Lesson 12: Invitations, Questions & Excuses
Dialogue 1
Lesson 12 - Dialogue 1.m4aA: Hé! Vyin gété in pòrtré avèk nouzòt aswa.
B: Mo sé linmé, mé mô tèt fé mal.
A: Kòfær to jamé olé sòrti èk nou?
B: Mo pe pa gété pòrtré kan mo gin in tèl mal-latèt.
A: Gin lè to linm pa gin bon tem.
B: Çé pa ça, mo jish sen mò ti brin malad. In nòt fwa, zanmi.
A: Hey! Come watch a movie with us tonight.
B: I’d love to, but my head hurts.
A: Why do you never want to come out with us?
B: I can’t watch a movie when I have a headache.
A: Seems like you don’t like to have a good time.
B: It’s not that, I just feel a little sick. Another time, friend.
Dialogue 2
Lesson 12 - Dialogue 2.m4aC: Bonswa, boug! No va fé sosyété démin oswa. T’olé vini?
D: Ki lœr?
C: Ora wit lœr.
D: Éyou?
C: Lamézon mô paren-yé. Yé gin bokou plas pou toukèkènn.
D: Dakòr, mo va dèt la. Mærsi!
C: Good evening, dude! We’re going to throw a party tomorrow evening. Do you want to come?
D: What time?
C: Around eight o’clock.
D: Where?
C: My parents’ house. They have a lot of space for everyone.
D: OK, I’ll be there. Thanks!
Lagniappe
Kouri-Vini did not just stay in Louisiana. Natural disasters such as The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 combined with the Great Depression were two reasons people moved out of Louisiana en masse. They moved west, from Texas to California, and they moved north along the Mississippi to places like St. Louis and Chicago. As Louisiana Creoles migrated, they took their culture and language with them. That is why, though increasingly rare, you may still find people in the Louisiana Diaspora who have kept the language in their families. Do you live in the diaspora and want to reconnect with one of our heritage languages? Keep using this website and explore the More Resources page.
Vocabulary
Vyin… - Come…
T’olé vini…? - Do you want to come…?
Ki/kèl lœr? - What time?
Ki/kèl jour? - What day?
Kofær? - Why?
Mo sé linmé, mé… - I’d like to, but...
Mo pa kapab parské… - I can’t because...
Mo pe pa parské… - I can’t because...
pòrtré - movie; picture
Ça senm/gin lè... - It seems like...
dwa - ought
gin pou - have to
aswa - tonight
kité, kit - to leave
lésé trankil - to leave alone