Language/Samoan/Grammar/Personal-Pronouns
| ◀️ Introducing Yourself — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Possessive Pronouns ▶️ |
Introduction
In Samoan, just like in English, personal pronouns are used to refer to people or groups of people. Knowing and using personal pronouns is essential to communicating in any language. In this lesson, we will learn the Samoan personal pronouns for the words "I", "you", "he", "she", "we", and "they", as well as their plural forms.
Subject Pronouns
Singular
In Samoan, personal pronouns for singular subjects are:
| Samoan | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| au | ah-oo | I |
| oe | oh-eh | you (singular) |
| ia | ee-ah | he or she |
Note: In Samoan, there is no distinction between "he" and "she". The same pronoun, "ia", is used for both male and female subjects.
Dual
For two people or things, Samoan uses the dual personal pronouns:
Plural
For three or more people or things, Samoan uses the plural personal pronouns:
| Samoan | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| tāua | tah-oo-ah | you and I |
| māua | mah-oo-ah | we (excluding you) |
| Samoan | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| mātou | mah-toh-oo | we (including you) |
| tātou | tah-toh-oo | you all and I |
| laulā | la-oo-lah | they |
Object Pronouns
Singular and Dual
In Samoan, object pronouns for both singular and dual subjects are:
| Samoan | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| au | ah-oo | me |
| oe | oh-eh | you (singular) |
| ia | ee-ah | him, her, or it (used for both genders) |
| tāua | tah-oo-ah | us (you and me) |
| māua | mah-oo-ah | us (excluding you) |
| tātou | tah-toh-oo | you all and me |
Plural
In Samoan, object pronouns for plural subjects are:
| Samoan | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| mātou | mah-toh-oo | us (including you) |
| tātou | tah-toh-oo | you all and us |
| laulā | la-oo-lah | them |
Possessive Pronouns
Possessive pronouns in Samoan are used to indicate possession or ownership. They usually come before a noun and agree in gender and number with the noun they modify. The possessive pronouns in Samoan are:
| Samoan | Pronunciation | English |
|---|---|---|
| o se'u | oh seh-oo | mine |
| o lou | oh loh-oo | yours (singular) |
| o lana | oh lah-na | his or hers |
| o lau | oh la-oo | yours (dual) |
| o le tātou | oh leh tah-toh-oo | ours (including you) |
| o le mātou | oh leh mah-toh-oo | ours (excluding you) |
| o lau | oh la-oo | yours (plural) |
| o la latou | oh la la-toh-oo | theirs |
Practice
Now that you know the Samoan personal pronouns for both subject and object forms, as well as the possessive pronouns, it's time to practice using them. Use the following exercise to help you solidify your understanding of Samoan pronouns.
Exercise
In the following exercise, translate the sentence from English to Samoan.
- He saw me yesterday. (Answer: Na ou nofo iāʻu i le aso nei.)
- You (singular) love her. (Answer: Ou te alofa i lana.)
- We (excluding you) went to the store. (Answer: Ua toe fo'i māua i le faleoloa.)
- I like that. (Answer: O loʻu fiafia i lea.)
- They are coming with us. (Answer: Na ou sau mai laulā.)
Conclusion
In this lesson, we learned the Samoan personal pronouns for singular, dual, and plural subjects, as well as their object forms and possessive forms. Knowing these is an essential foundation to building your Samoan language skills. Continue practicing using these pronouns in both written and spoken communication, and you'll be well on your way to achieving A1 language proficiency in Samoan.
Other Lessons
- Plurals
- How to Use Be
- Possessive Pronouns
- Past Tense
- How to Use Have
- Adjectives
- Negative Statements
- Pronouns
- Present Tense
- Give your Opinion
Sources
| ◀️ Introducing Yourself — Previous Lesson | Next Lesson — Possessive Pronouns ▶️ |