Author: Kumu Kaliko

0801P Pepeke Henua Practice #1

Create Your First Pepeke Henua

This is your first video to help you practice basic Pepeke Henua! You will practice using ʻami (determiners such as i and ma, as well as i and iā) in basic Pepeke Henua. You will be able to practice what you have learned about Pepeke Henua and the various ʻami from the following videos, which you should have watched first:

You will need a pen and paper for this video, during which you will practice sentences that I give you to write down. You will also have to make up sentences of your own after being given vocabulary words.

Many of the pictures in this video are variations of those presented in the instructional videos, so although they are not exactly the same, I hope that the situations shown in the pictures will remind you of the vocabulary words and structures you learned in the instructional videos up to this point. Have fun!

Video Links

Video Outline

  1. Making sure you have seen required videos
  2. Remembering i / ma, me, and i / iā
  3. “Something is Somewhere” Pepeke Henua
  4. Practice English to Hawaiian examples
  5. The meaning of the name Kaimukī.

Length: 24 minutes

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Answers and Analysis of Practice Sentences From The Video

These exercises check your understanding of two very common ways to use Pepeke Henua: (1) to say that something is together with something else; and (2) to say that someone has something specific in his or her possession. The answers for the English sentences we created in the video are below.

a picture of a box of pencils

Set One

1. The pencils are together with the box.
Aia nā penikala me ka pahu.
Analysis: Note that it is important to understand that we are using the ʻami “me” to mean “together with” in this instance. We are not saying that the pencils are in the box (for which we would use i or ma meaning “in, on, or at” and say “Aia nā penikala ma ka pahu” or “Aia nā penikala i ka pahu”.

Aia nā penikala ma ka pahu

2. The box is [together] with the pencils.
Aia ka pahu me nā penikala.

Aia ka pahu me nā penikala

3. The pencil is with the boy.
Aia ka penikala me ke keiki.
Analysis: Remember that we are being sure to learn the distinction between someone having something and someone being with something, so when we say “The pencil is with the boy” we are simply saying the latter in a very objective sense and not trying to imply ownership.

Aia ka penikala me ke keiki.

4. The pencil is with Keala.
Aia ka penikala me Keala.
Analysis: Here we switch to putting an iʻoa (name) into the ʻawe instead of the kaʻi + memeʻa sequence we used in the previous questions. This means that we do not need to use a kaʻi (like ka, ke, nā, kekahi, and so on) after the ʻami (which is me in this case).

Aia ka penikala me Keala

5. Keala has the pencil
Aia ka penikala iā Keala
Analysis:

 

Now we move into actually saying that someone has something, but we want to remember that in this case, we are using Pepeke Henua with the ʻami i or iā to point to who has possession of the item at this time. Think of asking someone, “Who has the pencil I put down right here just two minutes ago?!” The response could be “Oh, Keala has it. Keala has the pencil.” (ʻŌ! Aia iā Keala. Aia ka penikala iā Keala.”)

So we are best using this type of pattern with a specific object which someone has, rather than the non-specific “Keala has a pencil” which will use a different pattern that you will learn later on.

Aia ka penikala iā Keala.

6. Keala is at the house in Honolulu
Aia ʻo Keala ma ka hale i Honolulu
Analysis:

 

We have a new type of piko here: this one uses an iʻoa (name) instead of the kaʻi+memeʻa sequences we have been using above. To indicate that a name is coming up in the piko, we always want to use ʻo. Again, that little ʻo is very important: it tells the listener that a proper name is coming up.

Of course, as usual, you should not use a leading kaʻi when you have an iʻoa at this stage of our learning. (For example, “Aia ke Keala ma ka hale” and “Aia ʻo ke Keala ma ka hale” are both wrong.)

Finally, note that we can use i or ma to indicate in, on, or at in Pepeke Henua, as well as many other places.

Aia ʻo Keala ma ka hale i Honolulu.

7. Keala has the pencil in the house in Honolulu.
Aia ka penikala iā Keala ma ka hale i Honolulu.
Analysis: Combine the use of someone having possession of something specific with your ʻami showing location. We also have multiple ʻawe in this example which is very very common in Hawaiian language; that’s how sentences can become very long indeed. To the listener however, they are very “modular” in the way that they are built in these easily recognizable chunks, each one starting with an ʻami. Take a look at the sentence diagram below to see these “chunks”.

Aia ka penikala iā Keala ma ka hale i Honolulu.

8. Keala has the blue box in the classroom at school in Kaimukī.
Aia ka pahu uliuli iā Keala ma ka lumi papa ma ke kula i Kaimukī.

Aia ka pahu uliuli iā Keala ma ka lumi papa ma ke kula i Kaimukī.

a picture of children crossing the road

Set Two

1. The pencils are together with the box.
Aia nā penikala me ka pahu.
Analysis: Note that it is important to understand that we are using the ʻami “me” to mean “together with” in this instance. We are not saying that the pencils are in the box (for which we would use i or ma meaning “in, on, or at” and say “Aia nā penikala ma ka pahu” or “Aia nā penikala i ka pahu”.

Aia nā penikala ma ka pahu

2. The box is [together] with the pencils.
Aia ka pahu me nā penikala.

Aia ka pahu me nā penikala

3. The pencil is with the boy.
Aia ka penikala me ke keiki.
Analysis: Remember that we are being sure to learn the distinction between someone having something and someone being with something, so when we say “The pencil is with the boy” we are simply saying the latter in a very objective sense and not trying to imply ownership.

Aia ka penikala me ke keiki.

4. The pencil is with Keala.
Aia ka penikala me Keala.
Analysis: Here we switch to putting an iʻoa (name) into the ʻawe instead of the kaʻi + memeʻa sequence we used in the previous questions. This means that we do not need to use a kaʻi (like ka, ke, nā, kekahi, and so on) after the ʻami (which is me in this case).

Aia ka penikala me Keala

5. Keala has the pencil
Aia ka penikala iā Keala
Analysis:

 

Now we move into actually saying that someone has something, but we want to remember that in this case, we are using Pepeke Henua with the ʻami i or iā to point to who has possession of the item at this time. Think of asking someone, “Who has the pencil I put down right here just two minutes ago?!” The response could be “Oh, Keala has it. Keala has the pencil.” (ʻŌ! Aia iā Keala. Aia ka penikala iā Keala.”)

So we are best using this type of pattern with a specific object which someone has, rather than the non-specific “Keala has a pencil” which will use a different pattern that you will learn later on.

Aia ka penikala iā Keala.

