Learning Haitian Creole vocabulary can feel overwhelming because there’s so much to take in! But the great news is, as long as we’re alive, there’s always time to learn more and expand your skills.
In fact, new words are constantly being added to our own native tongues.
So, how can you learn even more Haitian Creole vocabulary? If you’re ready to learn more effectively starting today, here are some practical tips to get you going.
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1. Active Reading
Active reading is essential to learn Haitian Creole vocabulary. It means reading with comprehension in mind, actively trying to understand what’s happening in the story. It’s different from reading solely to improve pronunciation or fluency. Plus, you won’t need to look up every word. Check out some great tips on this here:
Here are some Haitian Creole resources to get you started with active reading:
Platfòm MIT-Ayiti
Platfòm MIT-Ayiti is an awesome initiative that provides learning materials for children to learn in their mother tongue, Kreyòl. The entire site is in Kreyòl, but the link above will take you directly to their resources. Start by clicking on items that look like they’re meant for children. You can download PDFs of the books, and there are usually comprehension questions on the download page. We strongly encourage you to try answering them!
Here are some books where the language is easier to understand:
- La Petite Pétra – Platfòm MIT-Ayiti
- Ana ak Tiga – Platfòm MIT-Ayiti
- Janjak ak Freda ale nan Sitadèl la – Platfòm MIT-Ayiti
- Materyèl pou ti moun ki fèk kòmanse aprann li ak ekri – Platfòm MIT-Ayiti
- Yon ti moun k ap reve – Platfòm MIT-Ayiti
- Mwen se yon bèl moun – Platfòm MIT-Ayiti
- Yon mango pou Gran Papa – Platfòm MIT-Ayiti
- Janjak ak Freda ale Mache An Fè – Platfòm MIT-Ayiti
Chita Pa Bay
Chita Pa Bay is a great place to start for simple reading and comprehension questions. After the Kreyòl adaptation of Masters of the Dew, you’ll find common proverbs and jokes, plus a short picture dictionary at the back. Be sure to explore the rest of the website for more reading materials.
Rise2HaitianCreole
Our official website, Rise2HaitianCreole, includes a full list of resources, along with grammar and pronunciation lessons to support your learning.
Edison 2 Kreyòl Yo
At Edison 2 Kreyòl Yo, you can buy physical copies of original stories in Haitian Creole, as well as translations of classic works.
Educa Vision
Educa Vision offers the largest collection of books in Haitian Creole. The best way to get what you need is to call and let them know what kind of book you’re looking for—they’ll be happy to help.
2. Listening
Listening is essential to learn Haitian Creole vocabulary. By alternating between active and passive listening, you can get the most out of your language learning.
Active listening means you’re focused on understanding what you’re hearing. Even if you don’t catch everything, try to grasp the main idea. Pay attention to words that come up often—after listening, you can look them up and practice using them in sentences.
Passive listening is when you listen without actively trying to understand every word or phrase—you’re simply exposing yourself to the language. It often happens in the background, like when you’re listening to a podcast or music while doing chores, watching a video without pausing or translating, or letting the language soak in through repeated exposure.
Both are useful — passive listening helps you get used to the sound and rhythm, while active listening strengthens your understanding.
Get more tips here:
Here are some Haitian Creole resources for active and passive listening:
Lakou Kajou
Lakou Kajou is a children’s channel with Haitian children in mind. It’s meant to help children learn diverse subjects in Haitian Creole.
AyiboPost
AyiboPost is more than just a news channel—it also dives into Haitian culture and commentary. While it might be challenging for beginners, it’s still great to listen to in the background for exposure.
Creole Solutions
Creole Solutions focuses almost exclusively on vocabulary, organized by important topics. Even better, you can hear the words spoken in Haitian Creole. Their accompanying website is fantastic—a constantly updated online dictionary. We also highly recommend their medical Haitian Creole reference. To get the most out of these resources, make a habit of writing sentences with the new words. Individual words are much more useful when you put them in context.
Tak 509
Tak 509 delivers Haitian news and commentary in all its glory. It’s like Trevor Noah’s Daily Show, but without the skits. The speech is fast-paced, making it perfect for background listening. It’s so exciting that it will make you want to understand every word
Chokarella
Chokarella is a Haiti based digital media platform. You get a blend of everything from music broadcasts to in-depth interviews on various topics.
3. Final Words
Our recommendation is to make a habit of writing out sentences with new words you hear or read. Individual words aren’t very useful unless put in context.
The list above is not in any particular order.
Happy learning!