Makemake ke keiki i ʻelua pōpoki ʻeleʻele. Duo says The child wants two black cats. Is correct.
But: The child likes 2 black cats. Is wrong.
Is there any any reason for this? I thought that makemake could mean both like and want, depending on context, and there is no context here.
My notes tell me that the general rule is:
"Makemake au e _" for "I want to verb__"
"Makemake au i ka _" for "I like verb-ing__"
"Makemake au i ka _" can also mean "I like/want (the) noun__"
Following that logic, the sentence is the 3rd case so likes should be an acceptable translation.
I'm confused... The expression was " I puna a i ʻole ʻō nāu"? I understand the use of na'u, to indicate possession, but nāu...?
BTW I'm actually part way through #18, and have completed all the previous categories.
N-Possessives do usually function for emphasizing the possessor ("mine" instead of just "my"). But this (i __ na'u) is another way too! It's brought up on Duolingo Category #18, Order Food. The Makemake is implied/cut out, making it an incomplete colloquial sentence, more than a proper grammatically correct one. But I've only seen it in the context of food (I imagine someone in a drive thru or at a buffet), I'm not sure how widespread you can make this type of sentence. https://aminoapps.com/c/japanesehawaiian/page/blog/duolingo-category-18-order-food/XBYL_3RfguR7XzNBEgz28YVanXeevWKYZV
I also see on another site " Do you want a spoon or a fork? " translated as " I puna a i ʻole ʻō nāu? I've looked up Nāu in several dictionaries and none say it means want..
The translations of nāu I come up with are "Yours, belonging to you, for you, by you" So, it seems to me that should be translated as "Is the spoon or fork yours?". I really don't see how "do you want" is in any way implied.
Your assessment is correct, Duolingo just hasn't updated unfortunately.