VERBS
| Note: In this and future lessons, we'll be depending a lot more on the Dictionary to find out new words. Click on the "Dictionary" icon at left to explore the dictionary for a little while. |
Verbs are doing words, and, as you've probably guessed by now, come at the front of the sentence. We saw in the previous lesson that in the phrase Haere tátou i to'u fare (meaning "We all are going to my house"), the word order is actually something like Go we-all to my house. We've also hinted in previous lessons that adjectives and verbs can be treated the same way. Actually, in Tahitian, we can basically say that adjectives are verbs, and so words like maita'i don't just mean "good, well, fine" but actually "to be good, to be well, to be fine". Also, you may have noticed at the end of the last lesson the use of the word ua in Guy's speech about his life. This is a verb announcer and works in similar ways to the name and noun announcers 'o and te we saw earlier. In this lesson we'll be taking a close look at the verb announcers and how they change the meaning of the verb, but before we do, here are some verbs for you to learn.....
 |
 |
 |
||||
| 'ori | ta'oto | 'amu | ||||
| "to dance" | "to sleep" | "to eat" | ||||
 |
 |
 |
||||
| inu | haere | rave i 'ohipa | ||||
| "to drink" | "to go" | "to work" | ||||
 |
 |
 |
||||
| hapu | fa'aea | himene | ||||
| "to swim" | "to rest" | "to sing" |
| hina'aro | "to want" | ||
| o'o'a | "to bathe" |
Now, can you use these verbs to make some simple sentences? Ask yourself some questions...
What dance could you dance? (te támúré)
Where could you sleep? (i tau ro'i)
What could you eat? (te mau mai'a, te mereni)
....and so on....
Verb announcers
Now, just as there are noun and name announcers in Tahitian, you also have verb announcers. These change the meaning of the verbs from present to past, future, etc, and they can precede the verb, follow it, or completely surround it. Look at the table below, which gives some verb announcers and their meanings. Then we'll go through each verb announcer one-by-one and examine them a little more closely. As you can see there's a lot of these verb announcers to go through, so make sure you've got your intellectual hat on for this lesson....
| ua (vb) | Changes the verb to past tense, or habitual action. | |
| te (vb) nei | Changes the verb to present tense, immediate action with a sense of here and now. | |
| te (vb) ra | Changes the verb to present tense, with a sense of action far away. | |
| e (vb) | Changes the verb to imperative, a command, or an expression of intent. | |
| mai (vb) | Changes the verb to negative imperative, or a command to say "do not!" | |
| (vb) hia | Changes the verb to passive meaning, but can also be used as a command. |
Phew! Too much grammar?! Let's have a look at how these verb announcers change the meaning of the verb 'amu "to eat", and hopefully that will make things a bit clearer.
| 'Amu vau i te mai'a | I eat the banana | |
| Ua 'amu vau i te mai'a | I ate the banana | |
| Te 'amu nei vau i te mai'a | I am eating the banana (here and now, right now) | |
| Te 'amu ra 'oe i te mai'a | You are eating the banana (over there, far away) | |
| E 'amu i te mai'a | Eat the banana! | |
| Mai 'amu i te mai'a | Don't eat the banana! | |
| 'Amu hia te mai'a | The banana is eaten |
Ua : The past tense and habitual announcer
This announcer comes before the verb and changes its meaning from present to past, but can also express a sense of actions done regularly, or a sense of habit. In grammar, it is called the completive aspect, and refers to events which have completely finished and are no longer happening.
| Ua maita'i te tama'ara'a | "The party was good" | |
| Ua ta'oto vau i to'u ro'i | "I slept in my bed" | |
| Ua fi'u 'oe i te inanahi | "You were fed up yesterday" | |
| Ua nehenehe 'o Tahiti | "Tahiti is beautiful" (lit: Tahiti is habitually beautiful) | |
| Ua fa'aeia vai i Pape'ete. I teie nei, fa'aeia vau i Mo'ore'a. | "I lived/used to live in Pape'ete. Now I live on Mo'ore'a" |
Look at this picture. It contains images of what you did yesterday. Can you tell what you did in Tahitian?
What about what you really did yesterday? Take a peek in the dictionary (use the "Dictionary" tab at left) to look up any new words you might need?
