konsè-a pou tann ou ka chanté.
    We went to the concert in order to hear you singing.

6. Pou mwen dòmi byen, mwen ka bwè dité mant.
    In order for me to sleep well, I drink mint tea.

7. Mwen ka ékwi'w pou di'w tout sa mwen konté fè.
    I am writing you in order to tell you all that I intend to do.

Duration of an event (temporal preposition)

1. Fanmi-mwen ké wèsté la pou senk lanné.

   My family will live here for five years.

2. Wi, nou bizwen jogé pou yon nèditan.

    Yes, we need to jog for one hour.

3. Nou ké asiz isit pou wonz jou avan nou pati.

   We will sit here for eleven days before we leave. 

4. Pli jenn ti gason-mwen ké abasan adan lékòl pou yon simenn.

    My youngest son will be absent form school for a week.

5. Fanm-lan té ka soufè anba lanmen'y pou katwòz jou.

   The woman was suffering under his control for fourteen days.

6. Gwo délij-la té diwé pou twa jou.

    The huge flood lasted for three days.

7. Ou pa sa bliyé twaka'w pou an ti tan?

  Can't you forget your worries for a little while?

Pou is also used to express one's  point of view.

1. Pou mwen manzèl-la bèl.
   For me the young woman is beautiful.

2. Mawi'y sé tout bagay pou li.
  Her husband is everything for her.

3. Ès sa sé yon bon bagay pou'w?
    Is that a good thing for you?

4. Pou maman-mwen, tout sèpan mové.
   According to my mother, all snakes are evil.

Prepositions: AT, TO, ON, IN

Prepositions

What is a preposition?

A preposition links a noun, pronoun, or phrase to another part of a sentence. Because many prepositions show direction, some say that "a preposition is anywhere a object can go." Today we will be dealing with four very important prepositions that are commonly used in Kwéyòl.

AT

Use the Kwéyòl word nan or an in generally the same way you would use the English word "at" for directions and locations, in some cases lakay or kay is used. I will give an example of the appropriate use of each of these prepositions.

1. I'm at a conference. - Mwen an/nan yon konsit.

2. We were at a concert. - Nou té an/nan yon konsè.

3. She saw the pope at a party. - Li té wè lipap-la an/nan yon fèt.

4. Yesterday you were at the school. - Yè ou té an/nan lékòl.

5. They are at Thomas' house. - Yo lakay Toma.

6. No I'm not at the store - Non mwen pa an/nan magazen-an.

7. I will be at the lecture. - Mwen ké an/nan lèkti-a.

8. She's at work. -  Li an/nan twavay.

9. I saw your sister at the wedding. - Mwen wè sésé'w an/nan nòs-la.

10. It happened at the best time. - Sa wivé an/nan pli bon moman-an.

11. We all saw him at the doctor's. - Nou tout wè'y lakay dòktè-a.

Use the Kwéyòl preposition "a" when telling time and asking questions with "at". 

Examples:

1. At what time are you coming? - A kilè ou ka vini?

2. At five.  - A senkè.

3. At what temperature? - A ki tanpéwati?

4. At what age? - A ki laj?

The preposition "a" can also be used with some nouns where the first letter is a consonant. In general the use of this preposition is very restricted.

1. Turn to the the left. - Viwé a goch.

2. Turn to the right. - Viwé a dwèt.

3. We arrived on time. - Nou wivé a lè.

4. Your mother is at the table eating. - Maman'w a tab ka manjé.

To

The preposition "to" is dropped in sentences that involve directions and locations, and infinitive clauses.

1. I'm going to Basse Terre. - Mwen ka alé Bas Tè.

2. They thought you went to Martinique. - Yo té kwè ou té alé Matnik.

3. I hope to see you - Mwen éspéwé wè'w.

4. The girl tried to scream - Tifi-a éséyé hélé.

You may also use the Kwéyòl word "nan"  to translate preposition "to" in places where you could also use "at".

1. I'm going to the hospital. - Mwen ka alé nan lopital-la.

2. Frank went to the bank. - Fwank alé nan labank-la.

3. The children went to the pool. - Sé ti-moun-an té alé nan pisin-an.

4. They went to the park. - Yo alé nan pak-la. 

On

The Kwéyòl word "asou" /"lasou" / "sou" (ah-soo / lah-soo / soo)  usually translates the preposition "on".

Examples;

1. The bowl of rice is on the table. - Bòl diwi-a asou tab-la.

2. You can sleep on the couch - Ou sa dòmi asou kouchton-an

3. Sit on the red chair. - Asiz asou chèz wouj-la.

4. Put this on the shelf for me. - Mété sa'a asou létajè-a ban mwen.

IN

The Kwéyòl words "nan", or "adan" (ah-dahn) usually translates the proposition "in"

Examples:

1. She lives in the forest. - Li ka wèsté nan lafowé-a.

2. Put some sugar in the juice. - Mété tjèk sik adan ji-a

3. We saw her in the man's house. - Nou wè li nan lakay nonm-lan.

4. In what month were you born? - Nan ki mwa ou té fèt?

5. He put the two loaves in the oven. - Li mété dé pen-an adan fou-a.

Di'y an Kwéyòl - Say it in Kwéyòl

Say it in Kwéyòl

Di'y an Kwéyòl

 

Wi.

