Ay... Laik eena Aypril

Eena di Bileez Kriol spelin sistim, di "long a" song mek wid "ay" laik eena di song yu hyaa eena "Aypril (April) er "sotay" (until). Tudeh, wi shyaa sohn a di wod dehn eena Kriol weh mek dis way, tudeh jos sohn weh bigin dis way.


ayj paypa n. birth certificate.
Da oal man mosi laas fi hihn ayj paypa kaa ih oanli laik yong gyal.
That old man must have lost his birth certificate because he only likes young girls.
See: bert paypa.


ayk v. bother, make the effort.
Mi baybi pa kohn an Ah neva eevn ayk miself fi get op fi goh taak tu ahn.
My baby's father came and I didn't even bother to get up and talk to him.
See: bada.


aymen (var: aamen) int. amen.
Wen wi don pray, wi fi seh, "Aymen."
When we've finished praying, we should say, "Amen."


aypran n. apron.
Put aan di aypran mek yu noh mes op yu jres.
Put on the apron so you don't mess up your dress.


ayr owt v. air, freshen with air.
Mi ma tel mi fi put di sweti kloaz pahn di lain fi ayr owt.
My mom told me to put the sweaty clothes on the line to air out.
See: breez owt.


ayrya n. area.
Di hoal a fi wee ayrya mi ga blakowt laas nait.
Our whole area had a blackout last night.


ayz n. ear.
If yu gat ayz fi hyaa, lisn gud.
If you have ears to hear, listen well.


ayz haad/haad-ayz adj.phr. stubbornly disobedient.
Ah tel yu noh fi goh eena di waata. How yu soh ayz haad?
I told you not to go into the water. Why are you so stubborn?

put bihain yu ayz v.phr. remember.
Put dat bihain yu ayz.
Remember that.

stik brok eena...ayz Idiomatic phr. playing deaf to warnings of others. (Literally: 'stick broke in...ear')
Ah taiyad a tel dis pikni wan ting oava ahn oava, sayhn laik stik brok eena ih ayz.
I'm tired of telling that boy the same thing over and over because he acts like he can't hear me.
See: haadhedid, ga no andastandin, stobant.


ayzring (var: ayring) n. earring.
Ih ga ayz laik shilin ahn shee waahn ayzring!
Her ears are like big coins, yet she wants earrings!





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Kriol is the language spoken by many Belizeans, especially the Creole people of Belize. Although it is often perceived as a dialect of English, it is indeed it's own language with grammar and spelling rules. The National Kriol Council of Belize was created to promote the culture and language of the Kriol people of Belize, as well as harmony among all the ethnic groups of Belize. Please visit the website of the National Kriol Council of Belize for lots of good information about the Kriol language and the Creole people.


The Kriol Council has been kind enough to send us the weekly "Weh Wi Ga Fi Seh" column that is usually published in the Reporter.


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