6. Keala is at the house in Honolulu
Aia ʻo Keala ma ka hale i Honolulu
Analysis:

 

We have a new type of piko here: this one uses an iʻoa (name) instead of the kaʻi+memeʻa sequences we have been using above. To indicate that a name is coming up in the piko, we always want to use ʻo. Again, that little ʻo is very important: it tells the listener that a proper name is coming up.

Of course, as usual, you should not use a leading kaʻi when you have an iʻoa at this stage of our learning. (For example, “Aia ke Keala ma ka hale” and “Aia ʻo ke Keala ma ka hale” are both wrong.)

Finally, note that we can use i or ma to indicate in, on, or at in Pepeke Henua, as well as many other places.

Aia ʻo Keala ma ka hale i Honolulu.

7. Keala has the pencil in the house in Honolulu.
Aia ka penikala iā Keala ma ka hale i Honolulu.
Analysis: Combine the use of someone having possession of something specific with your ʻami showing location. We also have multiple ʻawe in this example which is very very common in Hawaiian language; that’s how sentences can become very long indeed. To the listener however, they are very “modular” in the way that they are built in these easily recognizable chunks, each one starting with an ʻami. Take a look at the sentence diagram below to see these “chunks”.

Aia ka penikala iā Keala ma ka hale i Honolulu.

8. Keala has the blue box in the classroom at school in Kaimukī.
Aia ka pahu uliuli iā Keala ma ka lumi papa ma ke kula i Kaimukī.

Aia ka pahu uliuli iā Keala ma ka lumi papa ma ke kula i Kaimukī.

a picture of a child reading
a picture of a child reading

Set Three

1. The pencils are together with the box.
Aia nā penikala me ka pahu.
Analysis: Note that it is important to understand that we are using the ʻami “me” to mean “together with” in this instance. We are not saying that the pencils are in the box (for which we would use i or ma meaning “in, on, or at” and say “Aia nā penikala ma ka pahu” or “Aia nā penikala i ka pahu”.

Aia nā penikala ma ka pahu

2. The box is [together] with the pencils.
Aia ka pahu me nā penikala.

Aia ka pahu me nā penikala

3. The pencil is with the boy.
Aia ka penikala me ke keiki.
Analysis: Remember that we are being sure to learn the distinction between someone having something and someone being with something, so when we say “The pencil is with the boy” we are simply saying the latter in a very objective sense and not trying to imply ownership.

Aia ka penikala me ke keiki.

4. The pencil is with Keala.
Aia ka penikala me Keala.
Analysis: Here we switch to putting an iʻoa (name) into the ʻawe instead of the kaʻi + memeʻa sequence we used in the previous questions. This means that we do not need to use a kaʻi (like ka, ke, nā, kekahi, and so on) after the ʻami (which is me in this case).

Aia ka penikala me Keala

5. Keala has the pencil
Aia ka penikala iā Keala
Analysis:

 

Now we move into actually saying that someone has something, but we want to remember that in this case, we are using Pepeke Henua with the ʻami i or iā to point to who has possession of the item at this time. Think of asking someone, “Who has the pencil I put down right here just two minutes ago?!” The response could be “Oh, Keala has it. Keala has the pencil.” (ʻŌ! Aia iā Keala. Aia ka penikala iā Keala.”)

So we are best using this type of pattern with a specific object which someone has, rather than the non-specific “Keala has a pencil” which will use a different pattern that you will learn later on.

Aia ka penikala iā Keala.

6. Keala is at the house in Honolulu
Aia ʻo Keala ma ka hale i Honolulu
Analysis:

 

We have a new type of piko here: this one uses an iʻoa (name) instead of the kaʻi+memeʻa sequences we have been using above. To indicate that a name is coming up in the piko, we always want to use ʻo. Again, that little ʻo is very important: it tells the listener that a proper name is coming up.

Of course, as usual, you should not use a leading kaʻi when you have an iʻoa at this stage of our learning. (For example, “Aia ke Keala ma ka hale” and “Aia ʻo ke Keala ma ka hale” are both wrong.)

Finally, note that we can use i or ma to indicate in, on, or at in Pepeke Henua, as well as many other places.

Aia ʻo Keala ma ka hale i Honolulu.

7. Keala has the pencil in the house in Honolulu.
Aia ka penikala iā Keala ma ka hale i Honolulu.
Analysis: Combine the use of someone having possession of something specific with your ʻami showing location. We also have multiple ʻawe in this example which is very very common in Hawaiian language; that’s how sentences can become very long indeed. To the listener however, they are very “modular” in the way that they are built in these easily recognizable chunks, each one starting with an ʻami. Take a look at the sentence diagram below to see these “chunks”.

Aia ka penikala iā Keala ma ka hale i Honolulu.

8. Keala has the blue box in the classroom at school in Kaimukī.
Aia ka pahu uliuli iā Keala ma ka lumi papa ma ke kula i Kaimukī.

Aia ka pahu uliuli iā Keala ma ka lumi papa ma ke kula i Kaimukī.

a picture a child playing with a robot

Set Four

1. The pencils are together with the box.
Aia nā penikala me ka pahu.
Analysis: Note that it is important to understand that we are using the ʻami “me” to mean “together with” in this instance. We are not saying that the pencils are in the box (for which we would use i or ma meaning “in, on, or at” and say “Aia nā penikala ma ka pahu” or “Aia nā penikala i ka pahu”.

Aia nā penikala ma ka pahu

2. The box is [together] with the pencils.
Aia ka pahu me nā penikala.

Aia ka pahu me nā penikala

3. The pencil is with the boy.
Aia ka penikala me ke keiki.
Analysis: Remember that we are being sure to learn the distinction between someone having something and someone being with something, so when we say “The pencil is with the boy” we are simply saying the latter in a very objective sense and not trying to imply ownership.

Aia ka penikala me ke keiki.

4. The pencil is with Keala.
Aia ka penikala me Keala.
Analysis: Here we switch to putting an iʻoa (name) into the ʻawe instead of the kaʻi + memeʻa sequence we used in the previous questions. This means that we do not need to use a kaʻi (like ka, ke, nā, kekahi, and so on) after the ʻami (which is me in this case).

Aia ka penikala me Keala

5. Keala has the pencil
Aia ka penikala iā Keala
Analysis:

 

Now we move into actually saying that someone has something, but we want to remember that in this case, we are using Pepeke Henua with the ʻami i or iā to point to who has possession of the item at this time. Think of asking someone, “Who has the pencil I put down right here just two minutes ago?!” The response could be “Oh, Keala has it. Keala has the pencil.” (ʻŌ! Aia iā Keala. Aia ka penikala iā Keala.”)

So we are best using this type of pattern with a specific object which someone has, rather than the non-specific “Keala has a pencil” which will use a different pattern that you will learn later on.

