HAWAIIAN GOODNESS
Even for the Mainlander
Duolingo Category #13: Time
For the "Time" category, there is NO Tips section. Since this is unfortunately lacking on Duolingo, take a peek at my explanation below.
Lessons Taught
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Vocabulary: Time, Numbers, Objects
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Numbers 11 & 12
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Asking and Responding to "What time is it?"
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Telling the time of day: AM or PM
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Asking and Responding to "At what time?" : Revisiting " i "
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Revisiting "E" : Infinitives in Hawaiian
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Revisiting "Makemake"
Vocabulary
Time, Numbers, Objects
- ʻumikūmamākahi = 11
- ʻumikūmamālua = 12
- Kakahiaka = Morning
- Awakea = Late morning, noon, midday
- ʻauinalā = Afternoon
- Ahiahi = Evening
- Hola = Hour
- Hapalua hola [number] = Half past [number]
- Hapahā i hala ka hola [number] = Quarter past [number]
- Puke = Book
- Papa = Class
- Kula = School
- Kani = To sound, strike (as in, a clock)
- Heluhelu = To read
- Hoʻoikaika kino = Working out, Exercising [n]; To work out, exercise (lit. To make the body strong)
- Mālama = To take care (of)
→ Remember "Mālama (pono)" ?
Not to be confused with "Puka"
In addition to "Board" (flat surface)
Compound Verb/Noun!
Numbers 11 & 12
So far, we've learned and practiced numbers 1-10. Since this Duolingo Category deals with Time, it's necessary for them to introduce the numbers 11 and 12! These Hawaiian numbers may look long and intimidating, but they are each composed of three parts:
ʻUmi (10) + kūmamā + kahi (from ʻekahi, 1) = 10 + 1 = 11
ʻUmi (10) + kūmamā + lua (from ʻelua, 2) = 10 + 2 = 12
1. If you've learned a Romance language before, asking "What time is it?" in Hawaiian will look familiar! In Hawaiian, the question is asked as follows:
Hola ʻehia kēia?
[lit. How many hours is this?]
[What time is it?]
Once again, we do not translate the question word-for-word. Since the literal question is asking "How many hours?" you will respond with the number of hours (1-12). Duolingo doesn't go over how to give precise time (12:06, for example), so we won't cover that here.
2. To respond, we say: "Kani ka hola [number]." The first word Kani is actually a verb that means "To sound, strike" (as in, a clock), so this sentence literally translates to "The [number] hour strikes." In fact, as Duolingo brings up, the phrase "Kani ka hola!" means "It is time!" (literally, "The hour strikes!"). Here's an example:
Kani ka hola ʻekahi.
[lit. The first hour strikes.]
[It is one o'clock.]
[It's 1:00.]
3. This category also tells you have to say half-past [time] and quarter-past [time]. These are two phrases that you simply need to memorize, instead of figure out in the sentence:
Hapalua hola [number]
[Half-past [number]]
Hapalua hola ʻekahi
[Half-past one]
[1:30]
There's a little more that goes one with quarter-past [time] than the previous formula. Again, simply memorize it:
Hapahā i hala ka hola [number]
[Quarter-past [number]]
Hapahā i hala ka hola ʻekahi
[Quarter-past one]
[1:15]
Compared to the last example (Hapalua hola [number]), all we did was add "i hala ka" in the middle. Don't confuse these formulas!
The Hawaiian day is split up into four main parts:
1. Kakahiaka = Morning [up to 10am]
2. Awakea = Midday; can also be translated as "noon" when after "12:00" [~10am - 2pm]
3. ʻauinalā = Afternoon [3pm-5pm]
4. Ahiahi = Evening [5pm-7pm]
We will be using these terms to tell the time of day, instead of splitting the day into two (AM and PM). To do this, we will be using " o " again! For example:
Hola ʻeiwa o ke kakahiaka
[Nine o'clock in the morning]
[9:00 am]
Hola ʻekahi o ke awakea
[One o'clock midday]
[1:00 pm]
Hola ʻehā o ka ʻauinalā
[Four o'clock in the afternoon]
[4:00 pm]
Hola ʻewalu o ke ahiahi
[Eight o'clock in the evening]
[8:00 pm]
Since these parts of the day "own" certain hours, we are able to use "o" for possession. This is why we use o ke kakahiaka to mean in the morning. Even though we translate with the English word "in," you will never say ma ke kakahiaka or i ke kakahiaka after a stated time (8:00) - it doesn't make sense in the Hawaiian!
