Haitian Creole/Basic Grammar

Possession
Possession is indicated by placing the possessor after the item possessed.

Any "of" relationship is expressed in the same way.


 * The word Dayiti means "of Haiti", as in peyi Dayiti ("country of Haiti"). Peyi Ayiti ("country [of] Haiti") is sometimes seen as well.

"to know"
Konn or konnen means "to know" + a noun (cf. French connaître).

Konn or konnen also means "to know" + a fact (cf. French savoir).


 * Note: pa = negative

The third word is always spelled konn. It means "to know how to" or "to have experience". This is similar to the "know" as used in the English phrase "know how to ride a bike": it denotes not only a knowledge of the actions, but also some experience with it.

"That"
When "that" or "which" is used as a relative pronoun, it can be either ki or ke. Ki can only be the subject of the relative clause; ke is only the object. Ke can be omitted, but not ki.


 * Note: la and an are definite articles. You will learn about them in the next lesson.

"That" can also be a conjunction. In that case, it is either ke or is not used at all.

"This" and "that"
There is a single word sa that corresponds to French ce/ceci or ça, and English "this" and "that". As in English, it may be used as a demonstrative, except that it is placed after the noun it qualifies. It is often followed by a or yo (in order to mark number):

As in English, it may also be used as a pronoun, replacing a noun:

Sa can be used with ki or ke/Ø to mean literally "that which".