Greetings and Farewells

Mālō e lelei! Hello!
Fēfē hake? How are you?
Sai pē! Just fine!
Ko au. Polite response when someone calls your name.
Mālō e lava mai. Thanks for coming.
'īo, Mālō e tau mo eni. Response to mālō e lava mai.
Ko hai ho hingoa? What is your name?
Ko NAME au. I am NAME
Ko e hā e lea faka-Tonga ki he ? What is the Tongan word for?
'oku 'ikai te u ilo. I don't know.
Fanongo pē! Just listen!
'ōua e lea, fanongo pē! Don't speak, just listen!
Fanongo lelei! Listen carefully!
Lea māmālie! Speak slowly!
Ko ia! That's it! (that's right)
Fakamolemole! Forgive (me)!
Kātaki! Please, excuse (me)!
Kātaki fakamolemole! Please be patient! (empatic)
Tali mai! Answer (me)!
Toe 'ai! Repeat!
Tulou! Excuse me!(Tulou is appropriate when you
have just passed in front of someone or
reached over in front of someone.)
Hū mai! Come in!

Farewells
'ālu ā ē! Goodby! (to the person going)
Nofo ā ē! Goodby! (to the person staying)
Mou ō ā ē! Goodby! (to several persons going)
Mou nofo ā ē! Goodby! (to several persons staying)
Faka'au ā ē! Goodby! (polite form, singular)
Mou faka'au ā ē! Goodby!(polite form, plural)

Note: īn most farewells there is a rising intonation in the voice on the final ē.

Spelling, Sounds, Pronunciation

Tongan spelling is phonemic, it is spelled the way that it sounds.

Vowels

a as in father (only shorter) fala, mate, pato
ā a lengthened mālō, kākā, fakahā
e as in bet (or somewhere between bet and bait) fale, mele
ē e lengthened pehē, ko ē
i as in machine liku, piko, taki
ī i lengthened ī, kulī
o as in born (pronounced a little farther fono, pito
back in the throat)
ō o lengthened pō, kokō
u as in root (only shorter and without offglide) lotu, muka
ū u lengthened pūluhi, fufū

In Tongan all consonants are separated by a vowel, all words end in a vowel.