CONJUNCTIONS

There are a lot of little words in Rotuman that can be confusing to the learner. This lesson looks at the group of words that are called ‘conjunctions’.
The most frequently used one of these is ma. In general, it is used where English would use ‘and’. For example, it is used to connect two things:

Ho'am 'eap ta ma lei ta. ‘Bring me the mat and the lei.’

It is also used to connect two events where the second one occurred after the first. You could think of it meaning ‘and then’.
Tạunà' ta vȧh ma, ma gou la'
‘The meeting finished, and (then) I went away.’

The meaning ‘or’ is expressed with ne. Ne has other uses/meanings, so don’t get confused.
Ho'am 'eap ta ne lei ta. ‘Bring me the mat or the lei.’

Ka 'äe 'ih ne 'igke? 'Are you invited or not?'

The conjunction ka is used with the meaning of ‘but’.
Gou ne'ne' 'e 'on mumua, ka gou 'af'af 'e 'on 'i'i.
‘I was strong before, but I am weak now.’

Ka is also used to connect two events that happen at the same time. It might be best translated as ‘while’ or ‘when’.

Gou fäefäeag se irisa, ka fã ta leum.
‘I was speaking to them when the man came.’

Now practice with ma, ne, and ka. (Answers follow the exercises below.)

1. Translate the phrases or sentences below.
a. Puk het ma pen het
b. 'Ikou ma 'a'ana
c. Ka ia ho 'imea ne 'igkȧ'?
d. Gou ta la'o, ka ia ta fu'u.
e. Gou 'oaf se ia' hala, ka 'oto hạina kat 'oaf ra sin.

2. Supply the correct conjunction. Then translate the sentence into English.
a. Ia pa 'ā 'e pạri _____ 'uhi.
b. Ia 'oaf se faraoa, _____ gou 'oaf kikia se peskete.
c. Gou kat 'inea ne ia la la' _____ 'igkȧ'.
d. Ka te' 'ou fā mafue ta _____ 'ou fā mea' mea' ta?
e. Gou nā se irisa apei _____ 'epa.
f. Gou pa la'ia _____ gou kop la tȧrtȧr se fekau.
g. Ka 'äe _____ gou täla hili?

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