Common Terms and Their Sentence Structure

Tense-Action-Subject (TAS)

These sentences begin with a tense marker, followed by the action, and end with the subject.

1. E savali le tamaitiiti. – The child is walking.
2. ‘Ua moe le pepe. – The baby is sleeping.
3. O lo’o nonofo le aiga i le fale. – The family is staying in the house.
4. O le’a alu le tamā. – The father will leave.
5. O le’a o tamā i le taulaga. – The fathers will go to town.
6. Sa pese le teine i le lotu. – The girl sang in church.
7. ‘Ua ‘ai le tama i le laulau. – The boy has eaten at the table.
8. O lo’o kuka e le tinā le mea’ai. – The mother is cooking the food.
9. Sa tā le logo i le lotu. – The bell rang in the church.
10. E tamo’e le tama i le malae. – The boy is running in the field.

Tense-Subject-Action (TSA with Pronouns Only)

These sentences begin with a tense marker, followed by a pronoun, and then the action.

11. E te savali. – You walk/You are walking.
12. ‘Ua ou moe. – I am sleeping.
13. O lo’o latou o mai. – They are coming.
14. Sa matou o. – We (inclusive) went.
15. O le’a ou alu. – I will leave.
16. E te pese. – You sing.
17. Ua latou faitau. – They are reading.
18. Sa matou o mai i le lotu. – We (inclusive) came to church.
19. O lo’o matou o i le malae. – We (exclusive) are going to the field.
20. E latou nofo i le fale. – They are staying at the house.

Colloquial (Assumed Command or Informal)

These phrases are direct, casual, or imply a command.

21. Va’ai i ‘inei. – Look here.
22. Alu loa! – Go now!
23. Alu ese! – Go away!
24. Tulou. – Excuse me.
25. Fa’afetai lava. – Thank you very much.
26. Toe faia. – Do/Say it again.
27. Sau i ‘inei. – Come here.
28. O mai loa! – You all come here now!
29. Nofo i lalo. – Sit down.
30. Fa’atali mai. – Wait
31. Tālofa! – Hello!
32. Manuia le aso. – Have a good day.
33. Fa’aeteete! – Be careful!
34. Sau e ‘ai. – Come eat.
35. Fa’alogo mai. – Listen to me.

Pronoun/Te-Action-Subject

These sentences use a pronoun + “te” as the tense marker, followed by the action and subject.

36. Ou te va’ai i le fale. – I see the house.
37. E te nofo i le fale. – You are staying at the house.
38. Ou te fiafia i le vasega. – I like the class.
39. E te ‘ai i le umukuka. – You eat in the kitchen.
40. Ou te tamo’e i le malae. – I am running in the field.
41. E te ta’alo i le a’oga. – You play at school.
42. Ou te faitau i le tusi. – I am reading the book.
43. E te siva i le fale. – You are dancing in the house.
44. Ou te talitonu i le Atua. – I believe in God.
45. E te moe i luga o le moega. – You are sleeping on the bed.

Extra Phrases for Variety

Here are more examples in each category:

TAS:

46. O lo’o fai le galuega i le fale. – The work is being done at home.
47. Ua tatala le faitoto’a e le tama. – The door has been opened by the boy.

TSA:

48. O lo’o latou o mai i le fale. – They are coming to the house.
49. Sa matou o i le malae. – We (inclusive) went to the field.

Colloquial:

50. Tālofa e! – Oh my!

Summary

• TAS (Tense-Action-Subject): These sentences emphasize the action and the subject performing it.
• TSA (Tense-Subject-Action): Use pronouns to highlight the subject’s role in performing the action.
• Colloquial: Informal commands or statements used in everyday speech.
• Pronoun/Te-Action-Subject: These emphasize the present or ongoing nature of the action.