le
The Samoan word for "the" is le.
It can be used with common nouns, proper nouns and adjectives.
Meaning: article (article)
How does it change in a sentence?
The form le is used specifically for singular nouns.
Did you know?
- Samoan belongs to the Austronesian language family, meaning le shares a distant ancestral root with the articles and markers found in languages as far away as Madagascar.
- The word le is part of a larger system of markers that can indicate social rank or respect when paired with specific nouns, reflecting the strict hierarchy of Samoan culture.
- In Samoan, the article le can turn an adjective into a noun, effectively meaning 'the one who is' or 'the thing that is'. For example, le lelei means 'the good one'.
Examples in context
- le faleThe house
- le teineThe girl
- O le tusi lenei.This is the book.
- Susu mai i le fale.Come into the house.
Example conversation
Losa and Tau are talking about a gift in a living room.
- LosaO le mea lenei e mo oe.This thing is for you.
- TauFaafetai tele lava, Losa.Thank you very much, Losa.
- LosaE te fiafia i le meaalofa?Do you like the gift?
- TauIoe, e matua lelei tele.Yes, it is very good.
Sources
- Wiktionary, “the” translations and entries le, CC BY-SA 4.0, dump of 2026-09-26.
