In this lesson, we will learn how to say why in Tahitian, to answer it with for or because in Tahitian. And also, to say since, that is for.
Causality in Tahitian
In short, if you have just one chart to take away from this lesson, here it is.
| Function | Grammatical construction |
| Why ? | E AHA + SUBJECT + I / E + VERB + AI? |
| Why ? | NO TE AHA + SUBJECT + I / E + VERB + AI? |
| For | NO TE + VERB-RAA |
| Because | NO TE MEA, E + VERB + SUBJECT + COMPLEMENT |
| Since, as | I TE MEA E, E + VERB + SUBJECT + COMPLEMENT |
| That’s why | NO REIRA + SUBJECT + I / E + VERB + AI |
Why
In this second chapter, let’s detail what and why in Tahitian. We already know them since the lesson: Interrogative pronouns in Tahitian – Who, what, where…
In Tahitian language, to ask about a cause, we use what and why.
In English, we use expressions such as:
- What happened to him…?
- Why did he …?
We find the same construction in Tahitian.
| Tahitian | English |
| What? | E aha? |
| Why ? | No te aha? |
Now let’s learn how to build an interrogative sentence using these 2 interrogative pronouns.
| Function | Grammatical construction |
| Why ? | E AHA + SUBJECT + I / E + VERB + AI |
| Why ? | NO TE AHA + SUBJECT + I / E + VERB + AI |
We notice :
- the use of the particle No. In this use, No carries a new role:
| Particle | Detail |
| No | Particle to indicate an origin
Particle to introduce the motivation behind an act. It corresponds to “for” or “in order to”. In sentence construction, No is always followed by Te:
Particle to indicate a cause and effect link |
- the use of the particle i or e which is linked to the relative construction. We will see the details in the next lesson on the relatives.
- the use of ai
Ai
Be careful, ai is not a particle.
| Keyword |
Detail |
| Ai | It refers to:
which was mentioned earlier in the sentence. It is found in interrogative sentences and certain complements. We can translate it by where in some cases, in other cases it does not translate. |
Let’s illustrate with examples:
| English | Tahitian |
| To the place where Mere went | I te vāhi ‘o Mere i haere ai |
| At the time when Mere left | I te taime ‘o Mere e reva ai |
The new vocabulary is as follows:
| Tahitian | English |
| Te vāhi | The place, the location, to split, to cut in half |
The already known vocabulary is as follows. It appears in green in the text:
- ‘O: Introduce yourself in Tahitian – I, you, he – Vau, au – Who
- Particle i: Particle I in Tahitian – Location, time, object, achievement – Ia
- The article te: A, the in Tahitian – Te, te mau – Tāne, vahine
| Tahitian | English |
| Haere | To go, to come, to evolve, to become |
| Reva | To leave |
| Te taime | The time (from the English, time) |
Examples
Let’s go back to our learning of the why:
| English | Tahitian |
| Why are you leaving? | No te aha ‘oe e reva ai ? |
| Why is this difficult? | E aha ‘oe i fifi ai ? |
The already known vocabulary is as follows. It appears in green in the text:
| Tahitian | English |
| Fifi | Difficult, problematic
Also means: problem, chain |
For and because in Tahitian
In this third chapter, we will focus on answering the question why with for and because in Tahitian.
There are 2 ways:
| Function | Grammatical construction |
| For | NO TE + VERB-RAA |
| Because | NO TE MEA, E + VERB + SUBJECT + COMPLEMENT |
Let’s illustrate with examples:
| English | Tahitian |
| Why are you leaving? | No te aha ‘oe e reva ai ? |
| To get back home | No te ho’iraa i te fare |
| Because I’m coming home for dinner | No te mea, e ho’i vau i te fare no te tāmāaraa |
The already known vocabulary is as follows. It appears in green in the text:
| Tahitian | English |
| Ho’i | To come back, to return |
| Te fare | The house |
| Tāmāa | To have a meal, a lunch, a dinner |
Since, that’s why
In this fourth chapter, let’s continue with since and that’s why in Tahitian.
| Function | Grammatical construction |
| Since, as | I TE MEA E, E + VERB + SUBJECT + COMPLEMENT |
| That’s why | NO REIRA + SUBJECT + I / E + VERB + AI |
Let’s illustrate with examples:
| English | Tahitian |
| As you live in Papeete, I ask you to drive me. | I te mea e, e noho ‘oe i Papeete. E ani atu vau ia ‘oe ia faahoro ia’u. |
| You live in Papeete. This is why I ask you to driveme. | E noho ‘oe i Papeete. No reira vau e ani atu ai ia ‘oe ia faahoro ia’u. |
The already known vocabulary is as follows. It appears in green in the text:
- Vau: Introduce yourself in Tahitian – I, you, he – Vau, au – Who
- Atu: Where are you from in Tahitian – Where are you going – Mai, atu
- The particle ia: Particle I in Tahitian – Location, time, object, achievement – Ia
| Tahitian | English |
| Noho | To live |
| Ani | To ask |
| Faahoro | To drive |
And the rest?
With this lesson we have just learned how to express causality. And also, we learned 21 vocabulary words and expressions.