Schedule & Booking

1. E hia te hora?

   What time is it?

   Usage

   Basic phrase to ask what time it is

   Grammar Note

   'ei is not an interrogative — it is the optative/imperative particle "may it be". The hour is asked with the quantity interrogative E hia te hora? ("E hia? how many"). hora comes from Latin hora

2. I tera mahana

   On that day

   Usage

   Referring to a specific day

   Grammar Note

   tera is a demonstrative indicating something distant

3. I teie mahana

   Today

   Usage

   Referring to today's plans or activities

   Grammar Note

   tēnei is the Māori demonstrative and does not exist in Tahitian; Tahitian "this" is teie. "Today" is i teie mahana

4. Ānānahi

   Tomorrow

   Usage

   Talking about plans for the next day

   Grammar Note

   ⚠ Adding the preposition i reverses the meaning. ananahi means "to-morrow, or yesterday, according to the way it is mentioned; if the preposition i is before it" it means yesterday — so I ananahi says "yesterday". Tomorrow is ānānahi, yesterday is inanahi

5. Inanahi

   Yesterday

   Usage

   Referring to yesterday's events

   Grammar Note

   "Yesterday" is inanahi — nanahi "yesterday" with the preposition i

6. E hia te hora o te 'ohipa?

   What are the opening hours?

   Usage

   Asking about business or attraction opening hours

   Grammar Note

   Use E hia, not 'Ei aha ('ei is the optative particle, not an interrogative). 'ohipa is "work, employment"; o marks possession

7. Tē tīa'i nei au

   I am waiting

   Usage

   Saying you are waiting for someone or something

   Grammar Note

   Tē + verb + nei indicates present continuous action. "To wait" is tīa'i (the same word as in "'A tīa'i na")

8. Āfea te 'ōro'a?

   When is the festival?

   Usage

   Asking about the date of a local festival or event

   Grammar Note

   ⚠ te rā o te pōhē literally means "the day of death" — pohe is "death; to die", not a festival, and it would sound ominous rather than merely wrong. "Festival" is 'ōro'a. "When" is the future interrogative Āfea / Āhea (fea and hea take no 'eta)

9. Te hepetoma

   Week

   Usage

   Referring to a week when discussing schedules

   Grammar Note

   Tahitian for "week" is hepetoma (borrowed via Greek ἑβδομάς)

10. I teie matahiti

    This year

    Usage

    Talking about plans or events happening this year

    Grammar Note

    tēnei is Māori; Tahitian is teie ("Teie, dem. pron. this"). matahiti is "a year".

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