Aia ka penikala iā Keala.

6. Keala is at the house in Honolulu
Aia ʻo Keala ma ka hale i Honolulu
Analysis:

 

We have a new type of piko here: this one uses an iʻoa (name) instead of the kaʻi+memeʻa sequences we have been using above. To indicate that a name is coming up in the piko, we always want to use ʻo. Again, that little ʻo is very important: it tells the listener that a proper name is coming up.

Of course, as usual, you should not use a leading kaʻi when you have an iʻoa at this stage of our learning. (For example, “Aia ke Keala ma ka hale” and “Aia ʻo ke Keala ma ka hale” are both wrong.)

Finally, note that we can use i or ma to indicate in, on, or at in Pepeke Henua, as well as many other places.

Aia ʻo Keala ma ka hale i Honolulu.

7. Keala has the pencil in the house in Honolulu.
Aia ka penikala iā Keala ma ka hale i Honolulu.
Analysis: Combine the use of someone having possession of something specific with your ʻami showing location. We also have multiple ʻawe in this example which is very very common in Hawaiian language; that’s how sentences can become very long indeed. To the listener however, they are very “modular” in the way that they are built in these easily recognizable chunks, each one starting with an ʻami. Take a look at the sentence diagram below to see these “chunks”.

Aia ka penikala iā Keala ma ka hale i Honolulu.

8. Keala has the blue box in the classroom at school in Kaimukī.
Aia ka pahu uliuli iā Keala ma ka lumi papa ma ke kula i Kaimukī.

Aia ka pahu uliuli iā Keala ma ka lumi papa ma ke kula i Kaimukī.

a picture of a dog eating homework

Set Five

1. The pencils are together with the box.
Aia nā penikala me ka pahu.
Analysis: Note that it is important to understand that we are using the ʻami “me” to mean “together with” in this instance. We are not saying that the pencils are in the box (for which we would use i or ma meaning “in, on, or at” and say “Aia nā penikala ma ka pahu” or “Aia nā penikala i ka pahu”.

Aia nā penikala ma ka pahu

2. The box is [together] with the pencils.
Aia ka pahu me nā penikala.

Aia ka pahu me nā penikala

3. The pencil is with the boy.
Aia ka penikala me ke keiki.
Analysis: Remember that we are being sure to learn the distinction between someone having something and someone being with something, so when we say “The pencil is with the boy” we are simply saying the latter in a very objective sense and not trying to imply ownership.

Aia ka penikala me ke keiki.

4. The pencil is with Keala.
Aia ka penikala me Keala.
Analysis: Here we switch to putting an iʻoa (name) into the ʻawe instead of the kaʻi + memeʻa sequence we used in the previous questions. This means that we do not need to use a kaʻi (like ka, ke, nā, kekahi, and so on) after the ʻami (which is me in this case).

Aia ka penikala me Keala

5. Keala has the pencil
Aia ka penikala iā Keala
Analysis:

 

Now we move into actually saying that someone has something, but we want to remember that in this case, we are using Pepeke Henua with the ʻami i or iā to point to who has possession of the item at this time. Think of asking someone, “Who has the pencil I put down right here just two minutes ago?!” The response could be “Oh, Keala has it. Keala has the pencil.” (ʻŌ! Aia iā Keala. Aia ka penikala iā Keala.”)

So we are best using this type of pattern with a specific object which someone has, rather than the non-specific “Keala has a pencil” which will use a different pattern that you will learn later on.

Aia ka penikala iā Keala.

6. Keala is at the house in Honolulu
Aia ʻo Keala ma ka hale i Honolulu
Analysis:

 

We have a new type of piko here: this one uses an iʻoa (name) instead of the kaʻi+memeʻa sequences we have been using above. To indicate that a name is coming up in the piko, we always want to use ʻo. Again, that little ʻo is very important: it tells the listener that a proper name is coming up.

Of course, as usual, you should not use a leading kaʻi when you have an iʻoa at this stage of our learning. (For example, “Aia ke Keala ma ka hale” and “Aia ʻo ke Keala ma ka hale” are both wrong.)

Finally, note that we can use i or ma to indicate in, on, or at in Pepeke Henua, as well as many other places.

Aia ʻo Keala ma ka hale i Honolulu.

7. Keala has the pencil in the house in Honolulu.
Aia ka penikala iā Keala ma ka hale i Honolulu.
Analysis: Combine the use of someone having possession of something specific with your ʻami showing location. We also have multiple ʻawe in this example which is very very common in Hawaiian language; that’s how sentences can become very long indeed. To the listener however, they are very “modular” in the way that they are built in these easily recognizable chunks, each one starting with an ʻami. Take a look at the sentence diagram below to see these “chunks”.

Aia ka penikala iā Keala ma ka hale i Honolulu.

8. Keala has the blue box in the classroom at school in Kaimukī.
Aia ka pahu uliuli iā Keala ma ka lumi papa ma ke kula i Kaimukī.

Aia ka pahu uliuli iā Keala ma ka lumi papa ma ke kula i Kaimukī.

a picture of people walking in rain with umbrellas
a picture a girl playing an ʻukulele or guitar.

Set Six

1. The pencils are together with the box.
Aia nā penikala me ka pahu.
Analysis: Note that it is important to understand that we are using the ʻami “me” to mean “together with” in this instance. We are not saying that the pencils are in the box (for which we would use i or ma meaning “in, on, or at” and say “Aia nā penikala ma ka pahu” or “Aia nā penikala i ka pahu”.

Aia nā penikala ma ka pahu

2. The box is [together] with the pencils.
Aia ka pahu me nā penikala.

Aia ka pahu me nā penikala

3. The pencil is with the boy.
Aia ka penikala me ke keiki.
Analysis: Remember that we are being sure to learn the distinction between someone having something and someone being with something, so when we say “The pencil is with the boy” we are simply saying the latter in a very objective sense and not trying to imply ownership.

Aia ka penikala me ke keiki.

4. The pencil is with Keala.
Aia ka penikala me Keala.
Analysis: Here we switch to putting an iʻoa (name) into the ʻawe instead of the kaʻi + memeʻa sequence we used in the previous questions. This means that we do not need to use a kaʻi (like ka, ke, nā, kekahi, and so on) after the ʻami (which is me in this case).

Aia ka penikala me Keala

5. Keala has the pencil
Aia ka penikala iā Keala
Analysis:

 

Now we move into actually saying that someone has something, but we want to remember that in this case, we are using Pepeke Henua with the ʻami i or iā to point to who has possession of the item at this time. Think of asking someone, “Who has the pencil I put down right here just two minutes ago?!” The response could be “Oh, Keala has it. Keala has the pencil.” (ʻŌ! Aia iā Keala. Aia ka penikala iā Keala.”)

