< Basics of Haitian Creole

Me. You. Him. Her. It. Us. Them | Object Pronouns in Haitian Creole

Learn how to use Object Pronouns in Haitian Creole. This guide provides clear examples and explanations to enhance your Haitian Creole communication skills.

Word order

Action + Object Pronoun …

Place / Location + Object Pronoun …

Description of Noun + Object Pronoun …

Verb / Action / Preposition + Object Pronoun …

What is a Pronoun?

Pronouns such as Me, You, Him, Her, It, Us, and Them are known as object pronouns because they usually appear at the end of a sentence. These pronouns replace nouns, which are people, places, or things, to simplify sentences. For example, in English, we say:

John gives me food.
John gives you food. (You = one Noun)
John gives him food.
He gives her food.
He gives it food.
John gives us food.
John gives you [all] food. (You = more than one Noun)
They gives them food.

In the examples above, pronouns like Me, You, Him, her, It, Us, and Them replace nouns in a sentence. For instance, instead of saying “John gives Peter food,” you can say “John gives him food.” Similarly, instead of “John and Marie give the children food,” you can say “they give them food.”

The same principle applies to Haitian Creole: object pronouns generally come after the verb or preposition in a sentence. This complements what you learned in the previous lesson.

Mwen

You (one Noun)

Him. Her. It.

Nou

You (more than one Noun)

Them

Examples

Now let us use the previous examples:

Jan ban mwen manje. John gives me food.
Jan ba ou manje. John gives you food.
Jan ba li manje. John gives him food.
Li ba li manje. He gives her food.
Li ba li manje. He gives it food.
Jan ban nou manje. John gives us food.
Jan ban nou manje. John gives you [all] food.
Yo ba yo manje. They gives them food.
Telefòn nan sou li. The telephone is on it. (sou = preposition)

As you can see, nou can be used as us and you (more than one Noun). In addition, there is no distinction between masculine, feminine, or neuter. Lastly, Haitian pronouns can mean different things depending on where it is placed in a sentence. Thus we can use the same pronoun many times in one sentence. Here are some more example:

Nou renmen nou. We love you.
Li renmen li. She loves him.

Short forms of Mwen, Ou, Li, Nou, and Yo

In English, we often use shorter forms of words for convenience and efficiency—like saying “fridge” instead of “refrigerator.” Similarly, in Haitian Creole, we use abbreviated forms for pronouns such as Mwen, Ou, Li, Nou, and Yo. This practice builds on what you learned in the previous lesson.

Mwen / M

Ou / W

You (one Noun)

Li / L

Him. Her. It.

Nou / N

You (more than one Noun)

Yo / Y

‘Y’ cannot be used for ‘them’

M. W. L. N. You can use them after a vowel sound.

Jan ban m manje. (‘an’ is a vowel sound)
Jan ba w manje. John gives you food.
Yon chen te pran l. A dog took it. (‘te’ is used to indicate past tense)
Li vle n gen kè kontan? He wants us to be happy.

When not to use M, W, L, N, and Y?

Do not use the short forms of all pronouns after a consonant sound. The long form must be used after a consonant sound. For example:

Jan kont ou. John is against you.
Nou avèk li. We are with him.