Greetings and polite phrases
| Haitian Creole | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| bonjou | hello / good morning | bohn-ZHOO | Bonjou, kijan ou ye?Hello, how are you? |
| bonswa | good evening | bohn-SWAH | Bonswa, mwen kontan wè ou.Good evening, I'm happy to see you. |
| kijan ou ye | how are you | kee-ZHAHN oo yay | Kijan ou ye jodi a?How are you today? |
| mwen byen | I'm fine | mwen BYEN | Mèsi, mwen byen.Thank you, I'm fine. |
| mèsi | thank you | MEH-see | Mèsi anpil pou ede m.Thank you very much for helping me. |
| tanpri | please | tahn-PREE | Tanpri, ban m yon vè dlo.Please give me a glass of water. |
| padon | excuse me / sorry | pah-DOHN | Padon, ki lè li ye?Excuse me, what time is it? |
| wi | yes | wee | Wi, mwen dakò.Yes, I agree. |
| non | no | nohn | Non, mèsi.No, thank you. |
| orevwa | goodbye | oh-ray-VWAH | Orevwa, wè ou demen.Goodbye, see you tomorrow. |
| bòn nwit | good night | bohn NWEET | Bòn nwit, dòmi byen.Good night, sleep well. |
| anchante | nice to meet you | ahn-SHAHN-tay | Anchante, non mwen se Pòl.Nice to meet you, my name is Paul. |
Numbers 1-12
| Haitian Creole | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| en | one | ehn | Chif en vini anvan chif de.The digit one comes before the digit two. |
| de | two | day | Mwen gen de sè.I have two sisters. |
| twa | three | twah | Li gen twa chat.She has three cats. |
| kat | four | kaht | Nou gen kat chèz.We have four chairs. |
| senk | five | sehnk | Timoun nan gen senk ane.The child is five years old. |
| sis | six | sees | Klas la kòmanse a sis è.Class starts at six o'clock. |
| sèt | seven | seht | Semèn nan gen sèt jou.The week has seven days. |
| uit | eight | weet | Mwen dòmi uit è chak nwit.I sleep eight hours every night. |
| nèf | nine | nehf | Magazen an louvri a nèf è.The store opens at nine o'clock. |
| dis | ten | dees | Li gen dis dola nan pòch li.He has ten dollars in his pocket. |
| onz | eleven | ohnz | Reyinyon an kòmanse a onz è.The meeting starts at eleven o'clock. |
| douz | twelve | dooz | Yon ane gen douz mwa.A year has twelve months. |
Colors
| Haitian Creole | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| wouj | red | wooj | Machin nan wouj.The car is red. |
| ble | blue | blay | Syèl la ble jodi a.The sky is blue today. |
| vèt | green | veht | Zèb la vèt.The grass is green. |
| jòn | yellow | zhohn | Solèy la jòn.The sun is yellow. |
| nwa | black | nwah | Chat mwen an nwa.My cat is black. |
| blan | white | blahn | Nèj la blan.The snow is white. |
| woz | pink | wohz | Flè a woz.The flower is pink. |
| vyolèt | purple | vyoh-LEHT | Rad la vyolèt.The dress is purple. |
| mawon | brown | mah-WOHN | Je m mawon.My eyes are brown. |
| gri | gray | gree | Syèl la gri jodi a.The sky is gray today. |
Family
| Haitian Creole | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| fanmi | family | fahn-MEE | Fanmi mwen gwo.My family is big. |
| manman | mother | mahn-MAHN | Manman m ap kwit manje.My mother is cooking food. |
| papa | father | pah-PAH | Papa m travay nan biwo.My father works in an office. |
| frè | brother | freh | Mwen gen yon frè.I have one brother. |
| sè | sister | seh | Sè m etidye nan Pòtoprens.My sister studies in Port-au-Prince. |
| pitit gason | son | pee-TEET gah-SOHN | Pitit gason yo gen senk ane.Their son is five years old. |
| pitit fi | daughter | pee-TEET fee | Pitit fi nou renmen li.Our daughter likes to read. |
| grann | grandmother | grahn | Grann mwen fè bon manje.My grandmother makes good food. |
| granpè | grandfather | grahn-PEH | Granpè m rakonte istwa.My grandfather tells stories. |
| mari | husband | mah-REE | Mari m konn kwizin byen.My husband cooks well. |