So we are best using this type of pattern with a specific object which someone has, rather than the non-specific “Keala has a pencil” which will use a different pattern that you will learn later on.

Aia ka penikala iā Keala.

6. Keala is at the house in Honolulu
Aia ʻo Keala ma ka hale i Honolulu
Analysis:

 

We have a new type of piko here: this one uses an iʻoa (name) instead of the kaʻi+memeʻa sequences we have been using above. To indicate that a name is coming up in the piko, we always want to use ʻo. Again, that little ʻo is very important: it tells the listener that a proper name is coming up.

Of course, as usual, you should not use a leading kaʻi when you have an iʻoa at this stage of our learning. (For example, “Aia ke Keala ma ka hale” and “Aia ʻo ke Keala ma ka hale” are both wrong.)

Finally, note that we can use i or ma to indicate in, on, or at in Pepeke Henua, as well as many other places.

Aia ʻo Keala ma ka hale i Honolulu.

7. Keala has the pencil in the house in Honolulu.
Aia ka penikala iā Keala ma ka hale i Honolulu.
Analysis: Combine the use of someone having possession of something specific with your ʻami showing location. We also have multiple ʻawe in this example which is very very common in Hawaiian language; that’s how sentences can become very long indeed. To the listener however, they are very “modular” in the way that they are built in these easily recognizable chunks, each one starting with an ʻami. Take a look at the sentence diagram below to see these “chunks”.

Aia ka penikala iā Keala ma ka hale i Honolulu.

8. Keala has the blue box in the classroom at school in Kaimukī.
Aia ka pahu uliuli iā Keala ma ka lumi papa ma ke kula i Kaimukī.

Aia ka pahu uliuli iā Keala ma ka lumi papa ma ke kula i Kaimukī.

I hope you have enjoyed this practice lesson and gained some understanding of how Pepeke Henua can work to not only show location in space or time, but also possession of a specific item. Be sure to make up some of your own sentences using my “plug-and-play” methodology of changing only single words or single phrases within the sentences as you go from one to the next, and be sure to say them out loud to yourself and even record yourself saying them!

0802V Pepeke Henua Locational Sentences #2

Locational Sentences continued: “Something is Somewhen”

There’s a new 16-minute kid in town … and it’s video V0802: Pepeke Henua, Part Two: Something is Somewhen!

One of the great things about Pepeke Henua is its flexibility. We can use it to say “something is somewhere” (V0801 Pepeke Henua, Part I) and also that someone has possession of something (V0607 ʻAmi Particles, Part Two). Now, we will learn how to use it to say that “something is somewhen”. For example, the party is tomorrow.

So once again, Pepeke Henua would allow you to say “The party is at the house in Kailua tomorrow. Moanalani has the key.” (“Aia | ka pāʻina | ma ka hale | i Kailua | i ka lā ʻāpōpō. Aia | ke kī | iā Moanalani.”). Maikaʻi loa!

Make sure you already know what a pepeke is, and most especially what a pepeke henua is. If you don’t, then you should start at V0800 and work your way through following the suggested course of videos until arriving back at here V0802; you’ll need some of the 0600 series in there as well!

Next up in the Pepeke Henua Series will be V0803 Pepeke Henua, Part Three: Questions (not yet available), which will explain how to make Pepeke Henua into questions just by changing the intonation in your voice. No new pattern to learn! hahaha

“Aia ka mana hoʻoholomua iā ʻoukou!”
naʻu, na Kaliko.

Video Links for V0702 Papani Part I

We are working on replacing this video.

0801V Pepeke Henua Locational Sentences #1

Basic Locational Sentences in Hawaiian: “Something is Somewhere”

This 26 minute video introduces one of the most basic and useful of all pepeke: the Pepeke Henua locational sentence pattern. The Pepeke Henua allows us to express the idea that “something is somewhere”, either in time or space (place). This first video will introduce the use of Pepeke Henua to locate something in space (place) only, not in time. The difference is apparent in the following two examples in English:

Compare
The party is at the houseplace
The party is tomorrowtime

Let’s Get Started

I intentionally keep the structure of the piko and poʻo very simple, so that you can focus mainly of the new structure. This video also has a table of words you can use to make your own Pepeke Henua for practice. After you have an understanding at this level, you can go on to V0802 Pepeke Henua, Part Two (“something is somewhen”) to learn about Pepeke Henua and placing events in time.

Next Steps

The video I suggest you view or re-view immediately after this one, however, is V0604 Memeʻa-type Words. You should understand the term “memeʻa” before getting too far into the Pepeke series of videos.

Help!

If you arrived at this page and are wondering, “What is this guy talking about? Pepeke? Piko?!” then go back to the introduction to the Pepeke at V0800 Pepeke, an Introduction.

Aloha pepeke
Kaliko

Video Outline

  1. “something is somewhere”
  2. located something in time or place
  3. nice, easy pepeke to learn
  4. three poke pieces: poʻo, piko, and ʻawe
  5. examples
  6. practice
  7. review
  8. next video suggestion

Length: 26 minutes

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0800V The Pepeke #1: Sentence Parts

An Introduction to Hawaiian Sentence Patterns

This is the first in a series of videos about the pepeke, a Hawaiian way of describing Hawaiian sentence patterns and diagramming Hawaiian sentences.

In this video, I will explain how the pepeke is based on the general body structure of a stylized squid, and also mention a little about the history of both the pepeke and efforts at describing Hawaiian grammar. We also view, for the first time, the diagrammatic representation of a standard Hawaiian sentence and learn the names of the basic parts of the pepeke: poʻo, piko, and ʻawe.

Hawaiian Language Advances

The pepeke has really advanced our ability to talk about and therefore understand Hawaiian sentence structues without having to rely on partially incompatible terms borrowed from English or Latin or French or Spanish. I truly believe that this makes learning Hawaiian far easier than learning it through what, to many people, are very arcane terms such as prepositional and adjectival phrases, subjuntive case, and preterit tense. At least, even if you perhaps feel that pepeke terms are also going to be hard to learn, it should be no worse than having to learn odd English language terms and then trying to fit them to patterns Hawaiian usage!

Many thanks are due Dr. Pila Wilson and Dr. Kauanoe Kamanā for their work creating, nurturing, and enhancing the Pepeke from the mid-80s until today.

This Lesson

I just love the little pepeke, and I hope over time, you will come to appreciate it as much as I do! So let’s get right into it and start learning the basics. Use the links in the Resources box at the bottom of the page.

