Let’s test your listening skills in Haitian Creole. Watch the video Ki Klas Ou Fè by Maurice Sixto. While listening to the video,
- Write down exactly what he says. It’s less than 2 minutes long
- Once you feel comfortable with what you wrote, compare it to our transcript
- Send us your answers to the following questions: what is the punchline? What are some of the requirements for getting a good job in Haiti?
Vocabulary
Mwen menm menm = Haitians love adding emphasis. The second “menm” is to add even more emphasis
Manke gen afè = Almost got into drama
Man = manman. Respectful term, like “ma” in english
Ti + [non jwèt] = Haitians love to give nicknames that start with “ti”
‘On = yon. Haitians sometimes do not pronounce the “y” in “yon”
Lò = lè, lòske. When
Gonayiv = well known city in Haiti
Palto = coat
S’on = se yon
Ou konnen je pa bon = illiterate
On travay sou biwo = an office job
Klas = grade or level in school
Papye = in this context, it refers to a diploma or certificate
Desalin = Jean Jacques Dessalines. A slave who became the emperor of Haiti on September 22 1804. He didn’t go to school.
Genlè = “to seems” or “to look like” or “to be likely”. But here, Man Ti Lò is being sarcastic. Review the explantion for “Desalin”
Retorik = 11th grade
Compare your transcript with ours
Yon lòt fwa nan boutik la, se avèk mwen menm menm Man ti Lò manke gen afè.
Man Ti Lò di m ‘on jou:
“Moris monchè. M ta renmen w rann mwen ‘on ti sèvis. Ou wè ti jennomn la, tigason an, Eugene ki konn vin isi a. S’on ti nomn, ahhh fòk pa pale sa monchè. Paske pou di a, se pa yon bagay w jwenn fasil. Se yon ti nomn ki respekte moun. M trè byen a manman l. Li respekte manman l la. Epi lò w wè l vini la si m resevwa yon pake la nan ‘on bagay yon kamyon Gonayiv l al chache pou mwen. Li vini. L al ouvri lèt la. Lèt Christian ekri mwen. Ou konnen je pa bon. Li pran li pran lèt la. Li li l pou mwen. A w a li lèt pa w. A tigason sa a vrèman. Monchè m ta renmen w chache ‘on ti travay pou li.”
M di:
“Wi Man Ti Lò. Men alò…Sa l konn fè? Ki jan de travay w ta renmen m chèche pou li?”
“Monchè w konn wè tigason an. Palto sou li. Kòl li nan kou l. ‘On travay sou biwo.”
M di:
“Wi men Man Ti Lò. Ki papye li genyen? Ki klas li fè?”
Li di m:
“O?! Ou nan bagay sa yo tou? Pou chache ‘on travay pou yon tigason fò w konn ki papye, ki klas li fè. A Desalin genlè te fè retorik!”
Review questions
- Èske man ti Lò konn li?
- Ki jan de moun tigason an ye?
- Ki klas tigason an te fè?
- Ki rapò ki gen ant tigason an ak Desalin?
