Kia pai tō rā whakatā
To say 'have a great weekend' in Maori, use Kia pai tō rā whakatā.
This phrase is a friendly wish used to tell someone to enjoy their time off during the weekend.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to 'Let your day of rest be good'.
How does it change in a sentence?
In this phrase, tō is the possessive pronoun meaning 'your' when referring to one person.
Did you know?
- While tō is used as a possessive pronoun here, another word spelled tō in Maori is actually a loanword from the English word 'stove'.
- In traditional Maori culture, the concept of a 'weekend' is a modern import, as the phrase rā whakatā focuses on the general 'day of rest'.
- The term rā whakatā is used not just for the weekend, but can refer to any designated day of rest or holiday.
Examples in context
- Kia pai tō rā whakatā.Have a great weekend.
Example conversation
Wiremu and Anahera are leaving the office on a Friday afternoon.
- WiremuKa kite anō, Anahera.See you again, Anahera.
- AnaheraKia pai tō rā whakatā, Wiremu.Have a great weekend, Wiremu.
- WiremuTēnā koe, kia pai hoki ki a koe.Thank you, have a great one too.
- AnaheraKa kite.See you.
Sources
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries pai, rā, tō, CC BY-SA 4.0.
