towfiqu_barbhuyia/Envato Elements
Pandye makout ou kote men w ka rive
Meaning
The Haitian Creole proverb pandye makout ou kote men w ka rive means to hang your bag somewhere you can reach it.
The lesson of this proverb is to live within your means and not spend more money than you can afford.
Translation: Live within your means, Don't overspend, Don't spend beyond your means.
Literal Meaning: Hang your bag where your hand can reach it.
Example 1
Pandye makout ou kote men w ka rive. Pa achte yon machin tounèf ki chè, paske travay ou pa peye ase.
Don't spend more than you can afford. Don't buy an expensive brand-new car because your job doesn't pay enough.
Example 2
Non, kay ki gen pisin lan ap koute m twòp kòb. Ban m kay ki san pisin lan pito. M dwe pandye makout mwen kote men m ka rive.
No, the house with the pool will cost me too much money. I want the one without the pool instead. I should not spend beyond my means.
Where Does Makout Come From?
Interestingly, in Kikongo, a Bantu language spoken in Central Africa, the word nkutu can mean bag or handbag.
In Bantu languages, prefixes such as ma- can sometimes be associated with grammatical noun classes, including classes used for plurals or collective nouns.
If this connection between the Haitian Creole word makout and the kikong word nkutu is correct, it would be another interesting example of the Central African influences found in Haitian Creole as a language and culture.