In a simple, Samoan introduction, you would say hello, tell us who you are - your name - where you come from, who your parents are, and maybe a few more interesting facts about yourself. For example, you might introduce yourself in Samoan like this: Talofa! O a'u o...
Talofa! is the official greeting word in Samoan but we also say mālō in more casual settings. Samoans like to greet each other with a single kiss on the cheek, especially if you already know each other and especially if at least one of you is female. If the greeting...
The Samoan word you use to refer to your brother or your sister depends on your gender. If your sibling is the same gender as you, then he or she is your uso. For example, if I am a girl, my sister is my uso. If I'm a boy, then my brother is my uso. A girl referring...
In the Samoan language, the words you use to refer to your children depend on their gender… as well as yours. If you are a father talking about your son, you call him your atali'i. If you’re a father talking about your daughter, you call her your afafine. On the other...
The Samoan words for our days of the week are made up of two parts: the word Aso, or day, and then a second word to describe that day. For example, Aso Sā is what we call Sunday, and the word sā means sacred. As Samoa is a very Christian country with most...
Counting to 10 in Samoan is pretty straight forward: Tasi, lua, tolu, fā, lima, ono, fitu, valu, iva, sefulu. Once you know the Samoan words for the numbers 1 to 10, it's not too difficult to count to 100. Samoan numbers are very similar to those of other Polynesian...
When you're learning Samoan, it's always great to be able to speak with someone in Samoan - especially if that someone is fluent. And then, as much as possible, try to keep your conversations all in Samoan, even if you have to supplement it with some gestures and sign...
I le amataga, na faia e le Atua le lagi ma le lalolagi. In the beginning, God made the heaven and the earth. Na pogisā le lalolagi ma ua gaogao, peitai, na fetalai mai le Atua, “Ia malamalama.” The earth was dark and empty, but then God said, “Let there be light.” Ona malamalama ai lea. And there was light. Read more of the Bible’s Creation Story told in Samoan with audio and English translations.