Order anything by pointing in Haitian Creole
I would like, this one, how much, the bill: survive any counter or menu. Play the ten Haitian Creole words against the clock, with a note on how locals really use each one after every answer. All ten are written out below.
All 11 Haitian Creole phrases in this lesson
- Mwen ta renmen...mwen tah REN-men
- I would like...
- Sa asah ah
- This one
- Konbyen sa koute?kom-BYAN sah koo-TEH
- How much is it?
- Kont la, souplekont lah, SOO-pleh
- The bill, please
- Ak katahk KAHT
- By card
- Ak lajan kachahk lah-ZHAHN kahsh
- In cash
- Dlodloh
- Water
- Kafekah-FEH
- Coffee
- Teteh
- Tea
- Byèbyeh
- Beer
- San...sahn
- Without...
Literally "I would like": "mwen ta renmen yon kafe".
Point and say it. Sa a literally means "this one", the definite article a attached. Works in every market from Port-au-Prince to rural areas.
Konbyen means how much, koute means costs. Always useful at markets, though prices are often fixed and little negotiation happens.
In restaurants, catch the server and say this. In small eateries, you often pay right away. The la is the definite article, so kont la means "the bill".
Cards work in bigger hotels and supermarkets. Mobile money like MonCash is common.
Prices are often quoted in Haitian dollars, a unit worth five gourdes that exists only in speech. Always check which one is meant.
Tap water in Port-au-Prince is often unsafe for visitors; bottled water (dlo boutèy) is advisable. Most vendors understand this preference without explanation.
Haitian coffee is strong and usually served sweet.
Also used for herbal infusions, like te jenjanm (teh zhen-ZHAM), ginger tea.
Prestige is the national lager.
"San sik" (sahn SEEK), without sugar; "san pikliz", without the spicy pickled slaw.