In a previous post, we learned about the use of "i" as an indicator of time:
Wela au i kēia lā.
[I am hot today.]
In this section, we'll be using that same usage of "i," but with Time and times of day.
1. To ask "At what time is __?" (or "What time is __ at?"), we use the following question:
(I ka) Hola ʻehia ka/ke [noun]?
[(At) What time is the [noun]?]
[What time is the [noun] (at)?]
In English, we often drop the word at, which can making answering this question confusing. Similarly, Hawaiian will often drop the i ka before the hola, which will also make answering the question in Hawaiian confusing. Duolingo does not include the i ka at the beginning, but it is useful to see how it plays out when answering:
Question A
(I ka) Hola ʻehia ka papa?
[(At) what time is the class?]
[What time is the class (at)?]
Aia ka papa i ka hola ʻekahi o ke awakea.
[The class is at 1:00pm.]
In the answer, we see that we do, always, include the "i" when talking about what time something is "at." Duolingo won't use the i ka for the question, but it will use it for the answer. Now you can see why it was useful in the first place! If you look at just the English translations, this also holds true for the English language.
2. When asking "At what time does [Subject] [verb]?" the Hawaiian question is similar, just backwards. In Hawaiian, like we've always seen so far, the main verb must be the first word of the sentence. Therefore, we'll rephrase the question to be "[Subject] [verb] at what time?" Here, you see that, unlike the previous question with a noun, you must use the i ka. For example:
Question B
Kelepona ʻo ia i ka hola ʻehia?
[lit. She calls at what time?]
[(At) What time does she call?]
[What time does she call (at)?]
So the question phrase i ka hola ʻehia? when a verb is used, will come at the end of the sentence. Compare Question A and Question B until the differences between the two make sense to you! It may take some time and practice getting used to.
3. We also use this "i" when referring to the times of day:
Kelepona kou tūtū wahine i ke kula i ke kakahiaka.
[Your grandma calls the school in the morning.]
4. This Duolingo category brings up yet another way to use "i" in a Hawaiian sentence: to mean to or toward a place. Unlike when "i" can be translated to in or on, "i" meaning to cannot be interchangeable with ma.
Hele ke kumu i ke kula i ka hapalua hola ʻeono.
[The teacher goes to school at 6:30.]
1. Recall when we learned the initial uses of "E" in Hawaiian (Addressing a person, Giving commands) and later when we learned more about commands (Specifying ʻoe, Using kākou/kāua to mean "Let's").
When we use kākou or kāua with the "E [verb]," but in a question form, this will translate to "Should we [verb]?" For example:
E hoʻoikaika kino kākou?
[Should we work out?]
Compare to:
E hoʻoikaika kino kākou!
[Let's work out!]
[We should work out!]
2. An Infinitive is a grammatical term that simply means "to [verb]" in English. This can be any verb: to eat, to drink, to throw, to love, etc. In a sentence, this is not the main verb, like the verbs we've been seeing thus far:
Makemake au.
[I want.]
In this simple sentence, we have a Subject (au / "I") and the main verb/action that the Subject is doing (makemake / "want").
What if I want "to [verb]"? Perhaps, "to read"? Just like we added the word "to" in English before a verb, we will add "E" before a Hawaiian verb. For example:
Makemake au e heluhelu.
[I want to read.]
