HAWAIIAN GOODNESS
Even for the Mainlander
Duolingo Category #3: Greetings
For the "Greetings" category, there is a Tips section. Take a peek at that, and/or my explanation below.
Originally, and still commonly, this phrase includes "E" at the beginning ["E mālama (pono)"], which technically makes this phrase a (friendly) command for someone to "Take care"!
Lessons Taught
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Beginning Vocab
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Introduction of Pronouns
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Asking "How are you?"
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Responding to "How are you?"
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Asking and Responding to "Yes / No" Questions
- Pehea? = How?
- A hui hou = Until we meet again / See you later
- Mālama (pono) = Take (good) care
- Maikaʻi = Good, fine, well
- Hauʻoli = Happy
- Au = I
- ʻoe = You
- Kāua = We (both) / You and I
- Kākou = We (all), Everyone
Beginning Vocab
Introduction of Pronouns
This Duolingo category brings up a few Pronouns for the first time (listed above). "Au" ("I") and " ʻoe " ("You") are pretty straightforward in translation. "Kāua" and "Kākou" tend to confuse people, however, because they're not readily translatable into English. They both mean "we," but what's the difference in underlining meaning?
1. "Kāua" only encompasses two people: the speaker and one listener. For example:
A hui hou kāua.
[Until we meet again.]
[Until you and I meet again.]
2. "Kākou" encompasses three or more people: the speaker and more than one listener. There has to be at least two listeners, but there is no maximum! For example:
A hui hou kākou.
[Until we meet again.]
[Until we all meet again.]
[Until you and you (and you, and you, etc.) and I meet again.]
It's important to know the difference between "kāua" and "kākou" since Duolingo will test you on this from time to time, but for the most part, for convenience's sake, they'll stick to using "kākou."
Asking "How are you?"
In Hawaiian, the linking verb "is / am / are / be" doesn't exist - it is always implied. Therefore, you cannot directly translate "How are you?" into Hawaiian. Instead, the translation is literally "How you?" For example:
Pehea ʻoe?
[How are you?]
If you're talking to multiple people, like a teacher talking to a classroom, it's common in Hawaiian to use "kākou" instead of " ʻoe. " As explained above, this encompasses the speaker as well, making the phrase more inclusive and friendly. For example:
Pehea kākou?
[How are we?]
[How is everyone?]
[How are we all doing?]
Likewise, the answer to this question will also be without the verb "to be"; so, when answering "How are you?" you'll respond with the literal sentence "I good." For example:
Maikaʻi au.
[I am good.]
[I am fine.]
[I am well.]
This is the case for all adjectives. See more about this below.
Responding to "How are you?"
Hauʻoli au!
Hauʻoli kāua!
Hauʻoli kākou!
Asking and Responding to "Yes / No" Questions
Asking a "Yes / No" question (Do you...? / Are you...? / Is he...? - to all of which the answer will be "Yes" or "No"), is actually very easy in Hawaiian! Nothing changes in the sentence - the only indicator of a question vs. a statement is inflection in the voice. For example:
Maikaʻi ʻoe?
[Are you well?]
Maikaʻi ʻoe.
[You are well.]
So, if someone asks you:
Hauʻoli ʻoe?
[Are you happy?]
You'd respond with:
ʻAe, hauʻoli au.
[Yes, I am happy]
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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:
Au
Kākou
Aloha!
Aloha kākou.
Mālama!
Mālama pono!
A hui hou, mālama pono!
A hui hou kāua.
A hui hou kākou.
Pehea ʻoe?
Pehea kāua?
Pehea kākou?
Pehea ʻo ia?
Maikaʻi ʻo ia.
Maikaʻi kākou.
Maikaʻi ʻoe?
Maikaʻi au.
Maikaʻi ʻoe.
Hauʻoli ʻoe.
Hauʻoli ʻo ia.
~~~
Translations:
I
We (all)
Hello! / Goodbye!
Hello everyone / Goodbye everyone.
Take care!
Take good care!
Until we meet again (See you later), take good care!
Until you and I meet again.
Until we (all) meet again.
How are you?
How are we (both)?
How are we (all)? / How is everybody?
How is he/she?
He/she is fine.
We (all) are fine.
Are you well?
I am well.
You are well.
You are happy.
He/She is happy.
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