Fijian adjectives to verbs using 'Vaka' and 'taka'

A lot of Fijian language adjectives can be converted to verbs by adding the prefix 'Vaka' and the 'suffix' taka to the adjective. Below are some examples
               English                                                      Fijian 
Adjectives        Verbs                                  Adjectives                Verb
Wet                    Wet                                    Suasua               Vakasuasuataka
Dry                     Dry                                   Mamaca             Vakamamacataka
Cold                   Cool                                  Batabata             Vakabatabatataka
Clean                 Clean                                 Savasava            Vakasavasavataka
Hot                     Heat                                  Katakata             Vakakatakatataka (vakatakatataka)
Soft                    Soften                                Malumalumu     Vakamalumalumutaka


(Thank you for your  interest in learning to speak the Fijian language)

'Io' is it Yes or No?

Io is the Fijian word for yes but when answering a negative question it means the opposite of 'yes' in English. For example to answer in the affirmative, the English negative question 'You're not hungry?' one would say 'No I am not'.

In Fijian the question would be:
 'Iko sega ni via kana?'

The affirmative answer would be:

' Io, au sega ni via kana.'                        Or transliterally in English 'Yes I am not.' !


Try to answer these negative questions in the affirmative before seeing the answers:


Q: Iko sega ni kila?                     (You don't know?)


A: Io, au sega ni kila?

Q: Iko sega ni via moce?             (Are you not sleepy?) 

A: Io au sega ni via moce?         

(Thanks for your interest to Learn to speak the Fijian  Language)

Possession in the Fijian Language

Possession is more complicated than in the English language. There are four ways or words to show possession in the Fijian language - __qu, noqu, mequ, kequ.

The first way __qu is used as suffix in declaring possession of body parts or relationships.

• eg. My foot                  na yavaqu
• eg My mum                  na tinaqu

The second way is when the suffix pronoun (___qu)  is not applied to items which is not consumed by mouth. In this possession the word noqu will precede the noun.

• eg My car                   na noqu motoka
• eg My house               na noqu vale

The third and fourth way  of declaring possession is with regards to food or drinks.
Kequ will precede the noun when its solid and Mequ will precede the noun when it's liquid drinks.

• eg My beer                     mequ bia
• eg My chicken                kequ toa

It would be wrong to say 'noqu toa' if it was cooked and ready to eat. On the other hand, if the chicken was alive and not heading for pot then it's correct to say 'noqu toa'.

Thank you for your interest to learn to speak Fijian

Fijian Pronunciations

Learn Fijian Language Pronunciation:

• Fijian vowels are pronounced as they are in Spanish, German or Italian, however most consonants are pronounced as in English. Here are some exceptions
• ‘b’ & ‘d’ are pronounced with preceding nasal consonant. ‘b’ sounds like ‘mb’ and d like ‘nd’. Example Nadi is pronounced 'Nandi'. Green coconut in Fijian is 'Bu' and is pronounced 'Mbu'.
• ‘c’ is pronounced as the ‘th’ of ‘this’ .Example is the Fiijan word for grass - 'co' pronounced 'tho'.
• ‘j’ is pronounced as the ‘ch’ of ‘church'. Example is the Fijian word for banana - 'jiaina' or 'jaina'.
• ‘g’ is pronounced as the ‘ng’ of ‘sing’. For example the Fijian word for duck is 'ga' and pronounced 'nga'.

(Thank you for your interest in Learning to speak the Fijian Language)

Fijian Language - VOS

VOS in linguistics stands for Verb-Object-Subject. In linguistic typology, a verb-object-subject language is one in which the verb, object, and subject of a sentence appear or usually appear in that order.

For example in Fijian this sentence - 'The dog bit Jone' is translated 'E kati Jone na koli'. If English was VOS this would read 'bit Jone the dog'.

So remember this structure when writing or speaking Fijian that the verb begins the sentence, followed by the object then the subject.

Some more Fijian sentences showing the VOS structure

Sa lako ki Suva o Jone - Jone has gone to Suva.
Sa wilika o Jone na i vola - Jone has read the book.
E siwata o Jone e dua na ika - Jone has caught a fish.

Tourists - Why learn some basic Fijian?

Are you planning a trip to the Fiji Islands in the South Pacific? One way to really enhance your travel experience is to learn Fijian language, or at least a few phrases, before you go.  

Why Bother to Learn Fijian Language?

Many visitors to Fiji would wonder 'why should I bother to learn Fijian language when I am just going there for a holiday?' Yes it is true that many local people speak fluent English, it is important to remember it is not their first language. By learning to speak even a few words of Fijian, you will be able to show that you are making the effort to communicate in the local language beyond the basic 'Bula!' that greets most visitors tothe country. Often it is those simple exchanges with local people which make a trip so much more memorable.

 Originally posted by Anne Vize

(Thank you for your interest in Learning to speak the Fijian Language)

Fijian Alphabets E-Book with sound

I am so excited by the new version of the Fijan Alphabets E-Book 'Matanivola' that Tarisi Vunidilo has produced. It's interactive and makes learning Fijian fun.

The E-Book has a speaker icon next to all the Fijian alphabets and clicking on that plays an audio with the right pronounciation of the alphabet and the word.

Below is video example of the E-Book. Because the sound has been recorded off the speakers of my laptop the quality is not as good as the one in the E-Book.

To get Click on the Books page tab at the top