Airport & Customs

1. E fa'a'ite mai i tā'oe passeport

   E fa-'a-'i-te mai i tā-'oe passeport

   Please show your passport

   Usage

   Standard phrase used by immigration officers

   Grammar Note

   Tahitian follows VSO word order: the tense marker and verb come first, as with "E fa'a'ite" here

2. E aha te tumu o tō 'oe haere mai?

   E a-ha te tu-mu o tō 'oe ha-e-re mai?

   What is the purpose of your visit?

   Usage

   Standard immigration question

   Grammar Note

   "E aha" = what. "tō 'oe" is the o-class possessive "your"

3. E hia pō 'oe e noho ai?

   E hi-a pō 'oe e no-ho ai?

   How many nights are you planning to stay?

   Usage

   Commonly asked at immigration

   Grammar Note

   "E hia ... ?" = how many. The final "ai" closes the relative clause

4. Tē vai ra anei tā'oe tao'a e fa'a'ite?

   Tē vai ra a-nei tā-'oe ta-o-'a e fa-'a-'i-te?

   Do you have anything to declare?

   Usage

   Asked at customs

   Grammar Note

   "Tē vai ra ... anei" = "is there ...?"; "anei" marks the question

5. 'Aita tā'u mau tao'a i tae mai

   'Ai-ta tā-'u mau ta-o-'a i ta-e mai

   My luggage hasn't arrived

   Usage

   Tell baggage claim staff

   Grammar Note

   "'Aita ... i ~" = has not ~ yet.

6. E tao'a rima teie

   E ta-o-'a ri-ma tei-e

   This is carry-on luggage

   Usage

   Tell airline staff at check-in or boarding gate

   Grammar Note

   "E ~ teie" = "this is a ~". The demonstrative is teie; tēia is the Cook Islands Māori form and does not exist in Tahitian.

7. Tei hea te 'ōpani nō te manureva?

   Tei he-a te 'ō-pa-ni nō te ma-nu-re-va?

   Where is the gate?

   Usage

   Ask when looking for your boarding gate

   Grammar Note

   Literally "where is the door for the aeroplane?" — Tahitian has no dedicated word for a boarding gate

8. Āfea tātou e haere ai i roto i te manureva?

   Ā-fe-a tā-tou e ha-e-re ai i ro-to i te ma-nu-re-va?

   When does boarding begin?

   Usage

   Ask while waiting at the boarding gate

   Grammar Note

   Future "when" is Āfea. Nāhea means how and is a different word.

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