a'u
The English pronoun 'me' is expressed as a'u in Samoan.
a'u is the pronoun used by a speaker to refer to themselves when they are the object of a verb or a preposition.
Did you know?
- Unlike English, where 'me' is always a pronoun, in Samoan the way you refer to yourself can change based on the level of respect you are showing to the person you are speaking to.
- The glottal stop represented by the apostrophe in a'u is a full consonant. If a speaker omits this brief catch in the throat, the meaning of the word can change entirely.
- Samoan uses a system of inclusive and exclusive pronouns. While a'u means 'me' or 'I', the word for 'we' changes depending on whether the person being spoken to is included in the group.
Example conversation
Mere and Sione are talking about a gift.
- MereO ai lea na tuuina mai lea mea?Who gave this thing?
- SioneNa tuuina atu ia te a'u e le tinā.Mother gave it to me.
- MereE matua lau lau pele.It is very beautiful.
- SioneFaafetai, nauā mai ia a'u.Thank you, it came to me.
