That, Already Named: ia

That, Aforementioned: Ia

Level 4

Before a noun, ia means that, the one already named.

How It Works

Ia has two jobs, so context matters.

Job	Example
Pronoun: he, she, it	Hele ʻo ia. She goes.
Before a noun: that	ia keiki that child

With a noun, ia usually names something that was just talked about, as in i ia pō (that night) or ia wā (at that time). Ia takes no article.

To tell the two jobs apart, look at what comes right before and after. The pronoun usually appears after ʻo or iā, or after the verb (ʻo ia, iā ia). Before a bare noun, ia means “that”.

Examples (4)

Ua ʻike au i ia keiki ma ke kula.
I saw that child at school.
Ia replaces the article before keiki.
Ua heluhelu au i ia puke i nehinei.
I read that book yesterday.
The book was already mentioned.
Ke noho nei ia kumu ma Hilo.
That teacher lives in Hilo.
Ia comes before the noun, with no ka.
I ia pō, ua hiamoe nā keiki.
That night, the children slept.
Ia is common with time words.

How It Connects

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

That, Already Named: iaLevel 4That, Aforementioned: Ia

Learn This First

Ia means “that one already named” and points back.

This and That After a Noun
Know nei, ala and lā, because ia is another way to point at a noun.
Level 4

Words in This Pattern

Practice That, Already Named: ia in Bubblegum

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