School & Education

1. Tei hea te fare ha'api'ira'a?

   Where is the school?

   Usage

   Basic phrase for asking where the school is located

   Grammar Note

   fare ha'api'ira'a literally means "house of learning" — fare means building

2. E hina'aro vau e ha'api'i i te reo Mā'ohi.

   I would like to learn Tahitian.

   Usage

   Used to express interest in learning the Tahitian language (reo Mā'ohi)

   Grammar Note

   reo means "language / voice"; reo Mā'ohi is the indigenous Tahitian language

3. E parau ana 'oe i te reo Farāni?

   Do you speak French?

   Usage

   Since French is an official language in Tahiti, this confirms shared communication

   Grammar Note

   'āpī means "new", not "can". 'ōrero is formal oratory and is not the everyday "to speak". "To speak" is parau, paraparau

4. Eaha te i'oa o teie mea?

   What is this called?

   Usage

   A basic learning phrase for asking the name of something

   Grammar Note

   ingoa is Māori; Tahitian for "name" is i'oa. Proto-Polynesian ng is lost in Tahitian, so ingoa becomes i'oa

5. 'A parau māite mai, māuruuru.

   Please speak slowly, thank you.

   Usage

   Used when learning a language and needing the speaker to slow down

   Grammar Note

   mālie contains l, a letter absent from the Tahitian alphabet, so it is impossible on orthographic grounds (it is Hawaiian/Samoan). "Slowly" is māite and "to speak" is parau

6. 'A tāpiti fa'ahou mai i te reira parau.

   Please say that again.

   Usage

   Used when you didn't hear or understand and want it repeated

   Grammar Note

   tuatāpapa means "to trace a genealogy, to investigate", not "to repeat". "To repeat" is tāpiti ("faire deux fois")

7. E hia te ho'o o teie fare ha'api'ira'a?

   What are the tuition fees for this school?

   Usage

   Used to inquire about tuition fees at a language school or educational facility

   Grammar Note

   mau'ā is a variant of mou'a "mountain", not "cost" (the nearest word is ha'amāu'ara'a "expenditure"). Fees are asked with ho'o "price". A school is fare ha'api'ira'a

8. E hina'aro vau e ha'api'i i te 'ori Tahiti.

   I would like to learn traditional dance.

   Usage

   Used when wanting to learn 'ori Tahiti (traditional Tahitian dance)

   Grammar Note

   pātia means "to pierce / spear", not "dance". "Dance" is 'ori. 'ori Tahiti is the centrepiece of the Heiva festival

9. E hina'aro vau i te hō'ē puta no te reo Tahiti.

   I would like a book in Tahitian.

   Usage

   Used when looking for a book in Tahitian for learning the language

   Grammar Note

   There is no Tahitian word for "dictionary", so this asks for a puta "book" (also buka) for the Tahitian language. In a bookshop the French dictionnaire works

10. 'Aita vau i māramarama.

    I don't understand.

    Usage

    Used in class or conversation when you don't understand

    Grammar Note

    māramarama means "understanding / light / enlightenment" in Polynesian languages

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