What does Sak Pase mean?
Sak Pase is a popular Haitian Creole phrase that is generally used to greet close friends and acquaintances.
In English, the definition simply means “what’s up?”, “how’s it going?” or “what’s happening?”.
Saying “Sak pase” to someone is a very casual way of greeting them and should therefore be primary used in relaxed or non-formal settings.
Sak pase should be pronounced as a phrase and not as one word.
Now you might be wondering, how do I respond to sak pase? The most common response to when someone says that to you is “n’ap boule”.
N’ap boule meaning
When you translate n’ap boule in English, it means that “you’re doing well” or that “everything is going OK“.
It is incorrect to say both Sak pase and n’ap boule at the same time.
The first phrase is a question and the latter is one of many possible responses, albeit the most common one.
How to properly use both terms
In the Haitian culture, a lot of emphasis is given to the context and delivery of your word choices.
Likewise, greetings and salutations play a major role in shaping how other people formulate first impressions and opinions about you.
With that being said, Sak pase and n’ap boule should not be used as a catch-all for all Haitian Creole greetings and salutations.
For example, I would typically use this greeting combination with friends and peers in my age group but I wouldn’t do so with my parents or elders. I also wouldn’t use these phrases in a formal or professional setting.
That’s not to say that there’s anything wrong with saying the two phrases in these instances, it’s just that there are more appropriate greetings for specific people and settings.
Also, some common misspellings and pronunciations of the term include:
- Sapa say
- sapase
- Sa pa se
- sa passe
While most Haitians enjoy hearing people from different cultures embrace the use of their native language, they are even more impressed when it’s done properly.
Haitian Creole Greetings
Other common Haitian Creole greetings include “Sakapfet” and “Koman ou ye“.
Sakapfet meaning
“Sakapfet” means “What’s going on?” and is typically used as an informal greeting.
A common response to “Sakapfet” would be “mwen la“, meaning “I’m here” or “I’m alive“.
Kijan ou ye?
“Koman ou ye” or “Kijan ou ye” simply means “How are you?” and can be used interchangeably in both casual and formal settings.
The most common responses to these phrases are “mwen byen” or “mwen pa pi mal“.
Both phrases convey that you are doing well.