Haitian Creole Phrasebook: Essential Expressions for Communicating in Haiti

HAITIAN CREOLE PHRASEBOOK

Essential Expressions for Communicating in Haiti

Cécile Accilien, Ph.D., and Jowel C. Laguerre, Ph.D.

Copyright © 2011 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

ISBN 978-0-07-174921-3

MHID 0-07-174921-7

The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: ISBN 978-0-07-174920-6, MHID 0-07-174920-9.

All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than put a trademark symbol after every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use names in an editorial fashion only, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. Where such designations appear in this book, they have been printed with initial caps.

McGraw-Hill eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions, or for use in corporate training programs. To contact a representative please e-mail us at [email protected].

TERMS OF USE

This is a copyrighted work and The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (McGraw-Hill) and its licensors reserve all rights in and to the work. Use of this work is subject to these terms. Except as permitted under the Copyright Act of 1976 and the right to store and retrieve one copy of the work, you may not decompile, disassemble, reverse engineer, reproduce, modify, create derivative works based upon, transmit, distribute, disseminate, sell, publish or sublicense the work or any part of it without McGraw-Hill’s prior consent. You may use the work for your own noncommercial and personal use; any other use of the work is strictly prohibited. Your right to use the work may be terminated if you fail to comply with these terms.

THE WORK IS PROVIDED AS IS. McGRAW-HILL AND ITS LICENSORS MAKE NO GUARANTEES OR WARRANTIES AS TO THE ACCURACY, ADEQUACY OR COMPLETENESS OF OR RESULTS TO BE OBTAINED FROM USING THE WORK, INCLUDING ANY INFORMATION THAT CAN BE ACCESSED THROUGH THE WORK VIA HYPERLINK OR OTHERWISE, AND EXPRESSLY DISCLAIM ANY WARRANTY, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. McGraw-Hill and its licensors do not warrant or guarantee that the functions contained in the work will meet your requirements or that its operation will be uninterrupted or error free. Neither McGraw-Hill nor its licensors shall be liable to you or anyone else for any inaccuracy, error or omission, regardless of cause, in the work or for any damages resulting there from. McGraw-Hill has no responsibility for the content of any information accessed through the work. Under no circumstances shall McGraw-Hill and/or its licensors be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, punitive, consequential or similar damages that result from the use of or inability to use the work, even if any of them has been advised of the possibility of such damages. This limitation of liability shall apply to any claim or cause whatsoever whether such claim or cause arises in contract, tort or otherwise.

Select phrases from the book are featured in a free audio download that can be found on mhprofessional.com.

Tèt ansanm pou bati yon Ayiti ki desantralize ak estab!

Heads together to build a decentralized and sustainable Haiti

To the memory of Roseline Massé, fanm vanyan, who was a caring, thoughtful, and loving rainbow in so many people’s clouds and especially Cécile’s.

To the memory of Sonia Biassou Lamothe, Jowel’s other mother.

We dedicate this book to the memory of the many Haitians and non-Haitians who lost their lives in the earthquake of 01/12/10 and to the rebuilding of a more prosperous Ayiti Cheri!

Contents

Acknowledgments

Introduction

Part 1 Basic Vocabulary

Chapter 1

Basics of Haitian Creole

Pronunciation

Alphabet

Chapter 2

Greetings and Introductions

Key Words and Phrases

Greetings

Introductions

Occupations

Family and Friends

Wishes

Talking on the Phone

Chapter 3

Opinions and Descriptions

The Magic Words

Likes and Dislikes

Preferences

Opinions

Agreement and Disagreement

Description

Colors

Chapter 4

Numbers, Time, and Weather

Cardinal Numbers

Expressions of Quantity

Ordinal Numbers

Telling Time

Days of the Week

Months of the Year

Weights and Measures

Weather

Part 2 Living and Working in Haiti

Chapter 5

Transportation and