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Proverbs · flashcards
59 cards on 16 sides. Print double-sided, flip on the long edge, then cut along the lines. Fronts are Kwéyòl, backs are English; on paper the backs are mirrored so each lands behind its front.
Wazyé tini zowèy.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Bush has ears.
Jaden lwen, gonbo gaté.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
The garden far, the ochro spoils.
Tanbou tini gwan twen pas andidan li vid.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
A drum makes a loud noise because it is empty within.
Jan fenyan ka mandé twavay épi bouch, men tjè-yo ka pwiyé Bondyé pou yo pa touvé.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Lazy people ask for work with their lips, but their hearts beg God to prevent their getting it.
Bagay ki fè zyé fè né.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Whatever affects the eye affects the nose.
Bèf pa jamen ka di savan “mèsi.”Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Ox never tells the pasture, “thank you.”
Fo pawòl mò pou moun pé viv.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Words must die that men may live.
Makak konnèt ki bwa li ka monté.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Monkey knows what tree to climb.
Ou ponkò twavèsé lawivyè; pa jiwé maman kayman.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
You have not yet crossed the river; do not curse the crocodile’s mother.
Bon bouch ka ganyen chouval a kwédi.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Fair words buy horses on credit.
Mizè ka fè makak manjé piman.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Want makes monkey eat pepper.
Sé nan tan lapli bèf bizwen latjè-li.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
It is in rainy season that the ox has need of his tail.
Sé lang kwapo ki ka twahi kwapoProverbs · TriniKwéyòl
It is the frog’s own tongue that betrays him.
Sé kouto ki konnèt sa ki nan tjè jiomou.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
It is the knife that knows what is in the heart of the pumpkin.
Ki mélé zé nan kalenda wòch?Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
What business have eggs in the dance of stones?
Si koulèv pas té fonté, fanm sé pwend li fè wiban jip.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
If the adder were not so brazen, (dangerous) women would take it for coat-strings.
Sé lè van ka vanté moun ka wè lapo poul.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
It is when the wind is blowing that we see the skin of a fowl.
Badnen byen épi makak, men pwengad manyen latjé-li.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Joke freely with the monkey, but beware of handling his tail.
Kanawai vlé wi chodyè.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
The clay-pot wishes to laugh at the iron-pot.
Makak pa jamen ka di ich-li lèd.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Monkey never says its young is ugly.
Dan pa jamen wi bon bagay.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Teeth never laugh at things that are good.
Tanpé ka ganyen malè sa doublon pa sa géwi.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
A penny buys troubles which doubloons cannot cure.
Menm baton ki bat chyen nwè-la pé bat chyen blan-la.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
The same stick that beat the black dog can beat the white.
Kwab pa maché, li pa gwa; li maché twòp é li tonbé nans chodyè.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Crab has not walked, he is not fat; he has walked too much, and has fallen into the pot.
Benyen ich moun, men pa lavé dèyè zowèy-yo.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Bathe people’s children but do not wash behind their ears.
Kouyonad sé pa limonad.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Nonsense is not sugar-water.
Makak kawésé ich-li twòp, li fouwé dwèt nan zyé-li.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
The monkey fondling its young too much has (at length) poked her finger into its eye.
Pawòl pa tini koulè.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Words have no colour.
Yon dwèt pa sa pwand pis.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
A single finger cannot catch fleas.
Gwès pa tini santiman.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Fat has no sentiment.
Kwapo pa tini chimiz – ou vlé li pòté kaneson!Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Frog has no shirt (the necessary), and you wish him to wear drawers (the superfluous)!
Sé soulyé tousèl ki sav si ba tini tou.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Shoes alone know if the stockings have holes.
Wavèt pa jamen wézon douvan poul.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Cockroach never is in the right where the fowl is concerned.
Si zandoli té bon viand li pa sé ka dwivé.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
If the lizard had eatable flesh, it would not be so common.
Palé pa wimèd.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Talking is no remedy.
Jan ki ka ba ou konsèy ganyen chouval gwo bouden nan louvenay, nan kawèm pa ka widé ou nouwi li.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
They who advise you to buy a big-paunched horse in the rainy season (when grass is abundant) don’t help you to feed him in the dry season (when grass is scarce).
Kozé sé manjé zòwèy.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Conversation is the food of the ear.
