How To Use “iā” to Direct Action Towards Another Person

In the first half of this program, we learned how to say that an action has occurred, or will occur in the future. Now we will learn how to direct the action towards somebody. For example, we can already say “Kimo said” (Ua ʻōlelo ʻo Kimo), and “The chief will want” (E makemake ana ke aliʻi), and now we will learn to say “Kimo said -to Kealoha,” and “The chief will want -Hiʻiaka”.

To do this, all we have to do is add the marker “iā” after the subject of the sentence, and then add the name of the person to whom the action is directed. Let’s all practice saying the marker word: iā [2x]

E hoʻomaʻamaʻa kākou:

• E kiʻi ana ke aliʻi – the chief is going to fetch
• iā Pele – (to) Pele (and note that in English we don’t need to say “to Pele”)
• E kiʻi ana ke aliʻi iā Pele – the chief is going to fetch Pele

• E ʻōlelo ana ke kanaka – the person will speak
• iā Lohiʻau – to Lohiʻau
• E ʻōlelo ana ke kanaka iā Lohiʻau – the person is going to speak to Lohiʻau

• E hoʻomaopopo ana nā kānaka – the people are going to remind
• iā Kealoha – (to) Kealoha
• E hoʻomaopopo ana nā kānaka iā Kealoha – the people are going to remind Kealoha

• E kiʻi ana ke kāne – the man will fetch
• iā kākou – (to) us
• E kiʻi ana ke kāne iā kākou – the man is going to fetch us

• Ua ʻōlelo ka wahine – the women spoke
• iā ʻoe – to you
• Ua ʻōlelo ka wahine iā ʻoe – the woman spoke to you

• Ua nānā ka malihini – the visitor looked
• iā Mauna Kea – at Mauna Kea
• Ua nānā ka malihini iā Mauna Kea – The visitor looked at Mauna Kea

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I hope you manage to follow the examples given. Repeat them as often as necessary. And when you are ready, continue on to the next lesson, which is a translation excercise for you, to translate from English into Hawaiian. Hoʻomākaukau!

• The chief is going to fetch Pele – E kiʻi ana ke aliʻi iā Pele
• The person is going to speak to Lohiʻau – E ʻōlelo ana ke kanaka iā Lohiʻau
• The people are going to remind Kealoha – E hoʻomaopopo ana nā kānaka iā Kealoha
• The man is going to fetch us – E kiʻi ana ke kāne iā kākou
• The woman spoke to you – Ua ʻōlelo ka wahine iā ʻoe
• The visitor looked at Mauna Kea – Ua nānā ka malihini iā Mauna Kea

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