Simple as that! The Subject is still au ("I"), and the main verb is still makemake ("want") - the placement doesn't change. We add the Infinitive e heluhelu ("to read") after the main part of the sentence.
The Infinitive can have a Direct Object. What if I wanted to read "something"? Perhaps, "the book"? The same rules for Direct Objects in Hawaiian still apply, just place it after the Infinitive, like so:
Makemake au e heluhelu i ka puke.
[I want to read the book.]
You can put Infinitives in Hawaiian in most sentences that you can put them in English (I want to read,
I help to clean, etc.). The exceptions are few, so don't worry about them!
One such exception is makemake to mean to like, instead of to want. If you want to say "I like to sing," we would use the shared noun part of speech of that verb. (Remember how Hawaiian words can share parts of speech? If not, and for a brush-up on Makemake, revisit this post). So instead of saying "I like to sing," we would be using "I like singing" instead:
Makemake au i ka hīmeni.
[I like singing.]
This is actually how you know the difference between Makemake meaning to want and Makemake meaning to like when it comes to verbs. To want will be followed by a noun or a verb, but To like will only be followed by a noun in the Hawaiian.
Makemake au i ka hoʻoikaika kino.
[I like working out.]
[NOT: Makemake au e hoʻoikaika kino.]
Makemake au e hoʻoikaika kino.
[I want to work out.]
[NOT: I like to work out.]
Makemake au i ka puke.
[I want the book.]
OR
[I like the book.]
ʻO ka manakō koʻu makemake.
[I want the mango]
[The mango is my desire.]
~~~
Telling the time of day: AM or PM
Asking and Responding to "At what time?"
Revisiting " i "
"E ka haumana, hola ʻehia kēia?"
"Kani ka hola ʻehā, e ke kumu."
"Maikaʻi!"
Revisiting "E"
Asking and Responding to "What time is it?"
Note that we use ʻekahi, not hoʻokahi when telling time!
On Duolingo, they add the unnecessary word "now" ("It is now 1:00") to the English translation. This addition is confusing, so just ignore that word - we don't translate it into Hawaiian.
You can always use numbers (1:00) in the Time category of Duolingo. You don't have to use "o'clock," if you don't want to.
Note that we didn't simply replace the question word ʻehia? with the answer, like we usually do.
Note the "-lua" at the end of Hapalua, which is reminiscent of ʻelua - since we're splitting the hour into "two."
Note the "-ahā" at the end of Hapahā, which is reminiscent of ʻehā - since we're splitting the hour into "four" (quarters).
"E Kawika, hola ʻehia kēia?"
"Hapalua hola ʻewalu."
"Mahalo!"
"Aloha kāua! Hola ʻehia kēia?" "Hapahā i hala ka hola ʻeono." "Mahalo!"
You can always use "am" or "pm" when translating into English on Duolingo! You don't have to use "morning, midday, afternoon, evening" if you don't want to. However, it is good practice, especially when you need to type the Hawaiian out!
"Kani ka hola ʻehiku."
"O ke kakahiaka a i ʻole o ka ʻauinalā?"
"Hola ʻehiku o ka ʻauinalā."
Note that we used the Aia sentence structure for this example. This is because we are talking about a location (in time). If that was confusing to you, revisit the last post.
"Hola ʻehia nā papa?"
"Aia nā papa i ka hola ʻewalu o ke kakahiaka."
"Kelepona ʻo Becka i ka hola ʻehia?" "Kelepona ʻo ia i ka hapalua hola ʻumi."
Technically, like always, you can use ma here as well. However, with time and times of day, "i" is more commonly used.
Hele kāua i ke kula i ke kakahiaka.
Infinitives in Hawaiian
Note that the command form can also sometimes be translated with "should." This will be discussed further in a future lesson. For now, stick with "Let's"!
"E hoʻoikaika kino kākou?"
"E hoʻoikaika kino kākou i ke awakea!"
Revisiting "Makemake"
The "kūmamā" in between is more commonly shortened to "kūmā" in modern Hawaiian (ʻumikūmākahi, ʻumikūmālua), and Duolingo will accept these as correct.
