WORDS THAT REFER TO

GETTING, GIVING, AND TAKING

Different Words - Different Concepts

There are a number of different Hawaiian words that refer to the act of getting something. Here are some ways that the act of getting or giving differ in English. Notice that in each sentence something was transferred in some manner, but the nuance is different.

• I received a letter in the mail (There is was, you didn't do anything, you are stating a fact)
• The mailman brought me a letter (The letter was carried by the mailman to, in all probability, your mailbox)
• I got a package from Amazon (The package arrived. Perhaps it was left at your front door.)
• I took lunch over to my friend (You're describing the action of carrying the lunch, probably to your friend's house)
• A thief took my money (The money was taken through a deliberate action of the agent)
• I lost my money (Your money went away, to where you don't know)
• Oops, sorry, I took your fork (You were the agent that acted on the fork and it transferred into your possession)
• Run in the house and get my keys (You're asking someone to fetch the keys; go get them and bring them back)
• I gave Anita my pen (The image here is that the pen transferred from my hand to Anita's hand)
• Get a pen for Anita (Here, you're telling someone to transfer a pen into their hand for the benefit of Anita)
• I have your pen (The location of your pen is with me, I don't own it and I'm not in control of it, it simply have it)

You can see, from the English sentence examples above, that the idea of getting and giving can be much more nuanced that might initially be evident. This page discusses the various Hawaiian words that are used to express these distinctions.

Loaʻa

Loaʻa is a stative verb indicating that the agent (marked with "i" or "iā") is in the state of having received, gotten, or found something (marked with a kaʻi). It does not describe the action of receiving, getting, or finding - it expresses the state. Recall that transitive verbs (hamani) use the i/iā marker to transfer the action of the verb to the object of the verb. Intransitive verbs (hehele) use the i/iā marker to indicate the object of the verb but without the idea of action being transferred (an indirect object). Loaʻa uses the i/iā marker to indicate the agent that caused the state to come into being.

Loaʻa iā Anita ka makana - Anita received the gift

Notice that the agent (Anita) is marked with iā and the thing received/found/gotten is not marked with "i" or "iā" hence, it would be incorrect to say, "Loaʻa iā Anita i ka makana" - the object, "makana" is not marked with a transitivising "i" because loaʻa is not a transitive verb. No action is being impled, simply a state of being; the state of having received/gotten/found.

Ua loaʻa iā Anita ka makana - Anita received the gift

This is, effectively, exactly the same is the example above (without the "Ua"). A stative verb does not typically require a past-tense marker since the state is implied to have already come into existence from some point in the past. If you have a gift, you received the gift at some point in the past. If you are in the state of having received a gift then the idea of the actual action of being given the gift in the past is implied. When the in-context reference specifically implies that the state came into existence at some point in the past then "Ua" precedes the stative.

Loaʻa kēlā pōpoki i kaʻu keiki kāne - That cat was gotten by my son (my son is in the state of having gotten that cat)

E loaʻa ana iaʻu ke kaʻa hou - I am going to get a new car (I am in the state of getting a new car in the future)

Lawe

In Hawaiian tho

Lilo

The word "lilo" can be used as either a transitive verb or a stative verb with two different meanings. Early in our Hawaiian language learning we are taught the transitive form of lilo. Here it means "become" as in:

Ua lilo ʻo Anita i ke kumu - Anita became a teacher

Lilo ka lāʻau i ke ahi - The wood became a fire

Notice in these examples that the subject immediately follows lilo in the normal verb/subject order and the action of becoming is transferred to the object (ke kumu, ke ahi) with the transitivising "i". There is no special marker for the subject (ʻo Anita, ka lāʻau).

Lilo as a stative verb means that someone or something is in the state of having received or gotten something (exactly like loaʻa) except the action by which the state was achieved with forceful and intentional. In this case the structure of a lilo sentence follows the form of a loaʻa sentence: the agent is marked with "i" or "iā". Remember that the i/iā is not transferring action when used in a stative structure, it marks the agent that is in the state.

Ua lilo ke kala iā Anita - Anita took the money / Anita got the money

Here, Anita is the agent, the getter, and sheʻs marked with iā. Anita is in the state of having the money but she didn't simply receive it, she intentionally took it (perhaps by force). The English translation of a lilo sentence may not clearly express the difference between the similar loaʻa sentence.

E lilo ana ka īʻole i ka pōpoki - The mouse was taken by the cat / The cat got the mouse

Here, the cat (pōpoki) is the agent and it's marked with "i".

E lilo iā ʻoe ka mea pāʻani - (You) Take the toy!

Ua lilo iaʻu ka mea pāʻani - I took the toy

Here you see the pronouns ʻoe and au being used. Notice that while ʻoe simply takes the iā marker, au becomes "ia/u"

Haʻawi

In Hawaiian tho

Kiʻi

In Hawaiian tho

Aia

In Hawaiian tho

Pā

In Hawaiian tho

nvs., nvi. A broadly used loaʻa-type word (Gram. 4.4), said of drinking, hearing, feeling, and activity of wind, sun, moon; also used as a noun with similar meanings (see ex., pualalea). To touch, get, contact, reach, gain control of, hit, experience; to blow (as wind), shine (as moon or sun), hear, drink. Cf. pā kāhea, pā wai. Ua pā maila kuʻu lima iāʻoe, you touched my hand. Pā kanaka, to have sexual experience; lit., touch someone. Pā ka ʻai, to taste food. Pā kīʻaha, to touch a tumbler; to sip intoxicants. Pā i ka leo, to be struck by a voice, i.e., to be told something that hurts the feelings, to be rebuked. Mālama o pā, watch or you'll be hurt. Pā nō lilo, touch and gone [of a stolen object]. Mālama o lilo i ka lima ā pā, watch out or [it] will disappear into [someone's] hands and be taken away. Pā ka ʻāina iāʻoe (FS 133), you'll get control of the land. Ka pā ʻana a ka lā, sunshine. ʻO ka pā kōnane a ka mahina (song), the bright touch of the moon. Pā i ka ʻupena, touched by a net [sald of a fish that has escaped a net and is wary]. Pā i ka makau, touched by a hook [said of a fish that has been hooked and then, having escaped, is very wary]. hoʻo.pā About the same as pā 4; to touch; to try out, test. E hele aku ʻoe e hoʻopā i ke kahuna pule, go and see if you can get the minister to help, put a “touch” to him. Pōhaku hoʻopā, touchstone. Hoʻopā iki, to touch lightly or cautiously; to eat or drink sparingly. (PPN paa.)

Kau

In Hawaiian tho

vt. To place, put, hang, suspend, affix, gird on; to set,

Waiho

In Hawaiian tho

To leave, lay or put down, place before, present, refer, submit, place in nomination, file, deposit

Aia Senten

In Hawaiian tho