Perhaps you ate ('amu) breakfast (tafe poipoi)? Perhaps you voyaged (tere) on a canoe (va'a)? Be as imaginative as you can!
Conversation 4
Now take a look at this conversation, which uses a lot of verbs with ua to show they are past tense. Mary is resting on the beach. What did Mary do yesterday? (I te inanahi, eaha ua rave 'o Mary?)
I te pae tahatai, 'ite 'o Guy i Mary. Te fa'aea ra 'o Mary.
| Guy: | E Mary, nehenehe roa te pae tahatai, 'e? |
| Mary: | 'E, nehenehe. 'Oa'oa vau e fa'aea i te mahana. |
| Guy: | Eaha fa'aea 'oe ai i teie rá? Eaha ua rave 'oe i te inanahi? |
| Mary: | Ua hapu vau. |
| Guy: | Ua hapu iho? |
| Mary: | Aita iho! Ua hapu vau i téná motu. |
| Guy: | Aue! Inanahi, ua raverave roa 'oe i te 'ohipa, 'e?! |
Now, before looking at the English translation can you tell what Mary did yesterday? And what about what she is doing today?
At the beach, Guy sees Mary. She is resting there.
| Guy: | Mary, isn't the beach beautiful? |
| Mary: | Yes, beautiful. I'm happy to be resting in the sun. |
| Guy: | Why are you resting today? What did you do yesterday?. |
| Mary: | I swam. |
| Guy: | Just swam? |
| Mary: | Not just! I swam to that island over there. |
| Guy: | Wow! Yesterday, you really worked, didnt you?! |
Check the dictionary tab at left to find out any words you don't know from the conversation above, and fill in the gaps below.
| nehenehe | eaha...ai | ||||
| i teie ra | iho |
Note that raverave in the last line of the conversation is a reduplication (doubling of a word) of rave "to do". Reduplication intensifies the meaning of a word, and so we can guess that raverave means "really do."
Te (vb) nei and Te (vb) ra : The present tense announcers
These two announcers both surround the verb and refer to an action that is happening now, in the present. Grammarians might call these progressive or continuous aspects, and there are two of them, with slightly different meanings:
1) Te ... nei refers to continuous and present action here and now, near the speaker.
2) Te ... ra refers to continuous and present action far away, over there, away from the speaker.
This isn't a distinction we find in English, so we might need to practice this a bit! Have a look at these sentences, along with the picture:
| Te hapu ra te ta'ata i te motu | |
| Te himene nei 'oia | |
| Te turama ra te mahana | |
| Te haere nei au i te fare | |
| Te ta'oto nei/ra 'oe i te ro'i |
Now, firstly in the picture, there are things happening here and now, close to where you are in the picture ("You are here!"). Can you pick out from the sentences above what they are?
| Te himene nei 'oia | "He is singing (nearby)" | ||
| Te haere nei au i te fare | "I am going (here and now) to the house" | ||
| Te ta'oto nei 'oe i te ro'i | "You are sleeping (nearby) in the bed" |
There are also things happening further away in the picture. These sentences need to use te ... ra because they are further away:
| Te hapu ra te ta'ata i te motu | "The man is swimming (over there) to the island" | ||
| Te turama ra te mahana | "The sun is shining (up there, far away)" | ||
| Te ta'oto ra 'oe i te ro'i | "You are sleeping (further away) in the bed" |
Conversation 5
Wow! I hope that made the distinction clear. If you understood that, then take a short rest (e fa'aea iti) before moving on, in case all this grammar floods your head! Then, when you feel ready, read the following conversation:
Te parau nei 'o Mary e te vahine á Guy, 'o Esther. Noho ráua, e te hi'o nei ráua i Guy e Pua ra.
| Esther: | E Mary, e mahana turama, e? |
| Mary: | 'E, te turama roa ra te mahana. 'Oa'oa táua, e? |
| Esther: | 'E, te 'oa'oa nui nei. Te poia nei 'oe? |
| Mary: | 'E, te hina'aro nei au e 'amu |
| Esther: | E 'amu táua te hia faraoa. |
| Mary: | Maita'i! E Esther, eaha te rave ra 'o Guy e 'o Pua ra? |
| Esther: | Te hapu ra ráua i te moana. |
| Mary: | Te poia ra ráua? |
| Guy: | Ei aha, e mau vahine! Mai 'amu te faraoa auroa! Te poia nei máua ato'a! |
Can you draw a picture of what is happening in the conversation? Where are Guy and Pua? What are Esther and Mary doing? Add some details to the picture and use the "Dictionary" tab at left to talk about what they are doing. Remember in each case to think about whether you would use te ... nei or te ... ra. Look again at the conversation. Why does Mary say te turama roa ra te mahana? Why does Esther say te 'oa'oa nui nei?
