Long Sentences With Several Clauses

Level 6

Written Hawaiian often chains clauses with a, akā, no ka mea and relative clauses.

How It Works

Take this sentence apart.

Ua hele au i ka mākeke, a ua kūʻai au i ka iʻa, akā ʻaʻole au i kūʻai i ka moa no ka mea ua lawa ka mea ʻai ma ka hale.

Ua hele au i ka mākeke — I went to the market.
a ua kūʻai au i ka iʻa — and I bought fish.
akā ʻaʻole au i kūʻai i ka moa — but I did not buy chicken.
no ka mea ua lawa ka mea ʻai ma ka hale — because there was enough food at home.

Four clauses make one sentence. To read a long sentence, look for the verb markers.

Ua hele au i ka hale kūʻai, a ua kūʻai au i ka iʻa.
I went to the store, and I bought fish.
A joins two finished actions.
Makemake au e hele, akā ʻaʻole hiki iaʻu.
I want to go, but I cannot.
Akā marks the turn.
ʻAʻole au i hele mai no ka mea ua ʻeha koʻu wāwae.
I did not come because my foot hurt.
No ka mea gives the reason.
ʻO ke kumu ka mea i kākau i ka puke e heluhelu ai nā haumāna.
The teacher is the one who wrote the book that the students read.
A relative clause sits inside the sentence.

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

Long Sentences With Several ClausesLevel 6

A long sentence joins several clauses, so learners need the relative clause and joining words.

akāa

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