[wee]

Yes.

Non.

[nohn]

No.

Pitèt.

[pee-teht]

Perhaps.

Souplé / Tanpwi.

[soo-play tahn-pwee]

Please.

Éskizé mwen.

[ays-kee-zay mweh]

Excuse me.

Padonen mwen.

[pah-doh-nehn mweh]

Forgive me / Pardon me.

Sé pa ayen.

[say pah ah-yehn]

You're welcome.

Ès ou ka palé Annglé?

[ehs oo kah pah-lay ann-glay]

Do you speak English?

Ès ou ka palé Kwéyòl / Patois?

[ehs oo kah pah-lay kway-yuhl / paht-wah]

Do you speak Kwéyòl / Patwa?

Mwen anni ka palé Annglé.

[mweh ann-ee kah pah-lay ann-glay]

I only speak English.

Mwen sòti Twinidad.

[mweh suh-twee twee-nee-dad]

I am from Trinidad.

Mwen sòti an Kawayib-la

[mweh suh-tee ahn kah-wah-yeeb lah]

I'm from the Caribbean.

Mwen sòti  Kannada

[mweh suh-tee kahn-nah-dah]

I am from Canada.

Li sòti Anméwik.

[lee suh-tee anh-may-week]

He /she is from America.

Adwès-mwen sé...

[ah-dwehs mweh say]

My address is...

Souplé palé dousman.

[soop-lay pah-lay doos-mahn]

Please speak slowly.

Mwen pa ka konpwann.

[mweh pah kah kohm-pwahnn]

I do not understand.

Wépété sa souplé.

[way-pay-tay sah soop-lay]

Repeat that please.

Ankò.

[ahn-kuh]

Again.

Pa ankò.

[pah ahn-kuh]

Not again.

Ékwi'y souplé.

[ay-kwe ee soop-lay]

Write it down please.

Ki sa ou vlé?

[kee sah oo vlay]

What do you want? 

Konbyen sa ka kouté?

[konb-yehn sah kah koo-tay]

How much does it cost?

Antwé.

[ant-way]

Come in.

Pouki'w pa antwé?

[poo-keew pah ant-way]

Why don't you come in?

 Vini'w.
[vee-neew]
come here.

 Atann yon ti moman
[ah-tann yohn tee moh-mahn]
Wait a moment. 

Poutji sa?
[poochee sah]
Why [stressed]

Pouki / Poutji?
[poo-kee / poochee]
Why?

Kilè / Kitan?
[kee-leh  / kee-tahn]
When?

Kouman / Ki mannyè?
[koo-mahn / kee mann-yeh]
How?

Ki moun?
[kee-moon]
Who?

Ki sa / Sa?
[kee-sah /sah]
What?

Ki koté? / Koté? / Éti?
[kee koh-tay / koh-tay /ai-tee]
Where?

Ki koté li yé?
[kee koh-tay lee yea]
Where is he / she?

Isi-a / Isit-la.
[ee-see ah  / ee-seet lah]
Here.

La.
[lah]
There.

Konbyen tan?
[kohn-byehn tahn]
How long? [how much time?]

Adan / Adidan
[ah-dahn / ah-dee-dahn]
In.

Vid.
[veed]
Empty.

Plenn
[plehnn]
Full.

Anwo
[ahn-woh]
Up.

Anba
[ahn-bah]
Down.

Douvan.
[doo-vahn]
In front of.

Dèyè.
[deh-yeh]
Behind.

Agoch.
[ah-gosh]
To the left.

Adwat.
[ah-dwaht]
To the right. 

Plizyè.
[pleez-yeh]
Several.

Pé.
[pay]
Few.

Pa djè
[pah djeh]
Not many.

Bon.
[bohn]
Good.

Plis.
[plees]
More.

Mwens.
[mwehs]
Less.

An Titak / tizinng.
[ahn tee-tack / tee-zing]
 A little.

Pli bon.
[plee bohn]
Better.

Myè 
[myeh]
Best.

Mal / Mové.
[mal / moh-vay]

Bad.

Pli mal.
[plee mal]
Worse.

Talè / byentò.
[tah-leh / byehn-tuh]
Soon.

Pli ta.
[plee tah]
Later.

Ositò /kon sa.
[oh-see-tuh / kohn sah]

As soon as.

Omwens.
[oh-mwehs]
At least.

I ta.
[ee tah]
It's late.

I twò ta.
[ee twuh tah]
It's too late.

I bonnè.
[ee bohn-neh]
It's early.

I twò bonnè.
[ee twuh bohn-neh]
It's too early.

