HAWAIIAN GOODNESS
Even for the Mainlander
Duolingo Category #8: Household
For the "Household" 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: Household Items, Verbs
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Revisiting " E " with Verbs
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Verbs: Hoʻo-
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The use of " i " : Direct Objects
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The use of "ma"
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Asking and Responding to "Where is?": The word "Aia"
Vocabulary
Household Items, Verbs
- Lumi = Room
- Lumi kuke = Kitchen (lit. Cooking room)
- Lumi moe = Bedroom (lit. Sleeping room ; Bed room)
- Papahele = Floor (the ground, but also stories of a building)
- Noho = Chair [n]; To sit [v]
- (Ke) Pākaukau
- Puka = Door
- Puka aniani = Window (lit. Glass door)
- Mea = Thing (also: Person, one)
- Mea pāʻani = Toy
- Kukui = Light
- Kī = Key
- Kelepona = Telephone [n]; To call [v]
- Wehe = To open
- Pani = To close
- Hoʻihoʻi = To return [an object], put away
- Hoʻomaʻemaʻe = To clean
- Hoʻā = To turn on
- Hoʻopio = To turn off
An exception to the K, E, A, O rule
Pāʻani means To play,
so Mea pāʻani literally means Play thing
Revisiting " E " with Verbs
Recall when we learned "E" with verbs and how that forms a command in Hawaiian:
E hele!
[Go!]
1. This formula can have ʻoe added to the end, to specify, or perhaps emphasize, the person you're talking to:
E hele ʻoe!
[Go!]
[You! Go!]
As you can see, the meaning is the same, so it's more common to see commands without the ʻoe attached.
2. However, this formula can have another Subject: kākou or kāua (If you forgot the differences between these two, revist this post). When either of these pronouns are used, the translation becomes less of a command and more of a suggestion: "Let's [verb]." For example:
E hele kākou!
[Let's go!]
Hawaiian has many verbs, but, as you can see from the above vocab list, there is a subgroup of verbs that start with Hoʻo- . This prefix comes before a subsequent adjective, to create the meaning "To make [adjective]." For example:
Hoʻomaʻemaʻe = Hoʻo [To make] + maʻemaʻe [Clean] = To clean
You'll see this all throughout the language and the Duolingo course, so it won't be hard to identify this pattern!
Here is another use of " i " in Hawaiian - indicating Direct Objects.
So far, we've seen simple sentences that contain a Subject and its Verb:
Wehe au.
[I open.]
What if the Subject wanted to do the Verb to something else? What if "I" wanted to "open" something, perhaps "the door"? This "something" (or, in our example, "The door") is called a Direct Object. Hawaiian puts the word "i" before this noun. Here's what that would look like:
Wehe au i ka puka.
[I open the door.]
Like we continue to see, this usage of "i" is not translatable. It works in Hawaiian grammar to signify that the following noun is the Direct Object being affected by the verb (as opposed to being the Subject itself).
The Hawaiian word ma translates to "in" or "on." For example:
...ma ka noho.
[...on the chair.]
...ma ka hale.
[...in the house.]
In the language and on Duolingo, the word ma is often used interchangeably with the word i. There is little difference between these two words in this context ("in" or "on"), so use whichever you prefer. You will see both used in prompts on Duolingo, so be able to recognize them!
This category of Duolingo introduces a fourth sentence structure (for the first, revisit this post; for the second, revist this post, for the third, revist this post). This is the use of Aia in Hawaiian.
Aia means "is," but only for location (not as a Linking Verb, which we know doesn't exist in Hawaiian). It is used at the beginning of a sentence:
Aia au ma ka hale.
[I am at the house.]
Here, Aia is telling where au is.
You use this word when asking a question about the location of something as well, or, "Where is __?" This question, in Hawaiian, is "Aia ma hea ka/ke __?" (This can also be phrased as "Aia i hea ka/ke __?" using i instead of ma. They are essentially interchangeable, as noted in the section above, and will mean the same thing when asking this question). Let's see this in action:
Aia ma hea ʻo Kaleo?
Aia i hea ʻo Kaleo?
[Where is Kaleo?]
Aia ʻo ia ma ka lumi kuke.
Aia ʻo ia i ka lumi kuke.
[He is in the kitchen.]
You can also put the ma hea (or i hea) at the end of the question, as Duolingo frequently likes to do. For example:
Aia ke kelepona ma hea?
[OR: Aia ma hea ke kelepona?]
[Where is the phone?]
Again, there is no difference in meaning. It just depends on which phrasing you prefer! This is essentially like asking, in English, "The phone is where?" though it never sounds awkward in Hawaiian.
Verbs: Hoʻo-
The use of " i "
The use of "ma"
Asking and Responding to "Where is?"
Direct Objects
This is a very important and common concept in Hawaiian and on Duolingo. Make sure you understand it before moving on. You will see it throughout the rest of the course!
E hoʻomaʻemaʻe kāua i ka papahele!
The word "Aia"
Like we've seen with other questions, we replace the question word "hea?" ("where?") with the answer. In the case above, we're replacing "hea?" with "ka lumi kuke."
Aia ma hea ʻo Waldo?
Starting with the next Duolingo category, grammar will begin to grow a little more complex.
I recommend reviewing and practicing what you've learned up to this point (Categories 5-8) before continuing to the next section! This quiz will test you on vocab learned in this phase.
Try it out, see how you do!
Maika‘i for reaching this point! Keep reviewing your vocab and grammar :)
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:
Aia ka mea pāʻani ma ka papahele.
Aia nā mea pāʻani ma ka papahele.
Aia kēlā mea pāʻani ma ka lumi moe.
Aia ke kī ma ka papahele.
Aia nā kī i ke pākaukau.
Aia koʻu tūtū kāne ma ka lumi moe.
Aia ma hea ʻo Kaleo?
Aia ʻo ia ma ka lumi kuke.
Aia ʻoe ma ka lumi kuke?
Aia au ma ka hale.
Aia ma hea ke kelepona?
Aia ke kelepona ma ka noho.
E hoʻihoʻi i ke kelepona.
E hoʻihoʻi i nā mea pāʻani.
E hoʻihoʻi kākou i ke kī.
E hoʻihoʻi kāua i ke kī.
E hoʻomaʻemaʻe i ka hale.
E hoʻoma'emaʻe i ka lumi kuke.
E hoʻomaʻemaʻe kākou i ka papahele.
E wehe i ka puka.
E wehe i ka puka aniani.
E pani i ka puka.
E pani i ka puka aniani.
E pani i nā puka aniani.
E hoʻā i nā kukui.
E hoʻopio i nā kukui.
E Kaleo, e hoʻā i ke kukui.
E Kaleo, e hoʻopio i ke kukui.
~~~
Translations:
The toy is on the floor.
The toys are on the floor.
That toy is in the bedroom.
The key is on the floor.
The keys are on the table.
My grandpa is in the bedroom.
Where is Kaleo?
He is in the kitchen.
Are you in the kitchen?
I am in the house.
Where is the phone?
The phone is on the chair.
Return the phone. / Put away the phone.
Return the toys. / Put away the toys.
Let's (all) return the key. / Let's (all) put away the key.
Let's (both) return the key. / Let's (both) put away the key.
Clean the house.
Clean the kitchen.
Let's clean the floor.
Open the door.
Open the window.
Close the door.
Close the window.
Close the windows.
Turn on the lights.
Turn off the lights.
Kaleo, turn on the light.
Kaleo, turn off the light.
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