Next Steps

The next video in this Series is 0801V Pepeke Henua Locational Sentences #1, in which you will learn how to say “something is somewhere”.

aloha au i ka pepeke a me ʻoukou!
Kaliko

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Nonoʻa Possessive Kaʻi #1

How To Say My, Your, His, Her (koʻu, kou, kona) — Video Lesson 0609V

Introduction

This 16 minute video will introduce you to the first three possessive kaʻi which you will be using every day you speak Hawaiian! These first three are koʻu, kou, and kona – my, your, and his/her.

Level Check

Even though it is not absolutely required, 0608V The Kaʻi Determiners #4: kēlā, kēnā, kēia might be a good video to watch before this one if you haven’t done so already; it introduces kēlā, kēnā, and kēia. You will want to do 0801V Pepeke Henua Locational Sentences #1 first for certain, however, because weʻll use Pepeke Henua in this video to do some practice.

Discussion

Although I do not mention it in the video, the real name for possessive kaʻi is kaʻi nonoʻa. If you are studying Hawaiian for a class, then you should probably remember this. Otherwise, you can ignore the terminology for the time-being, and focus on just remembering the words themselves!

Hawaiian possessives have a quality which sets them quite apart from English ones: they come in two “classes”: “a” and “o”. This kinoʻā and kinoʻō concept will be explained in detail in video 0613V (not yet available). For now, however, I will only use the o-class possessives so that we have less to try to understand all at one time. If you learn the o-class possessives well enough, you will find the a-class a breeze!

Be sure to practice these three new kaʻi in your daily lives. You want them in your long-term memory, as soon as possible! :)

Next Steps

Next up will be 0610V Nonoʻa Possessive Kaʻi #2: Dual Possessive Kaʻi (not yet available).

Paʻa ka manaʻo
(the idea is made firm)
– Kaliko

Video Outline

  1. Review of kēlā, kēnāand kēia
  2. Review of Pepeke Henua locational sentences
  3. Introduction to possessive determiners (kaʻi nonoʻa)
  4. koʻu = my
  5. kou = your
  6. kona = his or her
  7. Review and guide to practice
  8. Next Up

Length: 16 minutes

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The Kaʻi Determiners #4: kēlā, kēnā, kēia

Learn How To Say This and That (kēlā, kēnā, kēia) — Video Lesson 0608V

Introduction

This video is Part IV of the Kaʻi Series about Hawaiian articles and determiners. You will learn the words for “this” and “that” in Hawaiian. The video part of the lesson is about 13 minutes long.

Level Check

Make sure you already know what a kaʻi is. If you don’t, then you should go through the following videos first:

Discussion

There are only two kaʻi that we use in English, namely “this” and “that”. But in Hawaiian, there are three:

  • that (far away, or at least not right near either of us);
  • that (near or connected to you); and
  • this (right here where I am).

Take note of the order in which English and Hawaiian speakers tend to use these particular kaʻi. In Hawaiian, we want to say “I took that and this with me” rather than “I took this and that with me.” What a cool cultural difference!

So although we only have one word commonly used in English for “that”, we have two in Hawaiian. It depends on how close the thing is to the person being spoken to. If the item is far away and can be pointed at, we say “kēlā” for “that”; if, however, the item is near to or touching the person to whom you are speaking, then we use the polite word “kēnā” to mean “that (by you)”. Examples follow using the structure we call Pepeke ʻAike He (“something is a something”) which you will learn more about in a future lesson.

Examples

At the Zoo. Two friends are chatting about what they see. There is an elephant far away, but there is also a bird sitting on a branch immediately above one of the two friends.

“He aha kēlā?”What is that (pointing at it)?
“He ʻelepani!”An elephant!
“He aha kēnā?”What is that (near to you)?
“He manu!”A bird!

If we want to say “this” (this thing here near to me), we say “kēia”. Examples:

“He aha kēia?”What is this (here)?
“He manu!”This is a bird!
“He kāne kēia.”This is a man.
“He wahine kēia?”(1)Is this a woman?

Footnote (1): remember to use “Lēʻahi” yes/no question intonation on this one since the answer expected is only going to be either yes or no.

Next Steps

Next up in this series will be 0609V Nonoʻa Possessive Kaʻi #1 which will explain the first three basic possessive ka’i: mine, yours, and his/hers.

He mau hana nanea loa kēia!
(these are some fun things to do!)
– Kaliko

Video Outline

  1. Introduction
  2. This video follows 0601, 0602, and 0603 about kaʻi
  3. This and That
  4. “Kēlā” – that over there
  5. “Kēnā” – that near you
  6. “Kēia” – this over here
  7. Practice
  8. Next Video 0609 introducing possessive kaʻi

Length: 13 minutes

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ʻAmi Particles #2: me, i, iā

Learn How To Use me, i, and iā in Pepeke Henua — Video Lesson 0607V

Introduction

These two videos will continue on from where 0606V ʻAmi Particles #1: i, ma left off and show you how to use the ʻami “i” and “iā” inside Pepeke Henua to show that something has temporary possession of something (as in “The mother has the child” which in Hawaiian thinking is “The child is located with the mother” using Pepeke Henua).

About The Videos

Well, I finally did it: an instructional session so long I had to break the video into two segments! Originally about 45 minutes in length, this session now comes in two videos, each about 22 minutes long. I really do try not to make these videos so long, but sometimes I just get so excited about the topic, time runs right past me!

The videos in this lesson also show you how to use the ʻami “me” to mean “together with” (as in “The mother is with the child” or “The mother is together with the child”).

We will continue to explore more ʻami in later videos and use them in other Pepeke structures, but for now we will use our familiar Pepeke Henua as a platform upon which to stand as we learn these new ʻami words, which are so very critical to clear and well-spoken Hawaiian.

How To Use This Lesson

There are some new vocabulary words for you in this video, so you can try these new ʻami in new contexts. Make sure you have your pen and paper ready to take notes!

Furthermore, you should pause the video from time to time and try to replicate the sentences I am creating. In fact, you might watch a five or ten minute segment, take a break to work on the sentences, and then come back the next day and continue right on!

This is the beauty of online instruction. Imagine being able to press “pause” on your instructor or teacher when you were in school! Wouldn’t that have been fun! Maybe some of you wouldn’t have un-paused, I’ll bet.

Next Steps

After this video is done, you should do the very first of the Exercise series: 0801P Practice using i/ma, me, and i/iā in Pepeke Henua.

The video next up in the 0600 series is V0608V The Kaʻi Determiners #4: kēlā, kēnā, kēia which will be video four in the kaʻi series, and will explain some very useful kaʻi: this-near-me, that-over-there, and that-by-you.