| madanm | wife | mah-DAHM | Madanm li se yon doktè.His wife is a doctor. |
| timoun | child | tee-MOON | Timoun sa a trè janti.This child is very kind. |
Food and drink
| Haitian Creole | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| pen | bread | pehn | Mwen achte pen fre chak maten.I buy fresh bread every morning. |
| dlo | water | dloh | Ban m yon vè dlo, tanpri.Give me a glass of water, please. |
| lèt | milk | leht | Mwen bwè lèt pou dejene.I drink milk for breakfast. |
| fwomaj | cheese | fwoh-MAHZH | Fwomaj sa a bon anpil.This cheese is very good. |
| ze | egg | zay | Mwen ap kwit yon ze pou dejene.I'm cooking an egg for breakfast. |
| vyann | meat | vyahn | Mwen pa manje vyann.I don't eat meat. |
| pwason | fish | pwah-SOHN | Pwason bon pou sante.Fish is good for health. |
| fwi | fruit | fwee | Mwen renmen fwi fre.I like fresh fruit. |
| legim | vegetable | lay-GEEM | Nou manje legim chak jou.We eat vegetables every day. |
| soup | soup | soop | Soup la cho.The soup is hot. |
| kafe | coffee | kah-FAY | Ban m yon kafe ak lèt, tanpri.Give me a coffee with milk, please. |
| te | tea | tay | Mwen pito te pase kafe.I prefer tea over coffee. |
| sik | sugar | seek | Mwen pa mete sik nan te m.I don't put sugar in my tea. |
| sèl | salt | sehl | Pase m sèl la, tanpri.Pass me the salt, please. |
Travel and directions
| Haitian Creole | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ayewopò | airport | ah-yay-oh-POH | Ayewopò a lwen sant vil la.The airport is far from downtown. |
| otèl | hotel | oh-TEHL | Mwen rezève yon chanm nan otèl la.I booked a room at the hotel. |
| tikè | ticket | tee-KEH | Mwen achte yon tikè pou bis la.I bought a ticket for the bus. |
| bis | bus | bees | Bis la toujou plen.The bus is always full. |
| avyon | airplane | ah-VYOHN | Avyon an ap dekole nan yon èdtan.The plane is taking off in an hour. |
| machin | car | mah-SHEEN | Machin mwen an gri.My car is gray. |
| goch | left | gohsh | Vire agoch nan kwen an.Turn left at the corner. |
| dwat | right | dwaht | Ale tou dwat, epi vire adwat.Go straight, then turn right. |
| tou dwat | straight ahead | too dwaht | Ale tou dwat rive nan pon an.Go straight ahead to the bridge. |
| kat jewografik | map | kaht zhay-oh-grah-FEEK | Mwen bezwen yon kat jewografik vil la.I need a map of the city. |
| paspò | passport | pahs-POH | Pa bliye paspò ou.Don't forget your passport. |
| valiz | suitcase | vah-LEEZ | Valiz mwen an lou.My suitcase is heavy. |
Time and days of the week
| Haitian Creole | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| lendi | Monday | lehn-DEE | Mwen kòmanse travay lendi.I start work on Monday. |
| madi | Tuesday | mah-DEE | Nou gen yon reyinyon madi.We have a meeting on Tuesday. |
| mèkredi | Wednesday | meh-kray-DEE | Mèkredi se mitan semèn nan.Wednesday is the middle of the week. |
| jedi | Thursday | zhay-DEE | Jedi, mwen prale kay doktè.On Thursday, I'm going to the doctor. |
| vandredi | Friday | vahn-dray-DEE | Vandredi se jou mwen pi renmen.Friday is my favorite day. |
| samdi | Saturday | sahm-DEE | Samdi mwen repoze.On Saturday I rest. |
| dimanch | Sunday | dee-MAHNSH | Dimanch nou ale legliz.On Sunday we go to church. |
| jodi a | today | zhoh-DEE ah | Jodi a fè cho.Today it's hot. |
| demen | tomorrow | day-MEHN | Mwen gen egzamen demen.I have an exam tomorrow. |
| yè | yesterday | yeh | Li te fè lapli yè.It rained yesterday. |
| è | hour | eh | Mwen tann yon è.I waited an hour. |
| kounye a | now | koon-YAY ah | Mwen dwe ale kounye a.I have to go now. |
Common verbs
| Haitian Creole | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| se | to be | say | Mwen se yon elèv.I am a student. |
