Grammar
Pronouns
The
personal pronouns in Creole are as follows:
i
|
mwen/mon
|
you(singular)
|
ou
|
he/she/it
|
i
|
we
|
nou
|
you(plural)
|
zò
|
they
|
yo
|
Possessive
pronouns are the same as personal pronouns except he/she/it
follow the noun (e.g. liv mwen).
The
possessive pronoun for he/she/it is 'li' and
its contracted form is 'y' which follows nouns
ending in a vowel (e.g. liv li, lavi'y).
In
the case of 'ou' (you) the possessive pronoun
is contracted when it follows a noun ending in a vowel
(e.g. manman'w).
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Gender
In
Creole there are two genders, male and female, which may
be applied to nouns when denoting sex.
The
distinction of sex may be shown by:
konpè/makoumè
|
godfather/godmother
|
kòk/poul
|
cock/hen
|
fwè/sèsè
|
brother/sister
|
mawi/madam
|
husband/wife
|
- By
use of compound words:
mal kabwit/fimel kabwit
|
he goat/she goat
|
Note:
When showing a female has had young, manman
is used instead of fimèl, especially
when the feminine has no clear form:
yon manman chyen
|
a bitch
|
yon manman bèf
|
a mother cow
|
- Gender
may also be shown by derivation:
kouzen/kouzin
|
male cousin/female cousin
|
nèg/nègwès
|
negro/negress
|
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Articles
Creole
has a definite article 'la' with a contracted
form 'a'. The contracted form is used with nouns
ending in a vowel. The definite article, which is translated
as the English 'the' and hyphenated, follows the noun
e.g.
- I
ka lavé zasyèt-la. He is washing
the plate.
- Zanfan-a
ka dòmi. The child is sleeping.
However,
the English definite article 'the' is not always translated
by Creole 'la' e.g.
- Sòlèy
kouché. The sun has set.
The
indefinite article in Creole, 'yon' (which also
means 'one') or 'on' precedes the noun and is
translated as the Englsh 'a' or 'an'. E.g.
- I
ni on layvyè pwé kay-la. There is
a river close to the house
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Simple Sentences in Creole
Now
for the useful stuff!
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Today is a beautiful day.
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Wela
mon sa tapé
yon léglize?
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Where
can I find a church?
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Days of the Week
dimanch
|
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Sunday
|
lendi
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Monday
|
madi
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Tuesday
|
mèkwédi
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Wednesday
|
jèdi
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Thursday
|
vanwédi
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Friday
|
sanmdi
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Saturday
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Janvyé
|
January
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jwiyé
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July
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Fevwiyé
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February
|
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awou
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August
|
mas
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March
|
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sèptanm
|
September
|
avwi
|
April
|
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òktòb
|
October
|
mé
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May
|
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novanm
|
November
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jen
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June
|
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désanm
|
December
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nòt
|
0
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dis
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10
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ven
|
20
|
yonn
|
1
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wonz
|
11
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twant
|
30
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dé
|
2
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douz
|
12
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kawant
|
40
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twa
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twèz
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13
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senkant
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50
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kat
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4
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katoz
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14
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swazant
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60
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senk
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5
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tjenz
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15
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swazant dis
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70
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sis
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6
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sez
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16
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katwaven
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80
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sèt
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7
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disèt
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17
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katwaven dis
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90
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wit
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8
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sizwit
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18
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san
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100
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nèf
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9
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diznèf
|
19
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Colours
wouj
|
red
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nwè
|
black
|
vè
|
green
|
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owanj
|
orange
|
woz
|
pink
|
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jòn
|
yellow
|
blé
|
blue
|
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vyòlet
|
purple
|
kako
|
brown
|
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blan
|
white
|
gwi
|
grey
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