Video Outline

  1. Review of 0606V: “I” and “ma” in Pepeke Henua
  2. New ʻami: “me” (together with)
  3. New ʻami: “iā” (something temporarily with someone)
  4. Some new vocabulary – He mau huaʻōlelo hou
  5. Review
  6. Exercise 0801P: ʻami in the Pepeke Henua
  7. Next Video: 0802V Pepeke Henua, Part 2 (something is somewhen)

Length: 22 + 22 minutes

Video, Part One

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ʻAmi Particles #1: i, ma

An Introduction To Prepositions In Hawaiian — Video Lesson 0606V

Introduction

The closest Hawaiian language equivalent of prepositions such as “in”, “on”, “at”, “to”, and so on in English are the words we call ʻami. They are very important because they allow us to speak and understand Hawaiian in modular “blocks” like little Lego bricks laid end-to-end.

This lesson will introduce you to the first two of about eight ʻami in total that we use when speaking all day long in Hawaiian.

You’ll want to get some paper and a pen ready for this video, because you’ll be creating Pepeke Henua (locational phrases) based on the legendary Hawaiian character Kamapuaʻa, incorporating the first two ʻami prepositions you will learn about: “i” and “ma” meaning “in, on, or at”.

Level Check

If you have arrived at this video but do not yet know what a Pepeke Henua is, then you should go to Video Lesson 0801V Pepeke Henua Locational Phrases #1 and learn about it first, since it is one of the most basic sentence types in Hawaiian and we will build on it in this video lesson.

How To Use This Lesson

This video will be a half-hour long, so make some time for yourself to watch and study it. Perhaps give yourself an hour one day when the rain is pouring outside your window, or when the house is quiet and devoid of distractions, or even perhaps after sneaking your midnight snack!

You can always break it down into 4, 8, or 12 minute chunks and work on it piece by piece.

Write down the vocabulary words you learn in this video, and add some of your own from the online Hawaiian dictionary, and then spend a half-hour after each time you watch the video making your own sentences. If you want to check to see if you got them right, then either record them in your own voice and submit them via the “Voice Recording” menu item on every page, or write them into an email and send them to me at (for Members only), or both!

I hope you enjoy this lesson as much as I enjoyed recording it!

Next Steps

The next video to watch is 0607V ʻAmi Particles #2: me, i, iā which reinforces this lesson and then adds one more ʻami to your repertiore.

“ʻAʻohe ʻulu loaʻa i ka pōkole o ka lou”
(a traditional wise saying meaning “no breadfruit can be had if the picking stick is too short”)
– kumu Kaliko

Video Outline

  1. ʻAmi: a very valuable small set of small words
  2. Used all over Polynesia
  3. Examples
  4. About the name “ʻami”
  5. Introducing the tail segment of a Pepeke, the “ʻawe”
  6. Exercises: “i” and “ma” used in Pepeke Henua
  7. Review
  8. Next Up

Length: 31 minutes

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Iʻoa Proper Nouns #1

Learn About Proper Nouns In Hawaiian — Video Lesson 0605V

Introduction

This video will introduce you to the basics of the iʻoa class of words which are names of places, people, and things, or “proper nouns” in English.

The iʻoa class of words includes what we call iʻoahenua, iʻoakuhane, and iʻoapaku. But since this video is just an introduction, we will simply focus on the general characteristics of most iʻoa and how to use them in both the piko and ʻawe positions in simple sentences, with Pepeke Henua locational phrases as our framework.

Level Check

To be able to follow this video, you should already have learned the material in the following lessons:

You should also be familiar with both the idea of a Pepeke

About The Video

In this 23 minute video, I will explain the iʻoa, where the name came from, and how they are used in the piko and ʻawe positions in the Pepeke Henua sentence pattern. Remember, the Pepeke Henua is perhaps the simplest sentence pattern containing all three parts of the Pepeke, so it’s a great one to become familiar with right away. With it, you can locate anything in time or space.

I thought the video would be short and sweet; but alas, it just turned out to be sweet!

Next Steps

The video I suggest you watch after this one is 0606V ʻAmi Particles #1: “i” and “ma”.

Understanding all these common types of words such as the kaʻi, memeʻa, papani, iʻoa, and ʻami is essential for you to grasp how to put short expressions, longer sentences, or even complete songs together for yourself using any vocabulary that you may already know or that you may find in a dictionary or elsewhere.

So make sure you practice using iʻoa first, and then head off and watch 0606V ʻAmi Particles #1: “i” and “ma” to learn about ʻami words. After that, you will be ready to get into more sentence patterns in the rest of the 0800 Series of lessons.

Those pepeke (phrase or sentence patterns) that you will learn in the 0800 Series will allow you to think of Hawaiian sentence structure in Hawaiian terms. I am looking forward to you being able to make sentences and record yourself speaking and then sending me some of your work when you get a little more advanced!

me ke aloha a me ka hauʻoli
(with compassion, love, and happiness)
– Kaliko

Video Outline

  1. Saying the name “iʻoa”
  2. Iʻoa are a class of words
  3. Comparison with English “proper nouns”
  4. Some Examples
  5. About the name “iʻoa”
  6. Iʻoa as used in Pepeke Henua locational phrases
  7. Used in the piko
  8. Used in the ʻawe
  9. Review
  10. Next Up

Length: 23 minutes

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Memeʻa Content Words

Learn about ʻAʻano, Kikino, Hamani, and Hehele — Video Lesson 0604V

Introduction

Please take your time to soak in all the info in this 22 minute video about memeʻa words, which I explain in eight steps. The basic idea is that the memeʻa is a “container structure” for four different types of words: ʻaʻano, kikino, hamani, and hehele (in no particular order). These kinds of words are explained below.

Level Check

To fully understand the terms used in the video, make sure you have seen at least 0601V The Kaʻi Determiners #1: He and 0602V The Kaʻi Determiners #2: Ka, Ke. Those two videos will help you out as an introduction to building the two-word phrases shown in this video.

Immediately preceding this video lesson was 0603V The Kaʻi “Kekahi” which you should be sure to study after this lesson if you have not done so already.

Discussion

The general category of words we call “memeʻa” is arguably the most important set of words to acqure as a second-language learner of any language, Hawaiian included of course. They are the common nouns, the adjectives, and the transitive and intransitive action verbs. These comprise the main set of “content” words we use to both encode and decode thoughts in spoken and written language, in contrast to the “glue” words we use to stick everything together into long strings of sound and text.

There are other important sets of words of course, including pronouns (papani) and special Hawaiian locational proper nouns (iʻoahenua) which you will learn about later. But compared to the memeʻa class of words, the papani and iʻoahenua classes contain very few words and are much more easily memorized.

