fē
The Tongan word for 'where' is fē.
fē is an adverb used to indicate at or in what place.
Meaning: at or in what place (adv)
Did you know?
- In formal Tongan speech, the way one asks 'where' can shift depending on the social status of the person being addressed. Using a blunt version of the question can sometimes be seen as impolite in highly stratified social settings.
- Because Tongan is a highly positional language, if you ask 'where' something is, the listener might respond with a direction or a height relative to themselves rather than a specific name of a place. This can make 'where' feel much more subjective than in English.
- The spelling of fē with a macron indicates a long vowel, and mispronouncing it as a short 'e' can change the word's meaning entirely in some contexts.
Examples in context
- Fē ʻa e ngaahi tohi?Where are the books?
Example conversation
Losa and Akuila are looking for a lost bag.
- LosaAkuila, ʻoku fē ho kete?Akuila, where is your bag?
- AkuilaʻOku ʻikai ke u ʻilo.I do not know.
- LosaNaʻa e fē e faka’a?Where was it placed?
- AkuilaʻI he vaka.In the boat.
