ke ke maʻu ha ʻaho lelei
The English phrase "have a great day" is translated into Tongan as ke ke maʻu ha ʻaho lelei.
ke ke maʻu ha ʻaho lelei is a friendly wish used when saying goodbye to someone to hope they enjoy the rest of their day.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "may you have a good day". In this construction, ke ke functions as a particle to express a wish or desire.
How does it change in a sentence?
In the phrase ʻaho lelei, the word lelei (good/fine) follows the noun ʻaho (day) to form the adjective phrase "good day".
Did you know?
- The word lelei can be doubled to lelei lelei to intensify the meaning, turning a 'good day' into a 'very great day'.
- The glottal stop, represented by the inverted comma in maʻu and ʻaho, is a full consonant in Tongan and is essential for the word to be understood.
- Depending on the region, the phrase ʻaho lelei can also be used as a general greeting upon meeting someone, not just when saying goodbye.
Example conversation
Akuila and Losa are finishing a conversation at the market.
- AkuilaʻOku ou ʻalu nai, Losa.I am going now, Losa.
- LosaKe ke maʻu ha ʻaho lelei, Akuila!Have a great day, Akuila!
- AkuilaMalo, koe foki!Thanks, you too!
- LosaʻOfa atu!Love to you!
