The Verb Comes First

Level 1

The verb comes first, then who does it, then what they do it to.

How It Works

English says who first: “The child reads the book”. Hawaiian usually says the action first:

Verb	Subject	Object
Ke inu nei	ke keiki	i ka wai
is drinking	the child	the water

The Reference Grammar and Wikipedia both describe Hawaiian as verb–subject–object. The object marker is i before a common noun, and iā before a name or a person pronoun. A pronoun subject comes after the verb phrase: Ke inu nei ʻo ia i ka wai.

Many Hawaiian sentences do not start with a verb. A sentence with he or ʻo starts with that word, and after ʻaʻole a pronoun subject comes straight after it. Word order can also change to stress one part.

Examples (5)

Ke inu nei ke keiki i ka wai.
The child is drinking water.
Marker and verb, then the subject, then the object with i.
Ke heluhelu nei ke kumu i ka puke.
The teacher is reading the book.
The verb comes before ke kumu.
Ke kākau nei ʻo Noelani i ka leka.
Noelani is writing the letter.
A name subject takes ʻo and sits after the verb.
Ke kuke nei ka makuahine i ka ʻuala.
The mother is cooking the sweet potato.
Subject ka makuahine, object ka ʻuala.
Ke nānā nei au iā Kalani.
I am looking at Kalani.
A name as the object takes iā, not i.

Common Mistakes

Putting the subject before the verb, as English does.
Ke keiki ke inu nei i ka wai.
Ke inu nei ke keiki i ka wai.
The verb phrase comes first in a basic Hawaiian sentence.

How It Connects

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

The Verb Comes FirstLevel 1

Learn This First

The verb comes right after its marker, so the marker idea comes first.

Small Words Show Time
Know the marker words, because they sit just before the verb in a basic sentence.
Level 1

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

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