Ki mélé wòz nan paké bwa Jak?Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
What business has a rose in Jacques’ bundle of wood?
Fè pou fè pa mal.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Do for do is not hard.
Dousman dwèt.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Slow and straight.
Jan bon-tan ka alé di gouvèné bonjou.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Idle people go to wish the governor good day.
Dèyè chyen, sé “chyen”; douvan chyen sé “misyé chyen”.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Behind dog’s back, it is “dog”; but before dog, It is “mister dog.”
Liann yam ka mawé yam.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
The yam vine ties the yam.
Tan moun konnèt lòt nan gwanjou, nan nwit yo pa bizwen chandèl poû kléwé yo.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
When a person has known another in the day-time, he does not need a candle to recognise him at night.
Manjé yon fwa pa ka wizé dan.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Eating once does not wear out teeth.
Si léfan pa té sav boyo-li gwo, li pa sé valé kalbas.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Had the elephant not known the size of his intestines, he would not have swallowed calabashes.
Kouwi pa lèd, tan lafòs pa la.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
To run away is not ugly, when one has no strength.
Nonm mò, zèb ka lévé douvan lapòt-liProverbs · TriniKwéyòl
The man has died, grass grows before his door.
Dan pa tjè.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Teeth are not hearts.
Si kwapo di ou kayman tini malzyé, kwè li.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
If the frog tells you the crocodile has sore eyes, believe him.
Dan pa ka pòté dèy.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Teeth do not wear mourning.
Lagè vèti pa ka pwand vyè nèg nan kabawé.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
A war that is threatened does not overtake old Negroes in the grog-shop.
Malhè pa ka chajé kon lapli.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Accidents do not threaten like rain.
Voyé chyen, chyen voyé latjé-li.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Send dog, dog sends his tail.
Palé twòp ka lévé chyen nan donmi.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Too much talking rouses the watchdog from sleep.
Hay moun, men pa bay yo panyen pou chayé dlo.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Hate people, but don’t give them baskets to fetch water.
Twavay pa mal; sé zyé ki kapon.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Work is not hard; it is the eyes that are cowards.
Maman ka fè ich, mé pa tjè-yo.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Mothers make (beget) children, but not their hearts.
Pa fòt lang ki fè bèf pa sa palé.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
It is not for want of tongue that ox cannot speak.
Wazyé tini zowèy.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Jaden lwen, gonbo gaté.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Tanbou tini gwan twen pas andidan li vid.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Jan fenyan ka mandé twavay épi bouch, men tjè-yo ka pwiyé Bondyé pou yo pa touvé.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Bagay ki fè zyé fè né.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Bèf pa jamen ka di savan “mèsi.”Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Fo pawòl mò pou moun pé viv.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Makak konnèt ki bwa li ka monté.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
The garden far, the ochro spoils.
Bush has ears.
Lazy people ask for work with their lips, but their hearts beg God to prevent their getting it.
A drum makes a loud noise because it is empty within.
Ox never tells the pasture, “thank you.”
Whatever affects the eye affects the nose.
Monkey knows what tree to climb.
Words must die that men may live.
Ou ponkò twavèsé lawivyè; pa jiwé maman kayman.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Bon bouch ka ganyen chouval a kwédi.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Mizè ka fè makak manjé piman.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Sé nan tan lapli bèf bizwen latjè-li.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Sé lang kwapo ki ka twahi kwapoProverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Sé kouto ki konnèt sa ki nan tjè jiomou.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Ki mélé zé nan kalenda wòch?Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Si koulèv pas té fonté, fanm sé pwend li fè wiban jip.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Fair words buy horses on credit.
You have not yet crossed the river; do not curse the crocodile’s mother.
It is in rainy season that the ox has need of his tail.
Want makes monkey eat pepper.
It is the knife that knows what is in the heart of the pumpkin.
It is the frog’s own tongue that betrays him.
If the adder were not so brazen, (dangerous) women would take it for coat-strings.
What business have eggs in the dance of stones?
Sé lè van ka vanté moun ka wè lapo poul.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Badnen byen épi makak, men pwengad manyen latjé-li.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Kanawai vlé wi chodyè.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Makak pa jamen ka di ich-li lèd.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Dan pa jamen wi bon bagay.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Tanpé ka ganyen malè sa doublon pa sa géwi.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Menm baton ki bat chyen nwè-la pé bat chyen blan-la.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Kwab pa maché, li pa gwa; li maché twòp é li tonbé nans chodyè.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Joke freely with the monkey, but beware of handling his tail.
