Every time we visit a new place, we make sure to learn as much as we can about the local language. The locals notice this effort and always treat us with love. How about learning a bit of tongan with us?

Imagine you’re going to greet someone and start a conversation. How do you do it? First, you need to determine whether it’s a formal or informal situation:

Hi (informal) – Mālō e lelei.

Hello (formal) – Mālō ‘etau lava.

Then, we can use some expressions to continue the conversation:

How are you? – Fēfē hake?
Fine, thank you. – Sai pē, mālō.
How about you? – Fēfē koe?
Very good. – Sai ‘aupito.

Going already? So learn how to say good-bye:

Good bye (when the other person is leaving) – ‘Alu ā.
Good bye (when you’re leaving) – Nofo ā.

In any language, it’s important to know, at least, how to say “yes” and “no”:

Sim – Io
Não – ‘ikai

To whoever visits the area and wants to do tourism, it’s essential to know these phrases:

Excuse me – tulou
Where’s the bathroom? – Ko fē e falemālōlō?
How much is it? – ‘Oku fiha?
Thank you – mālō

Even though tongan is a very rich language, locals don’t expect tourists to be fluent in it. It’s possible to find many natives that speak english as a second language. So, this phrase is very useful:

Do you speak english? – Ke poto he lea faka-pālangi?

With these tips, you can master tongan and even try to speak to a local. Shall we try? Leave us a comment in tongan!

Nofo ā!