hele mai
The Hawaiian verb to come, meaning to arrive or to appear, is expressed as hele mai.
hele mai is used to describe the action of arriving or appearing in the direction of the speaker.
Meaning: to arrive, to appear (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of hele, which means to go or come and the directional particle mai, which indicates movement towards the speaker.
Which one should you use?
While hele mai is used when someone is coming towards the speaker, the phrase hele aku is used to describe someone going away from the speaker.
Did you know?
- If you are telling someone to 'come' but you are not at the destination, you cannot use hele mai because the movement is not toward you.
- The root word hele can be used in a figurative sense to describe the 'passing' of time or the 'going' of a life.
- The particle mai used in hele mai is a linguistic relative of the word used in Māori to express the same sense of direction.
Examples in context
- E komo mai i ka halePlease come to the house.
- Hele mai i ka hale.Come to the house.
Example conversation
Noelani is calling Ikaika to join her at the beach.
- NoelaniIkaika, hele mai e nānā!Ikaika, come and look!
- IkaikaHe aha ka mea?What is it?
- NoelaniHe iʻa nui kēia!This is a big fish!
- IkaikaE hele mai au i kēia manawa.I am coming right now.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries hele, mai, CC BY-SA 4.0.
