By now, you should already have been introduced to the model we use to describe phrase patterns: Pepeke. Pepeke have three basic parts: poʻo, piko, and ʻawe. Furthermore, each ʻawe begins with an ʻami word like «i» or «ma». Now it’s time to learn some more about Pepeke.
There are three main types of content that can go in the piko and the ʻawe of a Pepeke:
| (1) kaʻi+memeʻa | combinations such as «ka hale», «kēia pepa», and «nā keiki» |
| (2) iʻoa | names such as «Kalehua» or «Haleʻiwa» |
| (3) papani | pronouns such as «au» (I), «ʻoe» (you), and «kākou» (all of us). |
Hawaiian sentence example
| Hele | au | mai ka hale | i ke keʻena. |
| walk | I | from the house | to the office |
| poʻo | piko | ʻawe1 | ʻawe2 |
Some basic ʻami and their meanings. Note that «i», especially, has many possible uses!
| ʻAmi | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| i, ma | simple location – “in/on/at” | these are interchangeable for in/on/at |
| i | showing a destination of movement – “to” | use with kaʻi+memeʻa or place name |
| mai | coming from a thing or a place | use with kaʻi+memeʻa or place name |
| i | shows the receiver of the action (direct obj.) | use only with kaʻi+memeʻa |
| me | together with | don’t just think «with» |
| no | (1) for/belonging to; (2) about/regarding | the meaning depends on context |
Three Basic Phrase Patterns and Their Names
① Pepeke Henua “locational phrase” — «henua» is related to the word «honua» (place)
Use this pattern when you want to say “something is somewhere or somewhen”
- the poʻo contains the word «Aia» or «Eia» (use «eia» if the thing is located close to you)
- the piko contains the “something”; it can be a papani, ʻo+iʻoa, or a kaʻi+memeʻa
- start the locational ʻawe (required) with the ʻami words «i» or «ma»
- “somewhere” can be a place name or a kaʻi+memeʻa
- “somewhen” can be a time expression like «i nehinei» (yesterday), or «i kēia lā» (today)
② Pepeke Painu ʻAʻano “stative phrase”
Use this pattern when you want to say “something is in a particular state or condition”
- the poʻo contains the state or condition and is an ʻaʻano type of word
- the piko contains the subject (who or what) as a papani, ʻo+iʻoa, or kaʻi+memeʻa
- the ʻawe (optional) contain anything else like where, when, why, with whom, etc.
Members-only section.
③ Pepeke Painu Hamani/Hehele “action phrase”
Use this pattern when you want to say “something is doing something”
- the poʻo contains the action and is a hamani or hehele type of action verb
- the piko contains the doer as a papani, ʻo+iʻoa, or kaʻi+memeʻa
- the ʻawe (optional) contains all other info like where, when, direct obj., destination, etc
Members-only section.
Summary: Three Pepeke Phrase Patterns
| Hawaiian Name | Use to say… | English Name |
|---|---|---|
| Pepeke Henua | something is somewhere or somewhen | locational phrase |
| Pepeke Painu ʻAʻano | something is in a state or condition | stative phrase |
| Pepeke Painu Hamani/Hehele | something is doing something | action phrase |
ʻŌlelo Online Virtual Classroom · kumu Kaliko Beamer-Trapp · Lesson revision 6 (April 2025) · This is a work in progress; feedback is welcome.