Fijian Culture lessons in Sydney

If you live in Sydney then here's your chance to learn or refresh on Fijian culture.

Details below.

Experience learning the Fijian Language

Learn more about our Fiji Islands

This video will show you more about Fiji, its different cultures and the challenges our Islands face.

Positional relationships in the Fijian Language

These are some commonly used words to describe position in relation to something/someone else.

cake                                up
ra                                    down
delana                             on top
rukuna                             below
dakuna                            behind
matana                            in front
yasana                             beside
lomana                            inside
mawi                               left
matau                              right

Savasava - verb and adjective

Savasava is used in the Fijian language as both a verb and an adjective. 

However, the pronunciations of savasava when used as an adjective is different from when it's used as a verb.

Sah-vah-sah-vah is the pronunciation when it's used as verb. When it's used as an adjective it's pronounced 'Sah-vah-sah-vaaah'. Note the stress in the last syllable.

Enjoy learning the Fijian language.

Ni - a versatile fijian word

The word 'Ni' corresponds to these English words and that's why I call it versatile:

• As
• When
• Since
• That
• Because

And here are some examples of its use

Lock your bag since there are thieves around.

Lokata na nomu kato ni levu na dau butako.

Did you know that it's raining?

O kila ni tau tiko na uca?

New words

Uca - rain

Tau na uca - raining

Lokata - lock

kila - know

Oya - Particles in space and time Part 3

Oya is the particle used in reference to a address third person or an object further away from  two people in a discussion. Oya can also be used to refer to a distant past.

Again oya is usually abbreviated to ya in everyday Fijian.

Eg.

na yanuyanu oya                 that island
na motoka oya                    that car

na gauna oya                       that time