Useful foreign phrases |
Numbers |
Colours |
Kinship |
Idioms |
Tongue twisters |
Proverbs |
Other multilingual pages
Useful foreign phrases |
Numbers |
Colours |
Kinship |
Idioms |
Tongue twisters |
Proverbs |
Other multilingual pages
A collection of useful phrases in Tuvaluan in the orthography recommended by the Tuvalu Language Board. You can see them in many other languages by clicking on the English versions.
Key to abbreviations: sg = singular, du = dual, pl = plural reference, * = not often used in Tuvaluan, - = no Tuvaluan equivalent.
| English | Te 'gana Tūvalu (Tuvaluan) |
|---|---|
| Welcome | Ulufale mai! Only used when speaker is indoors and addressee(s) entering |
| Hello | Tālofa! |
| How are you? Fine thanks, and you? |
E ā koe? (sg) E ā koulua? (du) E ā koutou? (pl) |
| Au e 'lei, fakafetai, kae e ā koe? (sg/sg) Māua e 'lei, fakafetai, kae e ā koe? (du/sg) Mātou e 'lei, fakafetai, kae e ā koe? (pl/sg) Au e 'lei, fakafetai, kae e ā koulua? (sg/du) Māua e 'lei, fakafetai, kae e ā koulua? (du/du) Mātou e 'lei, fakafetai, kae e ā koulua? (pl/du) Au e 'lei, fakafetai, kae e ā koutou? (sg/pl) Māua e 'lei, fakafetai, kae e ā koutou? (du/pl) Mātou e 'lei, fakafetai, kae e ā koutou? (pl/pl) |
|
| Long time no see | * Kō leva loa seki toe fetaui. |
| What's your name? My name is ... |
Ko oi tou igoa? |
| Toku igoa ko ... | |
| Where are you from? I'm from ... |
Ko oi tou fenua? / Koe se tino mai fea? (sg) |
| Toku fenua ko ... / Au se tino ... | |
| Pleased to meet you | * Au kō fiafia aka loa i a tāua kō fetaui. (du) * Or: Kō oko loa toku fiafia me ko toe fetaui tāua. (du) * Au kō fiafia aka loa i a tātou kō fetaui. (pl) * Or: Kō oko loa toku fiafia me ko toe fetaui tātou. (pl) As this is not a common phrase in Tuvaluan, other dual and plural variants have been omitted |
| Good morning | - |
| Good afternoon | - |
| Good evening | - |
| Good night | Manuia te pō! |
| Goodbye | Tōfā! |
| Good luck | Manuia! |
| Cheers/Good health! | Manuia! |
| Have a nice day | Manuia te aso! |
| Bon appetit | Kai mālosi! (sg) 'Kai mālosi! (du & pl) |
| Bon voyage | Manuia te malaga! |
| Do you understand? | Koe e malamalama? (sg) Koulua e malamalama? (du) Koutou e malamalama? (pl) |
| I understand | Au e malamalama. |
| I don't know | E sē iloa nē au |
| I don't understand | Au e sē malamalama. |
| Please speak more slowly | Fakamolemole, tai faipati mālielie aka. (sg) |
| Please say that again | Fakamolemole, toe fakafoki aka au pati. |
| Please write it down | Fakamolemole, tusi aka ki lalo. (sg) |
| Do you speak English? | Koe e faipati faka-'Pālagi? (sg) Koulua e fai'pati faka-'Pālagi? (du) Koutou e fai'pati faka-'Pālagi? (pl) |
| Do you speak Tuvaluan? Yes, a little |
Koe e logo i te 'gana 'Tūvalu? (sg) Koulua e logo i te 'gana 'Tūvalu? (du) Koutou e logo i te 'gana 'Tūvalu? (pl) |
| Āō, mālie fua. | |
| How do you say ... in Tuvaluan? |
E fai pēfea ... faka-'Tūvalu? |
| Excuse me | Tulou! |
| How much is this? | E fia te togi o te mea tēnei? (sg) |
| Sorry | Fakamolemole, au kō 'sē! |
| Please | Fakamolemole! |
| Thank you Response |
Fakafetai / Fāfetai (more colloquial) |
| E 'lei. | |
| Where's the toilet? | Tēfea te fale fōliki? |
| This gentleman/lady will pay for everything |
A mea katoa e 'togi nē te tagata/fafine tēnei. |
| Would you like to dance with me? |
E 'lei kē 'saka tāua? (du) E 'lei kē 'saka tātou? (pl) |
| I love you | Au e fia fai ki a koe. (sg, more romantic) Au e alofa ki a koe. (sg, more platonic) |
| I miss you | Kō misi nē au koe. |
| Get well soon | Fakamoemoega ko koe kē nā 'lei! |
| Go away! | Fano keā'tea! (sg) Olo keā'tea! (du & pl) |
| Leave me alone! | Tuku aka au kē nofo tokotasi! |
| Help! Fire! Stop! |
Fesoasoani! Te afi kō 'kā! Tū! (sg) |
| Call the police! | Kalaga ki pulisimani! |
| Merry Christmas and Happy New Year |
Manuia te Kilisimasi mo te Tausaga Fou! |
| Happy Easter | Manuia te Maliu! |
| Happy Birthday | Manuia te aso fānau! |
| One language is never enough |
E sē tāitāi o lava i te 'gana e tasi. E tasi te 'gana e sē tāitāi o lava. |
| My hovercraft is full of eels |
Taku hovercraft kō fonu i pusi. |
Information provided by Emanuel Fuchs, Igo Teonea, Tausaga Motee and Kaimalie Ulufale.
If you would like to make any corrections or additions to this page, please contact me.
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