haʻu
The Tongan verb haʻu means to come.
haʻu is used to describe arriving or appearing. It specifically denotes movement toward the speaker.
Meaning: to arrive, to appear (verb)
Which one should you use?
In terms of direction, haʻu is used when someone is moving toward the speaker, whereas the word ʻalu is used for movement away from the speaker (to go).
How does it change in a sentence?
To use haʻu as an infinitive (to come) in a sentence, it is often preceded by the particle ʻo. Additionally, the form haʻu can be used as an imperative to command someone to come! or come here!
Did you know?
- In traditional Tongan social hierarchy, the way you command someone to haʻu depends entirely on the rank of the person you are addressing, as using a direct imperative with a royal is strictly forbidden.
- If a person is approaching a house where you are not present, you would not use haʻu, even though in English you might say 'they are coming to the house'.
- In Tongan, the distinction between haʻu and ʻalu is so fundamental that the language lacks a single word for 'travel' that doesn't specify the direction relative to a person.
Examples in context
- ʻE haʻu ʻa e ʻasi.The cow is coming.
