Proverb of the day

Creole Proverb of the day

"Palé pa wimèd."

"Speaking is not a remedy."

Meaning:endless discussion does little to solve problems.

 

 

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.

word of the day

Word of the day - Mo pou jòdi-a

Ji: /zhee/

meaning: juice.

Ki mannyè ou dévidé ji-a?

kee/mann-yeh/oo/day-vee-day/zhee/ah/

How did you spill the juice?

 

word of the day

Word of the day - Mo pou jòdi-a

Bwè /bweh/

Meaning: To drink

TFC : Kisa ou vlé bwè, labyè oben diven?

(kee-sa/oo/vlay/bweh/lab-yeh/oh-behn/dee-vehn/)

ENG: What do you want to drink, beer or wine?

 

 

Answers to lesson 34 - Bodily functions

I hope that you had fun filling in the missing words for each sentence. Here are the answers to those sentences.

1. Mwen tann épi zòwèy-mwen - I hear with my ears.

2. Mwen palé èvèk bouch-mwen - I speak with my mouth.

3. Ou ka dansé épi pyé'w - You dance with your feet.

4. François ka asiz asou fès-li. - François sits on his buttocks.

5. Nou ka santi lòdè-a épi nen-nou. - We smell scents with our noses.

6. Anne ka aplodi épi lanmen-li. - Anne claps with her hands.

7. Zò ké manjé épi bouch-zòt - You will eat with your mouths.

8. Li té gadé mwen épi zyé'y - He watched me with his eyes.

9. Sé ti moun-an té ka kouté listwa-a épi zòwèy-yo. - The children were listening to the story with their ears.

Word of the day

Word of the day - Mo pou jòdi-a

Kafé : /kah-fay/

Meaning : Coffee

Chak jou, mwen ka pwan yon tas kafé.

(shak/zhoo/mweh/kah/pwahn/yohn/tahs/kah-fay)

Every day, I have a cup of coffee.

 

Lesson 35 - Demonstrative Pronouns

Pronouns: Demonstrative

Demonstrative pronouns stand in for a person, place or thing that must be pointed to. They may function as subjects, objects or objects of the preposition.



Today we will be looking at the following demonstrative pronouns

This is

That is 

These are 

Those are 

 

Affirmative sentences.

This is - sé sala

That is - sé sa-a or sé sala

These are - sé sala

Those are - sé sala

 

Negative sentences. These are formed by adding the negative marker "pa"

 This is not - sa spa

That is not - sa pa

These are not - sé sala pa

Those are not -  sé sala pa

1. That is my computer - Sa sé konpita-mwen.

2. This is his girl - Sa sé djal-li

3.This is not good omen - Sa sé pa yon bon òm

4.These things are not yours - Sé bagay-sala sé pa sla'w

 

5. These dogs  are not theirs - Sé chyen-sala sé pa sla-zòt.

6. Those dresses are not mine - Sé wòb-sala sé pa sla-mwen

 

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Let's practice. Please translate the following sentences.

1. This is your ring.

2. That is not my house.

3. That is your car.

4. This is funny!

5. That is not a boat.

 Find answer key at the bottom of this page.

1. Sa sé bag-ou. 

2. Sa sé lakay-mwen.

3. Sa sé pa motoka-ou. 

4. Sa sé konmik.

5. Sa sé pa yon bato.

Word of the day

Word of the day - Mo pou jòdi-a.

Bòdlanmè /Lans : /baud/lahn-meh/ lahns/

Meaning : Beach.

Nou alé bòdlanmè-a avan laba kasé.

(noo/ah-lay/baud-lah-meh/ah/ah-vah/lah-bah/ kah-say) 

 We went to the beach before dawn broke.