Haitian Creole phrasebook

Haitian Creole (kreyòl ayisyen) is the one of the official languages of Haiti along with French and is spoken by by 8.5 million people in Haiti, which is nearly the entire population. It is also spoken by large Haitian communities in several nearby countries, among them Bahamas, Dominican Republic, Cuba, French Guiana, and the United States. It is based on 18th century French and several West and Central African languages with minor Spanish influence. 90% of Hatian Creole is based on French, although it differs greatly from standard French because of the lack of grammatical gender and verb inflection. Pronunciation guide Creole pronunciation is very phonetic. If you can make friends with a Haitian who speaks English, they will usually be glad to help with your pronunciation. Vowels e  /a/ as in aim è  /ɛ/ as in leg ou  /u/ as in food i  /e/ as in bee o  /o/ as in toe ò  as in saw Consonants g  always hard, as in go j  /ʒ/ as in azure y  /j/ as in yellow Common diphthongs Phrase list Basics Hello. (morning) Bonjou. ( ) Hello. (afternoon) Bonswa. ( ) How are you?  Kouman ou yé? ( ?) Not bad.  Pa pi mal. ( ?) What is your name?  Kouman ou rélé? ( ?) My name is ______ .  Mwen rélé ______ . ( _____ .) Nice to meet you.  Enchanté. ( ) Please.  Souple. ( ) Thank you.  Mesi. ( ) You're welcome.  Pa de kwa. ( ) Yes.  Wi. ( ) No.  Non. ( ) Excuse me. (getting attention)  Eskise'm. ( ) Excuse me. (begging pardon)  Pâdone'm. ( ) I'm sorry.  Dezole. ( ) Goodbye  Bye Bye. ( ) I can't speak kreyol.  Mwen pa kap pale kreyol. ( ) Do you speak English?  É-ce que ou pâler anglai? ( ?) Is there someone here who speaks English?  Gen moun isit ki pale Angle? ( ?) Help!  Anmwe! ( !) Look out!  Atensyon! ( !) Good morning.  Bonjou. ( ) Good evening.  Bonswa. ( ) Good night.  Bon wit. ( ) I don't understand.  Mwen pa konprann. ( ) Where is the toilet?  Kote twalet la? ( ?) Problems Numbers 0  zewo 1  en 2  de 3  twa 4  kat 5  senk 6  sis 7  sèt 8  wit 9  nèf 10  dis 11  onz 12  douz 13  trèz 14  katòz 15  kenz 16  sèz 17  disèt 18  dizwit 19  diznèf 20  ven, vent 30  trant 40 karant 50  senkant 60  swasant 70  swasenndis 80  katreven, katrevent 90  katrevendis, katreven-dis 100  san 1000  mil 2000  de mil 5000  senk mil 10,000  di mil 100,000  san mil 1 000 000  milyon 1 000 000 000  bilyon Time Clock time How long?  Pou konben tan? Duration Days Sunday  dimanch Monday  lendi Tuesday  madi Wednesday  mèkredi Thursday  jedi Friday  vandredi Saturday  samdi Today  jodi a Tomorrow  denmen Yesterday  yè Months January  Janvye February Fevriye March  Mas April  Avril May  Mè June  Jen July  Jiyè August  Daou September  Septanm October  Oktob November  Novanm December  Desanm Writing time and date Colors black  nwa white  blan red  wouj green  vèt blue  ble orange  zoranj yellow  jòn Transportation Bus and train How much is a ticket?  Konbyen biye a koute? Does this bus stop in ____ ?  Eske bus sa rete ____ ? Can you stop here?  Ou ka rete la? Directions I'm lost.  Mwen pèdi. How do I get to ____ ?  Koumon mwen pou mwen rive ____ ? Which way?  Ki wout? Ki kote? Taxi I need a taxi.  Mwen bezwen yon taksi. Hey! Taxi!  Epps! Taksi! How much to go to ...  Konbyen pou ale ... Stop here, please  Rete la, souple. Lodging Money How much does it cost?  Konbyen sa koute? Can I exchange euros/dollars/pounds here?  Mwen pve chanje ewo/dolar/lib si? Eating Bars Shopping Do you sell ____  ? Èske ou vann ____ ? Where can I buy ____  ?  Kote mwen ka achte ____  ? That's too expensive.  Se twò chè. I will give you ____ .  Si mwen ba ou ____ . OK!  Dakò! Driving Authority This phrasebook is an outline and needs more content. It has an introduction and a template, but there is not enough information present. Please plunge forward and help it grow!