tuʻu hake
To stand up in Tongan is tuʻu hake.
Tuʻu hake is used to describe the physical action of rising from a sitting or lying position.
Meaning: rise from a sitting position (verb)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the verb tuʻu, meaning 'to stand' and the particle hake, which means 'up' and is used to indicate an upward motion.
How does it change in a sentence?
The phrase is formed by combining the verb tuʻu (stand) with the directional particle hake (up).
Did you know?
- While tuʻu hake describes the physical act of standing, the language has a separate set of words for the same actions when referring to royalty, known as lea faka-ʻeiki.
- The word tuʻu is used not only for standing but also for 'stopping'. A Tongan speaker might use the same root word to tell someone to stop their vehicle.
- The particle hake can also be used to indicate that an action is being performed 'down' toward the speaker in certain grammatical constructions, which is counterintuitive to its meaning of 'up'.
Examples in context
- Tuʻu hake ʻa e tamasiʻi.The boy stands up.
Example conversation
Losa and Tevita are sitting in the living room.
- LosaTevita, tuʻu hake mai.Tevita, stand up.
- TevitaʻOku fēfē?What's up?
- LosaKoe taha ʻo e kofutuku ʻoku hake.One of the shirts is up here.
- TevitaʻOku ou tuʻu hake.I am standing up.
