Useful Tongan Phrases
It is not necessary to learn to speak Tongan when you visit the Friendly Islands. English is the second language here and almost all Tongans have some exposure to it. At the Aquarium Café, all of our staff speak English, but it might be helpful to learn a few Tongan phrases. Tongans are always very impressed when a visitor tries to speak to them in their native tongue.
Even just learning to say mālō e lelei (hello) and mālō (thank you) will be much appreciated.
In Tongan, a consonant almost always indicates a new syllable and the vowels have a slightly different pronunciation than they do in English. For example "a" is pronounced as "ah", "e" is said as "ay", "i" is said as "ee".
Everyday Greetings:
| English |
Tongan |
| Hi. (Informal) |
Mālō e lelei. |
| Hello (Formal) |
Mālō ‘etau lava. |
| How are you? |
Fēfē hake? (Idiomatic) |
| Fine, thank you. |
Sai pē, mālō. |
| How about you? |
Fēfē koe? |
| Very Good. |
Sai ‘aupito. |
| Are you ok? |
Sai pē? |
The basics:
| English |
Tongan |
| Yes |
‘Io |
| No |
‘ikai |
| Thank you |
mālō |
| Thank you very much |
mālō ‘aupito |
| No, thank you |
‘ikai, mālō pē |
| Excuse me (said when passing in front of someone) |
tulou |
| Please |
kātaki |
| Sorry |
fakamolemole |
| Please, help me |
kātaki, tokoni mai |
| What is the Tongan word for _____? |
Ko e hā e lea faka-Tonga ki he ____? |
| I am here. (An appropriate response when someone calls your name) |
Ko au. |
| What’s that? |
Ko e hā ē? |
| Sorry, what is it? (say it again) |
Fakamolemole, ko e hā koā? |
| Where is the toilet? |
Ko fē e falemālōlō? |
| I have a question. |
‘Oku ‘i ai ki’i fehu’i. |
| I am tired. |
‘Oku ou hela’ia. |
| I am Taua. (name). |
Ko Taua au. |
| Sorry, I don’t understand. |
Fakamolemole, ‘ikai mahino. |
| Let’s begin. |
Tau kamata. |
| Time to rest. |
Taimi mālōlō |
| Let’s pray. |
Tau lotu. |
| Do you know how to speak English? |
Ke poto he lea faka-pālangi? |
| I speak a littleTongan. |
‘Oku ou lea faka-Tonga si’isi’i pē. |
| An expression of grief, excitement or concern |
‘Oiauē! |
| Stop it! |
Tuku ia! |
| Don’t. |
‘Oua |
| It’s ok/ Never mind. |
Sai pē ia. |
| Just joking |
Fakakata pē |
| Just wandering around |
‘Eva pē. |
| Of course. |
Ka ko toe hā. |
| Oh, how sad!/pitiful |
Faka’ofa. |
| Man!! |
Masi’i! |
| Really? |
Mo’oni? |
| Good-bye - (said to someone who is going, when you are staying, informal) |
‘Alu ā. |
| Good-bye - (said to someone who is staying, when you are going, informal) |
Nofo ā. |
| See you later. (informal) |
Toki sio. |
| Bye Rose - (good bye to a person using his/her name). |
Lose ē. |
| Good bye - (said to someone who is going, when you are staying, very formal) |
Faka’au ā |
| Yes, is the common response to all the farewells above. |
‘Io! but pronounced it like this “’Ioooooo” |
Here is a look at Tongan numbers:
| Numbers |
English |
Tongan |
| 0 |
zero |
noa |
| 1 |
one |
taha |
| 2 |
two |
ua |
| 3 |
three |
tolu |
| 4 |
four |
fā |
| 5 |
five |
nima |
| 6 |
six |
ono |
| 7 |
seven |
fitu |
| 8 |
eight |
valu |
| 9 |
nine |
hiva |
| 10 |
ten |
hongofulu |
| 20 |
twenty |
uanoa |
| 30 |
thirty |
tolunoa |
| 40 |
forty |
fānoa |
| 50 |
fifty |
nimanoa |
| 60 |
sixty |
ononoa |
| 70 |
seventy |
fitunoa |
| 80 |
eighty |
valunoa |
| 90 |
ninety |
hivanoa |
| 100 |
hundred |
teau |
Here are some monetary related phrases:
| English |
Tongan |
| dollar |
pa’anga |
| cent |
sēniti |
| How much is it? |
‘Oku fiha? |
| Eight dollars |
Pa’anga ‘e valu |
| Ten cents |
Sēniti ‘e hongofulu |
| Two dollars and ten cents |
Pa’anga ‘e ua sēniti ‘e hongofulu |
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