āhea
The Hawaiian word for 'when' is āhea.
āhea is used as a conjunction to mean 'as soon as' or 'at the time that'.
Meaning: as soon as, at the time that (conj)
How does it change in a sentence?
In many contexts, instead of using āhea as a conjunction, Hawaiian speakers use the phrase i ka manawa e… to mean 'at the time that…' or 'when'.
Did you know?
- In the phrase i ka manawa e, the word manawa means 'time' but also literally refers to the 'breath' or 'heartbeat'.
- In traditional Hawaiian storytelling, the concept of 'when' is often expressed through natural markers like the moon phase or tide rather than a specific clock time.
- Hawaiian has different words for 'when' depending on whether the event is in the past or future, a distinction not found in English.
Example conversation
Noelani and Keanu are planning a meeting.
- NoelaniKeanu, e call au iā ʻoe āhea e kīla ʻoe.Keanu, I will call you when you leave.
- KeanuʻAe, e kīla au i kēia manawa.Yes, I am leaving now.
- NoelaniE call mai āhea e hiki ʻoe i ka hale.Call me as soon as you get to the house.
- KeanuE hana au i kēlā.I will do that.
