'''Haitian Creole''' (''kreyol 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 nearby Bahamas, 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 Hatian Creole is based on French
Pronunciation guide
Creole pronunciation is very phonetic. If you can make friends with a Haitian who speaks English, he or she will usually be glad to help with your pronunciation.
Vowels
; e : /a/ as in aim
; e : /?/ as in leg
; ou : /u/ as in food
; i : /e/ as in bee
; o : /o/ as in toe
; o : as in saw
Consonants
; g : always hard, as in ''go''
; j : /?/ as in '''j'''oke
; y : /j/ as in '''y'''ellow
Common diphthongs
Phrase list
Basics
; Hello. (''morning''): Bonjou. ('' '')
; Hello. (''afternoon''): Bonswa. ('' '')
; How are you? : Como ou ye? ('' ?'')
; Not bad. : Pa pi mal. ('' ?'')
; What is your name? : Koumon ou rele? ('' ?'')
; My name is ______ . : Mwen rele ______ . ('' _____ .'')
; Nice to meet you. : Mwen kontan konnen ou. ('' '')
; Please. : Souple. ('' '')
; Thank you. : Mesi. ('' '')
; You're welcome. : Merite. ('' '')
; Yes. : Wi. ('' '')
; No. : Non. ('' '')
; Excuse me. (''getting attention'') : Eskize-m. ('' '')
; Excuse me. (''begging pardon'') : Se pa fot mwen. ('' '')
; I'm sorry. : Mwen regret sa. ('' '')
; Goodbye : Orevwa. ('' '')
; Goodbye (''informal'') : Babay. ('' '')
; I can't speak kreyol. : Mwen pa pale kreyol. ('' '')
; Do you speak English? : Eske ou pale angle? ('' ?'')
; Is there someone here who speaks English? : Ki moun isit ki pale angle? ('' ?'')
; Help! : Anmwe! ('' !'')
; Look out! : Atansyon! ('' !'')
; Good morning. : Bonjou. ('' '')
; Good evening. : Bonswa. ('' '')
; Good night. : . ('' '')
; Good night (''to sleep'') : . ('' '')
; I don't understand. : Mwen pa konprann. ('' '')
; Where is the toilet? : Ki kote twalet la? ('' ?'')
Problems
Numbers
; 0 : zewo
; 1 : en
; 2 : de
; 3 : twa
; 4 : kat
; 5 : senk
; 6 : sis
; 7 : set
; 8 : wit
; 9 : nef
; 10 : dis
; 11 : onz
; 12 : douz
; 13 : trez
; 14 : katoz
; 15 : kenz
; 16 : sez
; 17 : diset
; 18 : dizwit
; 19 : diznef
; 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 : mekredi
; Thursday : jedi
; Friday : vandredi
; Saturday : samdi
; Today : jodi a
; Tomorrow : denmen
; Yesterday : ye
Months
January
Janvye
February
Fevriye
March
Mas
April
Avril
May
Me
June
Jen
July
Jiye
August
Daou
September
Septanm
October
Oktob
November
Novanm
December
Desanm
Writing time and date
Colors
; black : nwa
; white : blan
; red : wouj
; green : vet
; blue : ble
; orange : oranj
; yellow : jon
Transportation
Bus and train
Directions
Taxi
; I need a taxi. : Mwen bezwen you taksi.
; Hey! Taxi! : Woy! Taksi!
; How much to go to ... : Konben pou ale ...
; Stop here, please : Rete isit, 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 ... : Eske ou vann ..
; Where can I buy ... : Kote mewn ka achte ...
; Too expensive : Two che
; I will give you ... : Si mewn ba ou ...
; OK! : Dako!
Driving
Authority