This pattern holds true for the rest of the numbers up to and including 19. They won't use those numbers just yet, but now you know how to form numbers 1-19!
Don't stress over this distinction! Duolingo only briefly brings it up, and won't mark you wrong if you accidentally confuse the meanings, as the difference isn't essential. This is just important to see that there will be (just a few!) verbs in Hawaiian that act the way Makemake does.
PRACTICE!
Practice what you learned by translating these sentences copied/pasted from this category of Duolingo. The English translations are below. When you feel confident enough, try translating the English into Hawaiian!
Then: try it on Duolingo!
Hawaiian Sentences:
ʻUmikūmamākahi ʻanakē nani
ʻUmikūmamālua papa heʻe nalu lōʻihi
Hola ʻumikūmamālua
Hola ʻekahi
Hola ʻehiku o ke kakahiaka
Hola ʻeiwa o ke kakahiaka
Hola ʻewalu o ke ahiahi
Hapalua hola ʻekahi
Hapalua hola ʻehiku
Hapalua hola ‘umikūmamālua
Hapalua hola ʻewalu o ke kakahiaka
Hapalua hola ʻehiku o ke ahiahi
Hola ʻekolu o ke awakea
Hapahā i hala ka hola ʻekahi
Hapahā i hala ka hola ʻewalu
Hapahā i hala ka hola ʻumi
Hapahā i hala ka hola ʻumikūmamākahi
Kani ka hola.
Kani ka hola ʻekahi.
Kani ka hola ‘umikūmamālua.
(I ka) Hola ʻehia ka papa?
Hola ʻehia ka papa hoʻoikaika kino?
Aia ka papa i ka hola ʻekahi o ke awakea.
Hele ke kumu i ke kula i ka hola ʻehia?
Hele ke kumu i ke kula i ka hapalua hola ʻeono.
Kelepona kou tūtū wahine i ke kula i ke kakahiaka.
E kelepona i ka hola ʻelima o ke ahiahi.
E hoʻoikaika kino kākou i ka hola ʻehia?
Kelepona ʻo ia i ka hola ʻehia?
Makemake ʻoe e hoʻoikaika kino i ka ʻauinalā?
Wela ka lā i ka hola ʻumikūmamālua o ke awakea.
Makemake ʻo ia i ka puke i ka hola ʻekolu o ke awakea.
Heluhelu au i nā puke i ka hola ʻeiwa.
E heluhelu ʻoe i ka hapahā i hala ka hola ʻeono.
Heluhelu ka makua kāne i nā keiki i ka hapahā i hala ka hola ʻewalu.
Hoʻihoʻi ke kaikamahine i ka puke i ka hola ʻelua.
Hoʻomaʻemaʻe ʻo Keoki i ka hapalua hola ʻekahi o ke awakea.
Mālama au i nā keiki i ka hapalua hola ʻumikūmamākahi o ke awakea.
~~~
Translations:
11 pretty aunts
12 long surfboards
Twelve o'clock / 12:00 [time of day not specified]
1:00
Seven o'clock in the morning
9:00am
8:00 in the evening
Half-past one
Half-past seven
12:30
8:30 in the morning
7:30 pm
3:00 pm
Quarter-past one
Quarter-past eight
10:15
11:15
It is time.
It is one o'clock.
It is 12:00.
What time is class (at)?
What time is the exercise class?
The class is at 1:00pm.
What time does the teacher go to school?
The teacher goes to school at 6:30.
Your grandma calls the school in the morning.
Call at 5:00pm.
What time should we workout?
What time does she call?
Do you want to exercises in the evening?
The sun is hot at 12:00 noon.
He wants the book at 3:00pm.
I read the books at nine o'clock.
Read at 6:15.
The father reads to the children at a quarter past eight.
The girl returns the book at two o'clock.
Keoki cleans at 1:15pm.
I take care of the children at 11:30am.
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