• home
  • Tuvaluan Expressions

Tuvaluan Expressions

Click on the Tuvaluan sentence to hear the native speaker’s voice.

English
Tuvaluan
Hello. Hi.
How are you?
I'm fine, thank you.
See you.
Good bye.
Where are you from?/what is your country
I'm from Nanumea.
I'm from Auckland.
I am Japanese.
What is your name?
My name is Vaeoo.
How old are you?
English
Tuvaluan
Excuse me. Where is the toilet?
It's next to this room.
Where is Talesi?
He is at school.
Where are you going?
I'm going to the store.
Where were you last night?
I was at my friend's house.
Yes. It's right there.
English
Tuvaluan
What day is it today?
It's Wednesday today.
What's the date today?
It's May 14th.
When is your birthday?
When did you arrive in Tuvalu?
Three days ago.
When are you going to leave Tuvalu?
When is the ship arriving?
Tonight, 8 o'clock.
What time is it now?
It's seven forty-five.
English
Tuvaluan
What are you doing?
I'm watching TV.
What are you going to do tonight?
I'm going to eat out with my friend.
What did you eat for lunch?
I ate raw tuna.
What's your favorite food?
It's falifu mei.
What is this?
It is coconut milk.
What do you have in your hand?
I have a coconut crab.
English
Tuvaluan
Who is he?(next to you)
He is my friend.
Who said so?
Someone has stolen my bag.
Anybody help!
English
Tuvaluan
Why do you say so?
Because that's the truth.
Why did you move to New Zealand?
Because my family is there.
Why didn't you come yesterday?
I had a stomachache.
English
Tuvaluan
How many chairs do we need?
How long does it take from Fiji to Funafuti?
It takes 3 hours.
How much will you eat?
I'll eat a lot. / I'll eat a little.
How many people are coming to the fakaala tonight?
Many. / A few. / Not so many.
English
Tuvaluan
How was your exam?
It was OK.
How is she? (Is she OK?)
She's getting better.
What do you think about the climate change?
What kind of music do you like?
English
Tuvaluan
I'm a fisherman.
This is a breadfruit.
That is banana. (the thing is near the listner)
That over there is my father's canoe.
He is a doctor.
English
Tuvaluan
There are two dogs here.
There are a lot of ships at the harbor.
There were many people in the store.
There is a cup on the table.
There was no one on the beach.
There is a cat under the chair.
I have a car.
I don't have much money.
English
Tuvaluan
I like Chinese food.
I like singing but don't like dancing.
English
Tuvaluan
I want that shirt.
I want to go to New Zealand.
I want to go to sleep/take some rest because I'm tired.
I want to eat something.
I don't want to eat because I feel sick.
Would you like some cold drink?
What is your opinion about this?
Would you like anything else?
Do you want to come with us?
English
Tuvaluan
May I ask you something?
English
Tuvaluan
Let's go to the store.
English
Tuvaluan
Shall I carry your baggage?
Shall I help you?
English
Tuvaluan
You should get up earlier.
You shouldn't eat sweet stuffs that much.
I should have asked her name.
English
Tuvaluan
Please don't tell anybody about this.
Don't go outside at night.
Don't be late.
English
Tuvaluan
Would you open the door for me?
Could you say that again?
Could you accommodate me for one night?
English
Tuvaluan
We often come to this store.
She always badmouths her husband.
She rarely cries.
He sometimes comes to my house.
English
Tuvaluan
Have you ever been to Nanumea?
Yes. I've been there once./ No, I haven't.
Have you ever tried Japanese food?
Yes. I've eaten sushi.
He has never played rugby.
English
Tuvaluan
It may rain tonight.
He may come tomorrow.
English
Tuvaluan
If you want to come with us, just call me.
If I had money, I would travel around the world.
English
Tuvaluan
I'll go to the government office tomorrow.
I'll study abroad in Fiji in the future.
I'll take a walk.
CC-BY-NC
A Dictionary of the Tuvaluan Language & Culture
keyboard_arrow_up