fa'afetai tele lava
In Samoan, 'thank you very much' is expressed as fa'afetai tele lava.
You use this phrase to express a level of gratitude that is greater than a standard 'thank you'.
Meaning: greater gratitude than "thank you" (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of fa'afetai (thank/to thank), tele (much/big/large) and lava (very/extremely).
Which one should you use?
While fa'afetai alone means 'thank you', adding tele lava intensifies the phrase to mean 'thank you very much'.
How does it change in a sentence?
The base form fa'afetai is used for a standard 'thank you', whereas fa'afetai tele lava is the intensified version.
Did you know?
- The term fa'afetai is rooted in the concept of 'doing' or 'making', suggesting that gratitude is an action one performs rather than just a feeling.
- In a formal Samoan setting, expressing gratitude is often accompanied by a slight bow of the head or a graceful gesture of the hands to show respect alongside the words fa'afetai tele lava.
- Samoan is a Polynesian language, meaning fa'afetai shares distant ancestral roots with words for 'thank' or 'gratitude' in Hawaiian and Maori.
Examples in context
- Fa'afetai tele lava mo le fesoasoani.Thank you very much for the help.
- Fa'afetai tele lava i oe.Thank you very much to you.
- Fa'afetai tele lava mo le meaalofa.Thank you very much for the gift.
Example conversation
Tasi gives Mere a gift for her birthday.
- TasiO le taumalaga lea mo oe, Mere.This is a small gift for you, Mere.
- MereFa'afetai tele lava, Tasi!Thank you very much, Tasi!
- TasiE leai se fa'alavelave.It is no trouble.
- MereE sili lava lenei meaalofa.This gift is wonderful.
