You want to learn how to say: I wish in Tahitian, I do not wish in Tahitian. You are in the right place!
In this lesson, we will learn how to say it using the particle Ia in Tahitian, the wish particle.
Take a step back for a few minutes
First, what do we know about this Ia particle?
- In certain cases, it allows the particle I to be replaced by the particle Ia. We learned it in the lesson: Particle I in Tahitian – Location, time, object, achievement – Ia
- It is used for wishes. This is the topic of the previous lesson: Wishes in Tahitian – Good, Happy – Ia maita’i, ia ‘oa’oa
Little reminder: I wish in Tahitian
We learned in the previous lesson how to say I wish:
| Function | Detail | Grammatical construction |
| The wish | I wish that, may | IA + VERB + (SUBJECT) + COMPLEMENT |
And the opposite? I do not wish in Tahitian?
What about “I do not wish”? How to say “I do not wish in Tahitian”? We will answer those questions in this lesson.
The particle Ia, the wish particle
In this second chapter, we will focus on Ia which is the wish particle.
| Particle | Detail |
| Ia | Wish particle that introduces the expression I wish / I do not wish |
Also, we have already met Eiaha in the lesson The imperative in Tahitian, order, prohibition – For me – A, na, ê ê, eiaha:
| The function |
Detail | Grammatical construction |
| The prohibition | The term negation Eiaha expresses the prohibition: It should not. It’s forbidden.
The verb is preceded by the particle E (see the lesson The present tense in Tahitian – E, Tē… nei, Tē… ra ) |
EIAHA – E – VERB (if no subject in sentence)
EIAHA – SUBJECT – E |
Grammatical constructions: I wish in Tahitian, I do not wish in Tahitian
Here are the grammatical constructions for wishes:
- in the affirmative form
- in the negative form
| Function | Detail | Grammatical construction |
| The wish in the affirmative form | I wish that, may | IA + VERB + (SUBJECT) + COMPLEMENT |
| The wish in the negative form. The speaker is at the origin of the wish | I do not wish that, because … should not … | PROPOSAL 1 + EIAHA + (SUBJECT) + IA + VERB + COMPLEMENT |
| The wish in the negative form. The speaker is not the source of the wish | So that … not … | PROPOSAL 1 + IA ‘ORE + (SUBJECT) + IA + VERB + COMPLEMENT |
The subject is in parenthesis because the 2 forms exist: with subject and without subject.
If there is a single paragraph to take away from this lesson, it is this one with this table. So take your time to read it, reread it to fully understand.
Let’s learn with examples
It’s easier with examples. In green, the words we already know.
| Tahitian | English |
| Ia haere mai ‘outou i teie pô | I wish that you come tonight |
| Ia faaitoito tātou | May we have courage! |
| Ia ‘oa’oa ‘outou i te matahiti âpī | Happy New Year !
Literally I wish that you were happy in the New Year |
| Eiaha ‘oe ia haere atu i teie pô | I don’t wish that you leave tonight |
| E haere mai mātou i teie pô eiaha ‘oe ia faaea ‘oe ana’e | We’re coming tonight, because you should not stay alone |
| E faaea mātou i te fare ia ‘ore mātou ia roaahia i te ma’i | We stay at home so that we don’t catch the disease |
The already known vocabulary
Particle i is omnipresent, we know it from the lesson Particle I in Tahitian – Location, time, object, achievement – Ia
The last 2 sentences start with E from the lesson: The present tense in Tahitian – E, Tē…nei, Tē…ra
The already known vocabulary is the following.
| Tahitian | English |
| Haere mai | To come (literally, go here) |
| Haere atu | To go (literally, go there) |
| Faaitoito | To encourage, to give yourself courage, to persevere. Good luck |
| ‘Oe | You (singular) |
| ‘Outou | You (plural) |
| Tātou | You (plural) and me |
| Mātou | Them and me |
| Teie pô | Tonight, this night |
| Te matahiti | The year |
| Te fare | The house |
| Te ma’i | The disease, the sick |
| Âpī | New, young, fresh for food |
| ‘Oa’oa | Merry, cheerful |
The new vocabulary
Here are the new words:
| Tahitian | English |
| Faaea | To stay, to live, to house, to stay, to cease |
| ‘Oe ana’e | Only you
Ana’e is a particle, we will dedicate a lesson to its different uses and meanings |
| Roaa | To get got, to get caught |
| Roaahia | To get, to catch, to take |
Let’s learn with a short dialogue
With this dialog, we will use:
- phrases learned in this lesson in italic blue
- sentences from the previous lesson in blue: Wishes in Tahitian – Good, Happy – Ia maita’i, ia ‘oa’oa
| Tahitian | English |
| E Mere, ia ‘oa’oa ‘oe i to ‘oe ôro’a fānauraa! | Mere, happy birthday! |
| Ia maita’i i to ‘oe mahana! | May you have a good day! |
| Ia haere mai ‘outou i teie pô. Ta ‘u ôro’a fānauraa teie mahana. E taa vau eita e tano to’u feruriraa. | I wish that you come tonight. It’s my birthday. I understand that is not the right way to think. |
| E taa ‘oe. E faaea mātou i te fare ia ‘ore mātou ia roaahia i te ma’i. | You understand. We stay at home so that we don’t catch the disease |
| Ta’u hoa iti e. Ia faaitoito tātou. | My dear friend. May we have courage! |
The already known vocabulary
| Tahitian | English |
| To ‘u / ta’ u (depending on the case) | My |
| To ‘oe / ta’ oe (depending on the case) | Your |
| Te ôro’a fānauraa | The birthday (literally, the birthday celebration) |
| Teie mahana | This day |
| Vau | I |
| Iti | Small (size)
Little (quantity) |
To tell the difference between to ‘u and ta’ u, I encourage you to go see the lesson: My name is in Tahitian – My, your, his – To’u, ta’u
Aita e is used to express negation. To learn more, see the lesson: The negation in Tahitian – Eere, eita, aita
The new vocabulary
| Tahitian | English |
| Taa | To be separate, to be distinct, to be understood |
| Tano | To suit, to go well, to be suitable |
| Feruri | To reflect, to meditate |
| Te feruriraa | The reflection, the meditation, the way of thinking |
| Te hoa | The friend |
And after ?
Thanks to this lesson, we have learned the particle ia, the wish particle in Tahitian, how to say: I wish, I do not wish in Tahitian. And also, we have learned 22 Tahitian vocabulary words and expressions.