E and mai : The imperative announcers
These two announcers come before the verb and change the meaning to imperative command. E contains the feeling of a command or an intent. Mai contains the feeling of a negative command, telling you not to do something. So these two announcers are actually opposite to each other:
| E haere i te ha'api'ira'a | "Go to school!" | |
| Mai haere i te ha'api'ira'a | "Don't go to school!" | |
| E ta'oto | "Sleep! Go to sleep!" | |
| Mai ta'oto | "Don't sleep! Don't go to sleep!" |
Notice that both e and mai do not take pronouns in their command forms, although for emphasis you can add 'oe, 'orua or 'outou after the verb. You can also use e with other pronouns to express a feeling of intent:
| E haere 'oe i te fare toa | "Go to the store!" | |
| Mai haere 'orua i te fare toa | "Don't you two go to the store!" | |
| E haere táua i te tama'ara'a | "Let's us two go to the feast." | |
| E 'ori au! | "I'm going to dance." |
Conversation 6
Now that you understand how to give commands, show your intentions, and tell someone not to do something in Tahitian, take a look at this conversation. Find out any new words in the Dictionary.
I tóna fare, te parau nei 'o Guy i tána tamari'i, 'o Pua. Te fi'u nei 'o Pua.
| Guy: | E Pua, e haere i te ha'api'ira'a. |
| Pua: | Aita e hina'aro vau. Hina'aro vau e fa'aea. |
| Guy: | Mai fa'aea, ata haere i te ha'api'ira'a |
| Pua: | Aita, fi'u vau. |
| Guy: | Fa'aro'o i tou metuatáne! |
| Pua: | Aita e hina'aro vau! |
| Guy: | Aue! Rírí roa vau i teie nei. E rave vau ia'oe i te ha'api'ira'a!! |
FA'ARO'O I TOU METUATÁNE!! (Listen to your father!)
Poor old Pua! His life isn't his own and he's being told lots of things he doesn't want to do. And poor old Guy! His son isn't listening to him. Can you translate what they are saying to each other?
Use the phrase Te parau nei... "(He) is speaking, telling..." to begin. A couple of examples are done for you.
| (Guy) | Te parau nei 'o Guy i Pua: "E haere i to'u ro'i!" |
| (Pua) | Te parau nei 'o Pua i Guy: "Aita hina'aro vau e ta'oto!" |
Hia : The passive tense announcer
This announcer actually has two meanings. One is to turn the verb into a passive verb. The other is another way of giving a command - but this is quite rare. This announcer can be combined with other verb announcers to change the meaning to passive in the present, the past or in the imperative:
| Ua 'amu hia te mai'a | "The banana was eaten." | |
| Te 'inu nei hia te pape | "The water is being drunk." | |
| E 'ori hia! | "Dance!" |
Notice that the agent of the passive is marked by e. This is the equivalent of "by" in English:
| Ua 'amu hia te mai'a e Pua | "The banana was eaten by Pua." | |
| Te 'inu nei hia te pape e te vahine | "The water is being drunk by the woman." |
Note that all the pronouns stay the same after e except au/vau, which changes to ia'u "me":
| Ua 'amu hia te mereni e 'oe | "The melon was eaten by you." | |
| Te 'inu nei hia te taofe e ia'u | "The coffee is being drunk by me." |
Conversation 7
Let's practice the usage of the passive with this conversation. Can you spot the hia passive markers throughout? Where do they come in the sentence? Before the verb? After the pronoun or subject?