So let us start with a look at the four kinds of words that are grouped into the memeʻa class.

ʻAʻano

This is my favourite kind of word in Hawaiian. I think the ʻaʻano are just so powerful and when used properly really show how Hawaiian thinking in sentence construction is different from that of the English language. You’ll learn lots more about that later on. For now, it will be important to know just what we mean when we say that a word is an ʻaʻano.

The ʻaʻano are equivalent to adjectives and adverbs in English. They are also called “stative verbs” in some texts because they show a state or condition: in the Pūkuʻi-Elbert Hawaiian dictionary, you will see them labeled as “vs” (verb-stative) for this reason. Some examples are shown below.

hauʻolihappy
kaumahasad or heavy
pōlolihungry
makewaithirsty
huʻihuʻicold (temperature of a thing)
anuanucold (the feeling of being cold)
welahot
ʻenaʻenaburning hot (as a fire)

The word ” ʻaʻano ” was invented by kumu Pila Wilson based on the word ” ʻano ” which is an old Hawaiian word. The ʻano of something is its condition, its nature, or its manner. The best definition, of course, comes from the Pūkuʻi-Elbert Hawaiian Dictionary:

ʻano

1. n. Kind, variety, nature, character, disposition, bearing, type, brand, likeness, sort, way, manner, shape, tendency, fashion, style, mode, circumstance, condition, resemblance, image, color, moral quality, denomination, meaning (preceded by ke).

Pukui-Elbert Hawaiian Dictionary (1985)

Kikino

The kikino are similar to common nouns. Thus things like cars, a bike, a person, dog, cat, spirit, water, canoe, a thought, a word, and so on. Some examples are shown below.

ke keikithe child
ka makuathe parent
ke kupunathe grandparent
ka moʻopunathe grandchild
ke kaʻathe car
ka waʻathe canoe
ka mokulelethe airplane
ka ʻuhanethe spirit
ka manaʻothe thought
ka waithe water
ka uathe rain

Be careful not to include names in this kikino category as we might wont to do if we just think of the common definition for “noun” in English as a “person, place, or thing.” What are called “proper nouns” in English (people’s names for example) are classed as “iʻoa” in Hawaiian, and we will learn about them in the next lesson. So in this case, the kikino might best be described as the class of words that are simply common nouns.

We also cannot always substitute a kikino with a pronoun as we can in English, since I believe that the Hawaiian word “it” is not a pronoun (it is the kaʻi determiner “ia”), and we should only use pronouns for people or anthropomorphized things in Hawaiian. This is a big problem in modern Hawaiian, in my opinion: native speakers of English speaking Hawaiian quickly and improperly substitute common nouns with pronouns, as in “The books are on the table. They are new books,” being improperly spoken as “Aia nā puke ma ke pākaukau. He mau puke hou lākou.” It would be better to simply say “He mau puke hou” and stop right there because we should leave out words like “it” and “they” as much as possible when referring to aforementioned items in Hawaiian language.

Kumu Pila made the word kikino using the base word “kino” (body, shape, or form) and partially reduplicating it.

Hamani

The hamani are action verbs, and more specifically can be said to be transitive action verbs in English. Examples could be to eat, to speak, to bring, and to buy. Transitive verbs are those which are followed by an object: we eat something; we speak something; we bring something; we buy something; and so on. Of course it is possible to leave out the object if one desires, as it may be obvious or previously understood in context. But even if left off and not stated explicitly, the object is still in the mind of the speaker or listener. For example, if one were to say, “She ate” and we notice her staring at an empty plate, we would still be thinking that she obviously ate something.

Another way to think of hamani, or indeed transitive verbs in general, is that if you don’t feel that the verb takes an object per se, something at least receives the verb’s action, whether named or not. Consider the following examples: to fill in a form, to hit a ball, or to organize your desk.

So these hamani verbs are transitive verbs and act the same way in Hawaiian as in English. Here are some common examples:

ʻaito eat
inuto drink
laweto bring or take
kiʻito fetch, to get
hāʻawito give
haʻaleleto leave somewhere
hoʻokanito play a musical instrument
pāʻanito play with something, play a game
heluheluto read
ʻōleloto speak, to say

Hehele

The hehele are also action verbs, like hamani, but in this case they do not take an object and are therefore called intransitive verbs, since their actions do not “transit” onto anything. To run, to walk, to smile, to sleep, and to arrive are all examples of intransitive action verbs, or hehele in Hawaiian grammar. Following are some examples:

nohoto sit
moeto lie down
alato get up, to arise
hikito arrive
heleto walk
holoto run
ʻauto swim to a destination
ʻauʻauto swim for fun, to bathe
uēto cry
minoʻakato smile

Kumu Pila created this grammar term from the word “hele” meaning to walk or go somewhere on two legs. Of course, “to walk” (hele) is an intransitive verb, so using it as the basis for hehele was a clever way to help us remember what kind of verbs hehele actually are!

Words In Multiple Categories

Once in a while, we run across words which can be used in multiple categories. Let us not overly concern ourselves with this at this time, since it will only really apply when we are focusing on how to use these memeʻa in creative ways in the language. Here, however, are some examples: “pāʻani” (she plays around, or she plays a game – hehele or hamani); ” ʻai ” (she eats in order to survive, or she eats Hawaiian food – hehele and hamani); “kū” (she stopped at the gate, she stopped the car, or she was poked by something – hehele, hamani, or ʻaʻano); “wahine” (she is a woman, she became a woman, or she is feminine – kikino, hehele, or ʻaʻano); and many more.

Summary / Wrap Up

We are learning about this new term “memeʻa”. Kumu Pila created the word from the Tongan (and Proto Polynesian) word “meʻa” which means a “thing” and is the same as our modern Hawaiian word “mea”. He partially reduplicated it to create this brand new word “memeʻa” which is really just a catch-all for any ʻaʻano, kikino, hamani, or hehele. The reason we want to use this term “memeʻa” will become abundantly clear when we start making simple phrases and notice that one of the most common types of constructions is kaʻi + memeʻa, as explained in the video below.

Learn More About Parts Of Speech

If you would like to see the reference article which compares English and Hawaiian grammar terms, including the parts of speech mentioned above, take a look at 0699R A Glossary of Hawaiian Parts of Speech.

The Purpose Of This Video

The reason we want to know about memeʻa is for the simple purpose of being able to generalize about an extremely common combination of words in Hawaiian: the kaʻi + memeʻa sequence. It will be imperative for you to be able to recognize and construct quickly these kaʻi + memeʻa sequences in order to speak Hawaiian and decode Hawaiian spoken to you. Luckily, the kaʻi + memeʻa is an easy one to master, and this video gets us on our way!

