e fia ou tausaga?
e fia ou tausaga? is the Samoan way to say "how old are you?"
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase literally translates to "how many your years?", where tausaga means "year" or "years" depending on the context.
How does it change in a sentence?
The word tausaga can represent either the singular "year" or the plural "years" depending on how it is used in a sentence.
Did you know?
- In many Pacific cultures, including traditional Samoan settings, asking someone's age directly can be considered impolite or intrusive, especially when speaking to an elder.
- The root word tau in tausaga is related to the concept of 'matching' or 'equalizing' in various contexts.
- While the phrase asks for a number, Samoan tradition often groups people by life stages or titles rather than specific numerical years.
Example conversation
Tasi and Losa are meeting for the first time.
- TasiTalofa Losa, e fia ou tausaga?Hello Losa, how old are you?
- LosaO lo'u tausaga e sefulu ma lima.I am fifteen years old.
- TasiE sefulu ma ono o lo'u tausaga.I am sixteen years old.
- LosaFaafetai Tasi.Thank you, Tasi.