Te haere nei 'o Guy e 'o Mary i te tama'ara'a. Te tama'ara'a i te marae, e 'eraverahi te mau 'ori. Ani 'o Mary i te mau 'ori.
| Mary: | E Guy, ua 'aparima hia i te tama'ara'a? |
| Guy: | 'E, 'eraverahi te mau 'aparima i te tama'ara'a. E hi'o i te mau rima ó te mau 'orivahine. |
| Mary: | E hi'o vau. E te támúré, 'ori hia 'oia? |
| Guy: | 'Ori, 'ori hia! Hina'aro 'oe e 'ori te támuré? |
| Mary: | Hina'aro roa vau! Fa'ahou, ua himene hia te himene tárava. |
| Guy: | 'E, himene hia. |
| Mary: | Maita'i. Here roa au i te himene tárava. |
This conversation might be a little difficult. Can you try and guess at the translation? Try and guess before looking. Once you've read the translation, try and spot some of the new words and sentence constructions.
Also note that his conversation uses many of the meanings of the word e, which we touched on at the end of the last lesson. It might be a good idea to go back and look at the table to remind yourself of all the meanings. Can you spot all the different meanings? They are shown in italics in this translation:
Guy and Mary are going to the feast. The feast is at the marae and there are many dances. Mary asks about the dances.
| Mary: | Guy, will the 'aparima be danced at the feast? |
| Guy: | Yes, there are many 'aparima dances at the feast. Look at the hands of the dancing women. |
| Mary: | I'll look. And the tamure, is that danced? |
| Guy: | Danced, danced! Do you want to dance the tamure? |
| Mary: | I want to very much! Also, are the himene taravas sung? |
| Guy: | Yes, sung. |
| Mary: | Good. I love the himene taravas very much. |
Now you're probably wondering what 'aparima, tamure and himene tarava are...
| 'aparima | A dance, similar to the hula. In this dance, the dancer's eyes follow their hands, and it is the hands you must watch too, because they tell the story. | |
| támúré | A vibrant, hip-swinging dance. This dance is danced in couples. | |
| himene tárava | Amazing traditional hymns sung by large choirs. They are a cappella, polyphonic and very rhythmical. Himene taravas have to be heard to be believed! Tarava is a word meaning "To be spread out, to be gathered" and refers to the many people singing in the choirs. |
Wow, we've really learnt a lot in this lesson! You might want to go over some of the exercises again - perhaps you can mix and match, for example, try doing the Pua and Guy exercise, but using the passive marker (Te parau nei ia 'o Pua "E haere i to'u ro'i") and so on. Once you've done that, have a look at the Text below, or if that looks a bit too much for now, then click the "Nouns" icon at left to continue learning Tahitian!
Text 2
Pua is very fed up at the moment. Let's read what he has to say...
 |
I teie nei, te fi'u nei 'o Pua | Fi'ufi'u roa vau! Te parau nei hia vau "E rave i teie, e rave i térá!" ata hina'aro vau e fa'aea e 'ori. Eaha aita fa'aea vau e 'ori vau ai? Ua 'ite au tei hina'aro to'u metuatáne e ha'api'i vau i te ha'api'ira'a, ata hina'aro vau e ha'api'i i te 'ori ó Tahiti. E taote to'u metuatáne, ata 'o vau, aita hina'aro vau e rave i te 'ohipa i te taote. Fa'ahou, ua 'ite au tei e tamari'i iho vau, ata aita hina'aro vau i rave i te 'ohipa. Hina'aro vai e 'ori iho, e fa'aea iho. Fi'ufi'u roa vau! Eaha rave au? Fa'aro'o i to'u metuatáne? Rave tei hina'aro iho vau, e 'ori e fa'aea? |
Well? What do you think? What should Pua do?
Here are a couple of phrases to help you understand better.....
| E rave i teie, e rave i térá | "Do this, do that!" | Eaha....ai? | "Why?" | ||
| Ua 'ite au tei... | "I know that (I)..." | ata | "but" | ||
| E tamari'i iho vau. | "I am just a child." | fa'ahou | "also, again" | ||
| Rave tei hina'aro iho vau? | "Just do what I want?" | Eaha rave vau? | "What do I do?" |
Copyright (c) 2002-2008 Bruce Rimell : All images, artwork, writings, texts and other information on this site
are copyrighted to Bruce Rimell and may not be reproduced in any form unless stated otherwise.