Asking Where

Level 1

Ma hea means “where”. Aia says that something is in a place.

How It Works

Hea means “where” or “which”. After the little word ma it asks about a place. The two orders both occur:

Question	Answer
Aia ma hea ka puke?	Aia ka puke ma ke pākaukau.
Aia ka ʻīlio ma hea?	Aia ka ʻīlio ma ka hale.

To ask where someone lives, use ke … nei: Ke noho nei ʻoe ma hea?. Some writers join the two words into one. This course writes them apart.

Aia ma hea ka puke?
Where is the book?
Ma hea comes after aia.
Aia ka ʻīlio ma hea?
Where is the dog?
The thing can come before ma hea.
Aia ka puke ma ke pākaukau.
The book is on the table.
The answer uses ma and a place. Pākaukau takes ke.
Ke noho nei ʻoe ma hea?
Where do you live?
Ma hea can follow a ke … nei verb.
Ke noho nei au ma Hilo.
I live in Hilo.
The answer uses ma and a place name.

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

Asking WhereLevel 1

The question for “where” is answered with ma and a place, so learners start with the answer.

heama

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