Next Steps

The video I suggest you watch after this one is 0605V Iʻoa Proper Nouns #1. Understanding these common types of words will help you to get to the 0800 Series of videos about the many types of phrase structures (pepeke) in Hawaiian.

me ke aloha (ma ke ʻano he kikino a he hamani hoʻi)
with aloha (as both a kikino and hamani)
– Kaliko

Video Outline

  1. About systematic categorization of words
  2. Memeʻa as a “container”
  3. Four types of words called “memeʻa”
  4. ʻAʻano
  5. Kikino
  6. Hamani
  7. Hehele
  8. Kaʻi + Memeʻa sequences

Length: 22 minutes

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The Kaʻi Determiners #3: Kekahi

How to say “Another” in Hawaiian — Video Lesson 0603V

Introduction

Aloha ʻoukou! This is the third in the set of videos about the kaʻi (articles which precede content words such as nouns, verbs, and adjectives).

Watch The Video Lesson

This video is 14 minutes long and will teach you the kaʻi “kekahi” (meaning “a/an” or “another”). There are only two new vocabulary words in this video (ʻae meaning “yes” and ʻaʻole meaning “no”), and there is a fun shopping game at the end to help you remember the use of the word kekahi.

Level Check

If you have arrived here without first seeing the two preceeding videos, it would be best to see them now. Here are the links:

The Meaning of “Kekahi”

“Kekahi” means “a/an” the first time it is used, and “another” or “the other one” the second time it’s used to refer to the same thing. In the table below are some examples comparing the kaʻi you already know (he, ka, and ke) with kekahi.

Firstmeaningand thenmeaning
he halea housekekahi halea/another house
ke keikithe childkekahi keikia/another child
ka ʻukulelethe ʻukulelekekahi ʻukulelean/another ʻukulele
he puaʻaa pigkekahi puaʻaa/another pig

Why Both “He” and “Kekahi”?

Of course you may be wondering why we would have both “he” and “kekahi” available to mean “a” or “an” in Hawaiian. The reason, in part, is that Hawaiian language generally dislikes the use of “he” inside of pepeke phrases. It’s fine enough to use “he” to start a new sentence or a new pepeke phrase within a sentence, but it’s relatively rare to see it inside a pepeke. Therefore, we use “kekahi” instead, since it has no such restrictions.

You will learn about pepeke phrase patterns in a coming lesson.

Further Exploration: “Kahi” Is Short For “Kekahi”

You may be familiar with the use of the word “one” to mean “a” or “an” in Hawaiian Creole English (also known as Hawaiian Pidgin English). For example, “Hō! I spok one nice car ova dea!” (I see a nice car over there) or “Hey brah, she one akamai lede” (Hey man, she’s an intelligent lady). The word “one” is straight from the Hawaiian kaʻi “kekahi”, albeit in shortened form. The shortened familiar form is “kahi” and you will both see it written and hear it spoken in casual conversation.

Hō! ʻIke au i kahi kaʻa miomio ma ʻō!”
“Hō! I spok one nice car ova dea!”
“E ke hoa, ʻoia kahi wahine akamai.”
“Hey brah, she one akamai lede.”

Below are some quick comparisons of kahi versus kekahi.

Firstmeaningand thenmeaning
kahi hale“one house” (a house)kekahi haleanother house
kahi keiki“one child” (the child)kekahi keiki“one udda child” (another child)
he puaʻaa pigkahi puaʻa“one pig” (a pig)

Extra Resource: Grammar Lesson PDF

There is a three-page grammar lesson and practice worksheet available for this topic. Use the link below to download it.

Grammar Lesson 0603G Download

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Next Steps

After you are done watching the video, you will be able to move on to the next one: 0604V Memeʻa Content Words. You will learn about a new class of words which include the equivalents of common nouns, adjectives, and verbs in English. But do not fear: we will not be having any deep English language lessons here, and you don’t even have to know what an adjective is in English to understand the coming lesson! Maikaʻi!

maikaʻi nō!
(really great!)
– Kaliko

Video Outline

  1. Review of previous kaʻi lessons
  2. The new kaʻi “kekahi” meaning a/an or another
  3. How to use “kekahi” in several situations
  4. Practice
  5. Summary
  6. Next Steps

Length: 14:08

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The Kaʻi Determiners #1: He

Kaʻi Determiners and Articles in Hawaiian — Video Lesson 0601V

Introduction

Aloha everyone! This video is about 18 minutes long and is the first one to teach you about kaʻi-type words in Hawaiian pepeke grammar. In English terms, these kaʻi are known as determiners and articles (both definite and indefinite). But I won’t talk about the English grammar in these videos; I would rather introduce you directly to the first ka’i you will learn, which is he, meaning “a” or “an” in English. Then we will practice putting it to use right away!

What You Will Learn

Besides learning what a kaʻi is, will also have the chance to learn several new vocabulary words and apply your knowledge of the ka’i “he” to those new vocabulary words. You will be able to say things such as the following:

he aliʻia chief
he ʻāpalaan apple
he halea house
he kaʻaa car
he keikia child
he melea song, chant, or poem
he mokupunian island
he ʻukulele1an ʻukulele (“a yukalaylay”)

Footnotes

  • 1. please don’t ever say that “yukalaylay” word. ;)

Extra Resources

There is a printable PDF overview which accompanies this video. Go to 0601G Kaʻi #1: Introductory Lesson Worksheet to download it.

Next Steps

After you have looked over the PDF, go off and practice, practice, and practice more with your own words! Following a little time practicing, you will be ready to move on to the next video: 0602V The Kaʻi Determiners #2: Ka, Ke.

Video Outline

  1. Introduction to the meaning of kaʻi
  2. English examples
  3. “A” or “An” in English
  4. The kaʻi “he” (a, an) in Hawaiian
  5. Practicing with new vocabulary
  6. Some common animal names
  7. Techniques for practice

Length: 18 minutes

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Streaming or Downloading Videos

All videos are now streamed from our providerʻs servers directly to your device, and the correct version for your device will automatically be selected. This means that this video should play on all Macs, Windows PCs, iPads, iPhones, and most Android or similar devices. Most up-to-date web browsers on both desktops and mobile devices should be able to play the files. The only requirement is that you be connected to the internet in order to view the videos.

Note that you may have to wait up to 30 seconds on a medium speed connection for the video to load enough to play.

If you wish to download any of the videos for offline use, please use our Contact Us Form to request download links.

More Technical Information and Help for Video Files