Mwen kontan.
[mweh kohn-tahn]
I'm happy.

Mwen kontan kontan.
[mweh kohn-tan kohn-tahn]
I'm really happy.

Mwen twis.
[mweh twees]
I'm sad.

Mwen dézolé.
[mweh day-zoh-lay]
I'm sorry.

Padonné mwen souplé.
[pah-dohn-nay mweh soop-lay]
Please forgive me.

Pwochen fwa.
[pwoh-shen fwah]
Until next time.

Adan dòt sòlèy.
[ah-dahn doht suh-leh-ee]
Until next time.

Possessive Adjectives

Possessive Adjectives.

In the previous post, we learned how to demonstrate possession when speaking Trinidad French Creole.  Possessive adjectives are the words used in place of articles to indicate to whom or to what something belongs. Today we will learn more about Possessive Adjectives, these adjectives always follow the noun, and most of the time a definite article will follow the possessive adjective.

Possessive Adjectives

My - mwen (mweh)

Your (singular) - ou (oo)

His, hers, its - li (lee)

Our - nou (noo)

Your (plural) - zòt (zaut)

Their - yo (yoh)

Important! - Sometimes a definite article is added after the possessive adjective like this:

My car - motoka mwen an

The definite article can be omitted when using demonstratives (this is, that is, these are, those are).

The definite article can be omitted when using nouns  in such a specific way that there is no way of having more than one: father, mother, grandpa, grandma, husband, wife, heart, etc...

My darling - Doudou mwen instead of Doudou mwen an

My heart - Tjè mwen instead of Tjè mwen an

My head - Tèt mwen instead of Tèt mwen an

This is my chair - sa sé chèz mwen instead of sa sé chèz mwen an

Those are my books  Sé sala sé liv mwen

Very Important - You know that Trinidad French Creole has up to five definite articles: a, an, la, lan, nan.  Just follow the rules before you place them in a sentence.

Examples:

His chant - chan li a

My cocoa - kako mwen an

Your book - liv ou a

Their friend - zanmi yo a

Our family - fanmi nou a

Your (plural) priest - pwèt zòt la

Creole Possessives Part 1

Possessive adjectives are the words used in place of articles to indicate to whom or to what something belongs. In Trinidad French Creole, the possessive adjectives are identical to personal pronouns. There are 6 of them in total. The possessive is always placed after the noun, there are no exceptions to this rule.

1. mwen - my
2. ou, w - your (singular)
3. li, y - his, her, its (y is pronounced "ee")
4. nou - our
5. zòt, zò - your (plural)
6. yo - their

When the possessive ou appears after a noun ending in a vowel, it is shortened to (-w)

When the possessive li appears after a noun ending in a vowel. it is shortened to (-y)

Examples:

Bato mwen.
bah-toh mweh
my boat.

Bato papa mwen.
 bah-toh pah-pah mweh
My father's boat.

Bisiklèt ou.
bee-seek-let oo
Your bicycle.

Bisiklèt maman'w.
bee-seek-let mah-mahnw
Your mother's bicycle.

note:the word maman ends in a nasalised vowel (-an) pronoun shortened to (-w)

Amanda ka palé bay yich-li.
ah-man-dah kah pah-lay bai yeesh lee
Amanda is speaking to her child.

Chapo'y nwè.
sha-poh ee nweh
His hat is black.

Fanm-lan kité chat nou déwò.
fam lahn kee-tay shat noo day-wuh
The woman left our chat outside.

Mwen vlé achté mango zòt apwézan.
mweh vlay ash-tay mango zaut ap-way-zahn.
I want to buy your (plural) mangoes now.

Nou té wè zanmi yo lòt jou-a.
noo tay weh zah-mee yoh lot joo ah
We saw their friend recently.
 

Lesson 36 - Pito

The Kwéyòl word "pito" is derived from the French "plutôt".  It can be used in several ways: as a conjunction, as an adverb or a verb.

Maman-mwen pito bwè kafé pasé dité.
My mother would rather drink coffee than tea.

Yo pito mò pasé pou viv kon ésklav.
They would rather die than live as slaves.

Ès ou pito alé linivèsité-sa a?
Do you prefer to go to this university?

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Pito at the end of a sentence can mean instead. 

Fanm-li pa té vlé fè manjé. Li achté manjé pito.
His wife did not want to cook. He bought food insted.

Malgwé nou té vlé alé an Fwans, nou alé an Janmayik pito.
Although we wanted to go to France, we went to Jamaica instead.


Mwen té bwè ji-wézen pito.
I drank grape juice instead.

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When pito begins a sentence, it means it's better that.

Pito ou pati avan polis-la wivé.
It's better that you leave before the police arrive.

Doudou, pito ou pasé lannwit-la épi mwen.
Honey, it's better that you spend the night with me.


Pito ou palé bay tifi-ou asou sijè sèks-la.
It's better that you talk to your daughter about sex.