What You Will Learn
In this lesson, you will learn the following:
1. How to say basic question words like who, what, how, etc.
2. How to ask yes-or-no questions that may begin with words such as do, can, is, are, did, etc., in English.
How to Say Basic Question Words
- 1. The question word kiyès can mean who or which one.
- 2. The question words kòman and ki jan both mean how*.
*The question words ki fason and nan ki fason are similar to kòman and ki jan. They can mean in what way.
Basic question words in Haitian Creole
Examples
1. Ki moun ki vle jwe?
Who wants to play?
2. Kiyès ki vle jwe?
Which one wants to play?
3. Ki sa ou vle jwe?
What do you want to play?
4. Ki kote ou vle jwe?
Where do you want to play?
5. Ki jan ou vle jwe?
How do you want to play?
How to Ask Yes-or-No Questions
- Use èske at the beginning of a sentence to form a yes-or-no question.
To do this, say èske at the beginning and then say the rest of your question. It really is that simple (see examples below).
You can also ask many yes-or-no questions without èske by simply using a questioning tone.
Simply say èske at the beginning to form a yes-or-no question.
Examples
1. Èske ou vle jwe?
Do you want to play?
2. Èske ou ka jwe?
Can you play?
3. Èske ou pral jwe?
Are you going to play?
4. Èske ou te jwe?
Did you play?
5. Èske li jwe?
Does she play?
Start Asking Questions
Now you probably have a good idea of how to use the basic question words in Haitian Creole.
The next step is to start asking basic questions such as what is your name? and where are you from?
See our lesson on asking basic questions in Haitian Creole to see how to do this.