Being Somewhere: aia

Level 2

Start with aia, then the thing or person, then the place.

How It Works

Aia does the work of “is” or “are” when you give a location. The subject comes right after it, and the place phrase ends the sentence.

PatternExample
aia + noun + ma or i + placeAia ka pāpale ma ke pākaukau.
aia + noun + iā + personAia ka penikala iā Noelani.

The Reference Grammar gives Aia koʻu hale ma kēia alanui (“My house is on this street”) and Aia ke kumu i Honolulu (“The teacher is in Honolulu”). It also uses aia for events: Aia ka pāʻina i ka Pōʻaono, “The party is on Saturday”.

With iā and a person, aia says who has the thing for now: Aia ka puke iā Kimo means “Kimo has the book (for now)”. Note that aia nō without a place means something else, “still”.

Examples (5)

  1. Aia ka pāpale ma ke pākaukau.

    The hat is on the table.

    Aia, then the subject, then a ma phrase.

  2. Aia ke keiki i ke kula.

    The child is at school.

    I points to the place.

  3. Aia koʻu kaʻa ma ke alanui.

    My car is on the road.

    The possessor koʻu is part of the subject.

  4. Aia ka hālāwai i ka Pōʻaono.

    The meeting is on Saturday.

    Aia can give the time of an event.

  5. Aia ka penikala iā Noelani.

    Noelani has the pencil for now.

    Iā and a person show who has it.

How It Connects

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

Being Somewhere: aiaLevel 2

Learn This First

Aia says where something is and uses the words for places.

Words in This Pattern

aiama