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Friday, September 21, 2012

This construction is confusing me "pou 'nou' (def art) sa 'verb'" example "Fòk mwen travay pou chofè a sa peye m." or "Mwen chita pou m sa manje." What is going on with this word order?

I hope I don't blow your mind when I tell you that some Haitians say SA instead of KAPAB..
Add the word SA to your dictionary as one more way to say can, be able to

POU + SUBJECT + SA = SO THAT + SUBJECT + CAN

So, pou nou sa comes off as so that we can, to, in order to
SO, You will actually see pou +subject + sa OR..... Pou + subject + ka in H. Creole.
Here are some examples.


1.
Mwen bezwen zèl pou'm sa vole.
I need wings so that I can fly.
I need wings in order to fly

2.
Fòk nou wè pou nou sa kwè.
We must se so that we can believe.
We must see in order to believe.

3.
Mwen chita pou m sa manje.
I sit dow so that I can eat.
I sit down to eat.

4.
Fòk mwen travay pou chofè a sa peye m.
I must work so that the driver could pay me.
I must work in order to get paid.

5.
Li retire soulye'l pou'l sa kouri pi vit.
He takes off his shoes so that he can run faster.

6.
Pran remèd la pou w sa gaya.
Take the medicine so that you can get better.


Now, SA is not just used as KAPAB in these order of sentences and words.
It is used especially in the following negatives sentences:



10.
Mwen tonbe, mwen pa sa leve.
I've fallen and I can't get up.


11.  
Mwen regret m p'ap sa fè sa pou ou.
I regret that I can't do that for you.

12. 
Mwen p'ap sa al nan fèt la.
I won't be able to go to the party.


13.
Mwen pa sa ale avè'w jodi a.
I can't go with you today.

Haitian Creole ↔ English Reference, Look up Haitian Creole and English Words


4 comments:

  1. My mind is a little blown, but it is better than trying to read these sentences with "sa" as in "this / that"

    ReplyDelete
  2. Interesting... Is this in a specific dialect?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I'm not sure of the etymology of the word SA (as KAPAB), but its usage is pretty common.

      Delete