Chapter 3: Grammar
About, in English, has a variety of different uses whether as an invariable adverb, approximative, and/or a proposition.
In Creole, this word can be divided into five different words. Each word is used in different contexts. The first way to express the word about in Creole is with apré. apré is used when speaking about inanimate objects such as a car, stick, desk, etc.
M’ap kozé apré tô shar I’m chatting about your car
Mo p’olé parlé apré ça I don’t want to talk about that
Pou is generally employed when speaking about animate objects such as a person, dog, group of people, etc. Take for example the song ‘Tout chacun après parler’ by Clifton Chenier.
‘Toukékin apé parlé…. y’apé parlé pou mò é twa’
Everyone is talking…. they’re talking about me and you
aproshan, apepré, and environ are another way of expressing the English word about. While three separate words, they are used interchangeably and in the same contexts either as an adverb or preposition. They are generally employed in cases of numbers, quantities, and time. Below are some examples of usage.
Ça diré aproshan dé minut That lasted about two minutes
Inavé in moun apepré tô laj There was a person about your age
Yé gin environ kat pyas They have about four dollars
| Creole | English |
|---|---|
| apré | about (used with inanimate objects) |
| pou | about (used with animate objects) |
| aproshan / environ | about (used as an approximative) |
| apepré / apépré | about (used as an approximative, estimation) |