It is when the wind is blowing that we see the skin of a fowl.
Monkey never says its young is ugly.
The clay-pot wishes to laugh at the iron-pot.
A penny buys troubles which doubloons cannot cure.
Teeth never laugh at things that are good.
Crab has not walked, he is not fat; he has walked too much, and has fallen into the pot.
The same stick that beat the black dog can beat the white.
Benyen ich moun, men pa lavé dèyè zowèy-yo.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Kouyonad sé pa limonad.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Makak kawésé ich-li twòp, li fouwé dwèt nan zyé-li.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Pawòl pa tini koulè.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Yon dwèt pa sa pwand pis.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Gwès pa tini santiman.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Kwapo pa tini chimiz – ou vlé li pòté kaneson!Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Sé soulyé tousèl ki sav si ba tini tou.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Nonsense is not sugar-water.
Bathe people’s children but do not wash behind their ears.
Words have no colour.
The monkey fondling its young too much has (at length) poked her finger into its eye.
Fat has no sentiment.
A single finger cannot catch fleas.
Shoes alone know if the stockings have holes.
Frog has no shirt (the necessary), and you wish him to wear drawers (the superfluous)!
Wavèt pa jamen wézon douvan poul.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Si zandoli té bon viand li pa sé ka dwivé.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Palé pa wimèd.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Jan ki ka ba ou konsèy ganyen chouval gwo bouden nan louvenay, nan kawèm pa ka widé ou nouwi li.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Kozé sé manjé zòwèy.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Ki mélé wòz nan paké bwa Jak?Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Fè pou fè pa mal.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Dousman dwèt.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
If the lizard had eatable flesh, it would not be so common.
Cockroach never is in the right where the fowl is concerned.
They who advise you to buy a big-paunched horse in the rainy season (when grass is abundant) don’t help you to feed him in the dry season (when grass is scarce).
Talking is no remedy.
What business has a rose in Jacques’ bundle of wood?
Conversation is the food of the ear.
Slow and straight.
Do for do is not hard.
Jan bon-tan ka alé di gouvèné bonjou.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Dèyè chyen, sé “chyen”; douvan chyen sé “misyé chyen”.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Liann yam ka mawé yam.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Tan moun konnèt lòt nan gwanjou, nan nwit yo pa bizwen chandèl poû kléwé yo.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Manjé yon fwa pa ka wizé dan.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Si léfan pa té sav boyo-li gwo, li pa sé valé kalbas.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Kouwi pa lèd, tan lafòs pa la.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Nonm mò, zèb ka lévé douvan lapòt-liProverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Behind dog’s back, it is “dog”; but before dog, It is “mister dog.”
Idle people go to wish the governor good day.
When a person has known another in the day-time, he does not need a candle to recognise him at night.
The yam vine ties the yam.
Had the elephant not known the size of his intestines, he would not have swallowed calabashes.
Eating once does not wear out teeth.
The man has died, grass grows before his door.
To run away is not ugly, when one has no strength.
Dan pa tjè.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Si kwapo di ou kayman tini malzyé, kwè li.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Dan pa ka pòté dèy.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Lagè vèti pa ka pwand vyè nèg nan kabawé.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Malhè pa ka chajé kon lapli.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Voyé chyen, chyen voyé latjé-li.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Palé twòp ka lévé chyen nan donmi.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Hay moun, men pa bay yo panyen pou chayé dlo.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
If the frog tells you the crocodile has sore eyes, believe him.
Teeth are not hearts.
A war that is threatened does not overtake old Negroes in the grog-shop.
Teeth do not wear mourning.
Send dog, dog sends his tail.
Accidents do not threaten like rain.
Hate people, but don’t give them baskets to fetch water.
Too much talking rouses the watchdog from sleep.
Twavay pa mal; sé zyé ki kapon.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Maman ka fè ich, mé pa tjè-yo.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Pa fòt lang ki fè bèf pa sa palé.Proverbs · TriniKwéyòl
Mothers make (beget) children, but not their hearts.
Work is not hard; it is the eyes that are cowards.
It is not for want of tongue that ox cannot speak.