Hawaiian imperatives
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Imperatives in Hawaiian
- Imperatives are positive and negative commands. An example of a positive imperative sentence in English is "Get me a glass of water," and an example of a negative imperative in English is "Don't get me a glass of water." In both the English examples of the positive imperative and the negative imperative above, the subject "you" is understood and is therefore omitted, and the verb which the speaker wants the listener to perform is "get." In Hawaiian, imperatives can be made through using 1)imperative verb markers, 2) the stative verb pono (should), and less commonly through 3)passivizing the verb. If the command is made to a single listener, the pronoun 'oe (you) may be omitted, or it can be added as the subject of the imperative sentence for emphasis. When the command is made to two or more listeners, the dual and plural personal pronouns 'olua (you two) and 'oukou (you 3+) are used as subjects in the imperative sentence.
- 1) E - positive imperative marker. The imperative marker "E" is used before the verb to create a positive command.
- Ex.1) E ki'i aku 'oe i ka 'īlio. (You get the dog).
- Ex.2) E 'oli'oli 'oukou. (You 3+ be happy).
- Note: The imperative marker E can also be used in the first and third person. When this imperative marker is used with the subject being the first person, it expresses the commitment, intent, or desire of the speaker to perform the verb. When it is used in the third person, it expresses that the third person subject of the imperative sentence is obligated to perform the verb.
- Ex.1) E ho'oma'ama'a au i ka pilina 'ōlelo. (I will study the grammar). Notice that in this sentence, the positive imperative marker E is used with a first person subject to show intent.
- Ex.2) E huaka'i kākou. (Let's 3+ go on a voyage). Note that the subject of this imperative sentence is the plural inclusive pronoun kākou, thereby showing intent.
- Ex.3) E pu'unaue nā mea lanakila i nā waiwai me 'oukou. (The victors will divide the spoils with you 3+).
- 2) Ō - positive imperative marker. The imperative marker "Ō" is used before the verb to create a positive command. It is a softer and more polite imperative than "E" (Refer to section 5.4 of Hawaiian Grammar). This imperative marker is now more common in the Bible (Refer to
More Māka Painu by Dr. Emily Hawkins).- Ex.1) Ō ho'i 'oe a ha'i aku i nā 'ōlelo kauoha a ke ali'i i nā mākua o kāua. (Return and tell the chief's instructions to our parents).
- Ex.2) Ō lawe aku 'oukou i nā pua loke mae mai ko'u alo aku. (You 3+ take these wilted roses from my presence).
- 3) Ø - the absence of an imperative marker. Do not confuse it with the imperative marker Ō which is shown in #2. Ø is not an imperative marker nor is it written in any sentences. It is the symbol used by grammarians to indicate the absence of something, which in this case is the absence of an imperative marker. The imperative that such a sentence creates is a positive imperative, and it is common in colloquial speech.
- Ex.1) Hā'awi 'oukou i ka 'ai na kā 'oukou hānaiahuhu. (You 3+ give the food to your 3+ pet).
- Ex.2) Hele kāua. (let's 2 go).
- 4)Mai - negative imperative marker. The negative imperative marker "Mai" precedes the verb in the negative imperative pattern, and is used to produce a command not to do something; it approximates the English prohibitive command "don't." Do not confuse the negative imperative marker "mai" with the directional "mai" (toward speaker), the preposition "mai" (from), or the imminence marker "mai."
- Ex.1) Mai ho'opa'apa'a mai 'oe ia'u. (Don't argue with me).
- Ex.2) Mai pinana 'oukou i kēlā lālā popopo, ma hope 'oukou hā'ule. (Don't you 3+ climb that rotten branch, lest you 3+ fall).
- Ex.3) Mai lilo 'oe i kanaka lawehala. (Don't become a sinner).
- Note: Sometimes, the word 'a'ole is used in a prohibitive command (Refer to More Māka Painu by Dr. Emily Hawkins).
- Ex.1) 'A'ole 'oe ho'opa'apa'a mai ia'u. (Don't argue with me).
- 5) Pono (should) - verb stative used in imperative sentences. The word "pono" (should) actually literally translates to "proper," "righteous," or "good." In the chart below are three sentence patterns for using “pono” (should).
| Pono sentence patterns | Approximate English translation |
|---|---|
| Pono (subject) e (verb) | (Subject) should (verb) |
| Pono (subject) ke (verb) | (Subject) should (verb) |
| Pono i/iā (subject) ke (verb) | Literally: It would be good/right/proper for (subject) to (verb) |
- Ex.1) Pono 'oukou kamali'i e hele i ke kula. (You 3+ children should go to school).
- Ex.2) Pono 'oukou kamali'i ke hele i ke kula. (You 3+ children should go to school).
- Ex.3) Pono iā 'oukou kamali'i ke hele i ke kula. (You 3+ children should go to school).
- 6) Passive/imperative - The passive/imperative particle in Hawaiian is ‘ia, and the passive suffixes in Hawaiian which are attached to certain verbs include the following: -a, -na, -hia, -kia, -lia, -mia, -nia, -Øia. Note: the Ø in -Øia stands for the absence of a consonant. The passive/imperative particle ‘ia is written separately from verbs, while the passive/imperative suffixes cannot be separated from their verbs. Some verbs have more than one possible passive suffix, but not all passive suffixes can be attached indiscriminately to just any verb. Take heed that the passive suffixes do not always have a passive meaning (Refer to 6.6.3 of Hawaiian Grammar). Also, the passive particle ‘ia can follow verbs which already have passive suffixes attached. The passive particle following a verb and the passive suffixes with their verbs can be used to create imperative sentences. However, the imperative function of the passive particle and the passive suffixes is now seldom used (Refer to Section 6.6.3 of Hawaiian Grammar).
- Ex.1) Hā'ina 'ia mai ana ka puana. Tell the refrain. (Lit. Make the refrain be told). Note that although the verb hā'ina has a passive suffix, it is followed by the passive particle ‘ia.
- Ex.2) Kāhea 'ia ke kupunawahine. Call the grandmother. (Lit. Have the grandmother be called).
- Ex.3) Lawea mai nā ukana. Bring the cargo to me. (Lit. Have the cargo be brought).
- Ex.4) Ho'okani 'ia ana ka pū lā'ī. Play the tī leaf whistle. (Lit. Have the tī leaf whistle be played).
- Ex.5) Hele 'ia ka huaka'i e kāua. Let's go on a voyage. (Lit. Have the voyage be gone by us 2).
