Haitian (Krèyol ayisyen)

travel photo to inspire Hatian language study
A market in Cap Haitien. Photo by Doron, CC BY-SA 3.0

ALPHABET MATCHING GAME VOCABULARY FLASHCARDS

Why learn Haitian?

Haitian Creole is a French-based creole language spoken by 10–12 million Haitians in Hati and around the world. It originated mostly from 18th-century French, with influences from Portuguese, Spanish, English, Taíno, and West African languages. Haitian Creole and French have similar pronunciations and share many lexical items. In fact, over 90% of the Haitian Creole vocabulary is of French origin, however, it is not mutually intelligible with standard French, and has its own distinctive grammar.

International travel is made easier and more pleasant when you know Haitian. You are at a distinct advantage in the global market if you are bilingual. Analytical skills improve when you study Haitian. The study of Haitian teaches and encourages respect for other people.

How Long Does it Take to Learn Haitian?

Hatian Creole is rated as a category 2 language by the Foreign Service Institute. It is considered moderately easy for English speakers to learn and takes an average of 36 weeks (or 900 class hours) to gain professional working proficiency.

Haitian Alphabet & Pronunciation

Haitian Creole is composed of the following 32 symbols:

a
[a]
an
[ã]
b
[b]
ch
[ʃ]
d
[d]
e
[e]
è
[ɛ]
en
[ɛ̃]
f
[f]
g
[ɡ]
h
[h]
i
[i]
j
[ʒ]
k
[k]
l
[l]
m
[m]
n
[n]
ng
[ŋ]
o
[o]
ò
[ɔ]
on
[õ]
ou
[u]
oun
[]
p
[p]
r
[ɣ]
s
[s]
t
[t]
ui
[ɥi]
v
[v]
w
[w]
y
[j]
z
[z]

Basic Phrases in Haitian

Hello
Goodbye
Yes
No
Excuse me
Please
Thank you
You are welcome
Do you speak english
Do you understand
I understand
I do not understand
How are you
Fine thanks
What is your name
My name is
Pleased to meet you

Haitian Grammar

Haitian Nouns

Man
Woman
Boy
Girl
Cat
Dog
Fish
Water
Milk
Egg
House
Flower
Tree
Shirt
Pants

Haitian Adjectives

Colors in Haitian

Black
White
Red
Orange
Yellow
Green
Blue
Purple
Pink
Gray
Brown

Numbers in Haitian

Zero
One
Two
Three
Four
Five
Six
Seven
Eight
Nine
Ten
Eleven
Twelve
Twenty
Thirty
Forty
Fifty
Sixty
Seventy
Eighty
Ninety
Hundred
Thousand

Haitian Verbs

To be
To have
To want
To need
To help
To go
To come
To eat
To drink
To speak

Building Simple Sentences

More Complex Haitian Sentences

And
Or
But
Because
With
Also
However
Neither
Nor
If
Then

Useful Haitian Vocabulary

Haitian Questions

Who
What
When
Where
Why
How
How many
How much

Days of the Week in Haitian

Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
Sunday
Yesterday
Today
Tomorrow

Months in Haitian

January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December

Seasons in Haitian

Winter
Spring
Summer
Autumn

Telling Time in Haitian

What time is it
Hours
Minutes
Seconds
O clock
Half
Quarter past
Before
After