Haitian Creole (kreyòl ayisyen) is one of the official languages of Haiti along with French. The former is spoken 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 the United States, the Bahamas, the Dominican Republic, Cuba, and French Guiana. It is based on 18th century French and several West and Central African languages with minor Spanish influence. 90% of Haitian 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, unlike French—the language it's based on. If you can make friends with a Haitian who speaks English, they will usually be glad to help with your pronunciation. Sounds marked with an asterisk (*) are particularly difficult for English speakers. The nasal sounds can be pronounced as if the 'n' were not there, and the 'r' can be pronounced as a 'w.' While not quite correct, these pronunciations will be generally understandable.

Vowels

a

/a/ as in father

e

/e/ as in aim

è

/ɛ/ as in bet

i

/e/ as in bee

o

/o/ as in toe

ò

/ɔ/ as in saw

ou

/u/ as in food

ui

/ɥi/ as in weed

Nasal Vowels

Nasal sounds are pronounced without fully articulating the 'n.' Think making the sound, but stopping 3/4 of the way through the 'n.'

an*

/ã/ as in genre, but nasal

en*

/ẽ/ as in hen, but nasal

on*

/õ/ as in on, but nasal

Consonants

ch

/ʃ/ as in shoe

g

always hard, as in go

j

/ʒ/ as in treasure

r*

/ɣ/ no English equivalent, but pronounced like the 'r' in French

y

/j/ as in yellow

Phrase list

Basics

Hello. (morning)

Bonjou. (BOH-joo)

Hello. (afternoon)

Bonswa. (BOH-swa )

How are you?

Koman ou yè? (KOH-mah oo yay?)

Not bad.

Pa pi mal. (pah pee mahl)

What is your name?

Koman ou rèlè? (KOH-mah oo RAY-lay?)

My name is ______ .

Mwen rèlè ______ . (mway RAY-lay _____ .)

Nice to meet you.

Enchantè. (on-shahn-TAY)

Please.

Souple. ( )

Thank you/very much.

Mesi/anpil. (meh-SEE/on-PEEL)

You're welcome.

Pa de kwa. (pah-day-kwaah)

Yes.

Wi. (wee)

No.

Non. (no)

Excuse me. (getting attention)

Eskise'm. (es-KEEZ-eh m)

Excuse me. (begging pardon)

Padone'm. ( )

I'm sorry.

Dezole. ( )

Goodbye

Bye Bye. (bah-buy)

I can't speak kreyol.

Mwen pa kap pale kreyol. (mway pah kahp PAH-lay kway-OHL)

Do you speak English?

Eske ou pale Angle? (ES-kay oo PAH-lay on-GLAY?)

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. (mway pah kone-PWAN)

Where is the toilet?

Kote twalet la? (KOH-tay twah-LET la?)

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?

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

Colors

black

nwa

white

blan

red

wouj

green

vèt

blue

ble

orange

zoranj

yellow

jòn

Transportation

Bus and train

How much is a ticket?

Konben koute biye?

Does this bus stop in ____ ?

Tap la arete nan ____ ?

Can you stop here?

Ou pve arèt isit?

Directions

I'm lost.

Mwen se pèdi.

How do I get to ____ ?

Koumon mwen pve ale o ____ ?

Which way?

Ki wout?

Taxi

I need a taxi.

Mwen bezwen yon taksi.

Hey! Taxi!

Woy! Taksi!

How much to go to ...

Konben pou ale ...

Stop here, please

Rete isit, souple.

Money

How much does it cost?

Konbyen sa koute?

Can I exchange euros/dollars/pounds here?

Mwen pve chanje ewo/dolar/lib si?

Shopping

Do you sell ____  ?

Èske ou vann ____ ?

Where can I buy ____  ?

Ki kote mwen ka achte ____  ?

That's too expensive.

Sa twò chè.

I will give you ____ .

Map ba ou ____ .

OK!

Dakò!