Ti Koze Sis. Conversation Six.
Original Source
All credit goes to Bryant C. Freeman, Ph.D. These excerpts are all taken from Ti Koze Kreyòl, A Haitian-Creole Conversation Manual. We love the content so much that we want to share it with you. For more information, please visit the official website.
Instructions
- Listen to the recording. Write down what you understood
- Listen to the recording while reading the transcript. Key terms and phrases are located at the end
- Use new vocabulary with others. Copy the sound and intonation you heard in the recording
Jalouzi. Jealousy.
Nan lari. Jan wè Mari ak yon zanmi.
Jan: Bonswa, Mari. Ban m nouvèl ou.
Mari: M pa pi mal, non. E ou menm?
Jan: M la, wi.
Mari: M ta renmen ou fè konesans ak zanmi m, Kami, ki fèk* sòti an Ayiti.
Jan: O! o! Mwen kontan anpil anpil fè konesans ak ou!! Kilè ou rive isit?
Kami: Gen twa jou sèlman depi m rive.* Se kay Mari m te desann, men kounyeya m fèk jwenn yon ti apatman prive.
Jan: O! o! yon ti apatman pa ou!* Ki kote li ye?
Mari: Jan monchè, nou prese anpil kounyeya. Nou pap gen tan pale plis ak ou. N a wè ou yon lòt jou. N ale.* (Yo pati. Jan rete pou kont li.*)
Jan: O! o! Kèt! Dam sa a anfòm, papa! Piske Mari toujou mechan avè m. . .
Li uitè diswa konsa.* Jan chita lakay li; l ap li yon liv ki rele: “Ki Jan Ou Menm Tou Kab Jwenn Yon Bèl Fi.”
Jan: Si sèlman m te konnen kijan m ta ka jwenn Kami, men m pa konn ki kote li rete. Fout!
Telefòn nan sonnen; Jan reponn.
Jan: Alo.
Mari: Bonswa, Jan. Se Mari.
Jan: O! Mari, kouman ou ye? Mwen kontan tande vwa ou. Kisa ou ap fè aswè a?
Mari: Anyen. Mwen lakay mwen, m ap etidye.
Jan: Kisa ou ap etidye?
Mari: Sa ou kwè? Kreyòl ayisyen, monchè.
Jan: O! Mwen menm tou, mwen t ap etidye kreyòl!* Èske ou dakò pou m vini etidye ak ou?
Mari: Mwen ta byen renmen sa.
Jan: M ap rive lakay ou taptap!* M a wè ou talè.*
Mari: Oke. M ap tann ou.
Nòt Yo. Notes.
Fèk “to have just” (done something), an important idiom.
Gen twa jou sèlman depi m rive. “I got here only three days ago.”
Yon ti apatman pa ou! “your own little apartment!” When pa is followed by a verb, it indicates a negative; when pa is followed by a pronoun (as here) or by a noun, it indicates possession.
N ale literally, “We go,” i.e., “Bye.” Cf. also M ale “Bye”.
Pou kont li “alone.”
Uitè diswa konsa “around 8 p.m.”.
Taptap “right away,” “fast.” Also the name for the small pick-up trucks that serve as public transportation especially in downtown Port-au-Prince.
Talè “soon,” “in a little while (from now)”; “a little while ago” would have been talè a. (Sorry, but no language is without its little difficulties!)
Kesyon Yo. Questions.
Chache reponn ak yon fraz konplèt. Answer using a complete sentence.
1. Ak ki moun Jan fè konesans kounyeya?
2. Kami se moun ki peyi?
3. Èske gen lontan depi li debake isit?
4. Kay ki moun li te rete?
5. Epi ki kote li rete kounyeya?
6. Èske Kami gen tan di Jan kote li rete?
7. Poukisa li pa gen tan?
***
8. Ki liv Jan vin ap li pita?
9. Èske Jan konnen ki kote Kami rete?
10. Ki moun ki rele Jan nan telefòn, Mari oubyen Kami?
11. Poukisa Mari rele Jan?
12. Kisa Mari t ap etidye?
13. Èske Jan t ap etidye kreyòl vre lè Mari te rele li?
14. Ou kwè Jan mande Mari sa manmzèl te vle a?
15. Lèfini, kisa k ap pase kounyeya?