| genyen | to have | gen-YEHN | Mwen genyen yon chen.I have a dog. |
| ale | to go | ah-LAY | Mwen ale nan lekòl chak jou.I go to school every day. |
| manje | to eat | mahn-ZHAY | Mwen renmen manje fwi.I like eating fruit. |
| bwè | to drink | bweh | Mwen vle bwè dlo.I want to drink water. |
| pale | to speak | pah-LAY | Mwen pale yon ti kras kreyòl.I speak a little Creole. |
| konprann | to understand | kohn-PRAHN | Mwen pa konprann mo sa a.I don't understand this word. |
| li | to read | lee | Mwen renmen li liv.I like reading books. |
| ekri | to write | ay-KREE | Mwen ekri yon lèt bay yon zanmi.I'm writing a letter to a friend. |
| wè | to see | weh | Mwen wè mòn nan depi isit la.I can see the mountain from here. |
| vle | to want | vlay | Mwen vle yon kafe, tanpri.I want a coffee, please. |
| renmen | to like / love | rehn-MEHN | Mwen renmen mizik ayisyen.I like Haitian music. |
Adjectives
| Haitian Creole | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| gwo | big | gwoh | Se yon gwo kay.This is a big house. |
| piti | small | pee-TEE | Mwen gen yon chen piti.I have a small dog. |
| bon | good | bohn | Se yon bon lide.That's a good idea. |
| move | bad | moh-VAY | Tan an move jodi a.The weather is bad today. |
| nouvo | new | noo-VOH | Mwen achte yon nouvo telefòn.I bought a new phone. |
| vye | old | vyay | Se yon vye chato.This is an old castle. |
| rapid | fast | rah-PEED | Machin sa a rapid.This car is fast. |
| lan | slow | lahn | Bis la lan jodi a.The bus is slow today. |
| bèl | pretty / beautiful | behl | Ou gen yon bèl kay.You have a beautiful house. |
| difisil | difficult | dee-fee-SEEL | Egzamen sa a difisil.This exam is difficult. |
Question words
| Haitian Creole | English | Say it | Example |
|---|---|---|---|
| ki moun | who | kee moon | Ki moun sa a?Who is this? |
| kisa | what | kee-SAH | Kisa w ap fè?What are you doing? |
| kote | where | koh-TAY | Kote otèl la ye?Where is the hotel? |
| kilè | when | kee-LEH | Kilè w ap rive?When will you arrive? |
| poukisa | why | poo-kee-SAH | Poukisa ou tris?Why are you sad? |
| kijan | how | kee-ZHAHN | Kijan ou fè sa?How do you do that? |
| konbyen | how much / many | kohn-BYEHN | Konbyen sa koute?How much does this cost? |
| ki | which | kee | Ki bis ki ale nan sant vil la?Which bus goes downtown? |
Study tips for Haitian Creole
- Haitian Creole spelling is phonetic, so once you learn the sound of each letter you can read most words correctly on sight.
- Word stress in Haitian Creole usually falls on the last syllable of a word, unlike French, its main source language.
- Pronouns like mwen, ou and li do not change form for subject or object, which makes building basic sentences easier than in French.
- The nasal vowels an, en and on are pronounced through the nose; practice them separately from a, e and o.
- Verbs like renmen and genyen do not conjugate for person, so mwen renmen and li renmen use the exact same verb form.
Frequently asked questions
How do you say hello in Haitian Creole?
Bonjou means hello or good morning, and bonswa is used for good evening. Both are common everyday greetings.
Is Haitian Creole the same as French?
No. Haitian Creole (Kreyòl Ayisyen) developed from French vocabulary combined with African language grammar and structure, and it is a distinct language with simpler, more regular grammar than French.
How many words are on this page?
This page covers 114 essential Haitian Creole words grouped by everyday topics such as greetings, numbers, family and food.
What script is Haitian Creole written in?
Haitian Creole uses the Latin alphabet with a spelling system that is mostly phonetic, meaning words are written close to how they sound.