Food & Drinks

1. 'A tāmā'a tātou!

   Let's all eat!

   Usage

   Call to start eating together, common at Tahitian family meals

   Grammar Note

   A hortative uses 'A + verb + tātou; tāmā'a is "prendre un repas".

2. Tē hia'ai nei au i te mā'a Tahiti.

   I want to eat Tahitian food.

   Usage

   Request authentic Tahitian cuisine at a restaurant or local home

   Grammar Note

   hiaai = "to desire food"; hia'ai = avoir ardemment envie de manger.

3. E hia te ho'o?

   How much does it cost?

   Usage

   Ask the price of food at a market or restaurant

   Grammar Note

   The interrogative for quantity and price is "e hia" (use "to'ohia" only when counting people). "'ē'a" is not an interrogative — it means road / path / stairway.

4. 'A tāmā'a maita'i!

   Enjoy your meal! / Bon appétit!

   Usage

   Tahitian has no fixed equivalent of "bon appétit"; this is a direct "eat well"

   Grammar Note

   Locally the French Bon appétit is used as is.

5. Mōmona roa!

   Very delicious! / Very good!

   Usage

   Express that the food is delicious after tasting it

   Grammar Note

   maitai is a corrupted spelling of maita'i ("good"); "delicious" is mōmona.

6. Tē vai ra anei te mā'a ha'ari i 'ō nei?

   Is there coconut food here?

   Usage

   Ask about coconut dishes — a staple of Tahitian cuisine

   Grammar Note

   He … is not a Tahitian construction; existence is Tē vai ra anei. ha'ari is "coconut".

7. E mā'a Mā'ohi anei teie?

   Is this a traditional dish?

   Usage

   Ask if a dish is authentically traditional Tahitian

   Grammar Note

   māori refers to the Māori of New Zealand; the Tahitian word for "indigenous, traditional" is Mā'ohi.

8. Hōmai na i te hō'ē hapaina fa'ahou.

   Please bring one more glass.

   Usage

   Order another drink at a restaurant or café

   Grammar Note

   hapaina = verre. 'ōpua means "plan", not "glass".

9. Mōmona roa te i'a ota!

   Raw fish salad (poisson cru) is very delicious!

   Usage

   Praise poisson cru — Tahiti's most famous dish of raw fish in coconut milk

   Grammar Note

   ota = "raw, as meat undressed". i'a ota is the Tahitian for the French poisson cru.

10. Hōmai na i te faraoa.

    Please bring me the bread.

    Usage

    Ask for bread at a Tahitian café or restaurant

    Grammar Note

    faraoa is used for bread (e.g. tāpū faraoa = tartine de pain). fa'a'ite means "to show", not "to bring".

11. faraoa

    Bread

    Usage

    For ordering or shopping

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