The Samoan word for hello is talofa!  ...but we use a few other greetings as well, according to who we're speaking with and the formality of the situation. In this lesson, we'll practice some of Samoa's most common greeting words and phrases (with audio). But first,...

The Samoan phrase for introducing yourself is: fa'ailoa atu a'u, which literally means to make myself known. Se'i ou fa'ailoa atu a'u. Let me introduce myself. In this lesson you'll learn to put together a simple introduction for yourself in the Samoan language and...

Le Pī Samoa, or the Samoan Alphabet, has 17 letters - 3 of them borrowed - and we arrange them beginning with our vowels: A E I O U F G L M N P S T V H K R ...where H K and R...

I always say (because it's true): the best way to learn Samoan - and any new language - is to use it. Read Samoan books for fun, send text messages in Samoan, listen to radio Samoa, and - probably most effectively - have Samoan language conversations. That's easy to...

The Samoan word for weather is tau... and the weather is probably the safest conversation starter in any language or culture (that I know of). As a shared experience, we can all relate to the weather, we naturally talk about it often so it's usually easier to remember...

Nouns - those naming words for people, places and things - are usually the first words you learn in a new language. They're often the easiest words to find, too. Even Google Translate is pretty good with giving us accurate Samoan translations for most everyday nouns....

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 and beyond. Let's take a closer look. Pronouncing Numbers 1 to...

The Samoan word for colour is lanu. When we refer to each colour in Samoan, we say the word lanu first and then add its description. For example, lanumūmū is the Samoan word for red. Why does mūmū describe red? We'll discuss that in a minute, but first, let's look at...

Uso is the Samoan word for brother, but only if you are male. Uso is also the Samoan word for sister, if you are female. So, uso is the Samoan word for any sibling of yours who has the same gender as you do.  For example, if I am a girl, my sister is my uso. If I'm a...

Referring to a specific date in Samoan is the same as in English - we say the day, the month and the year. You just need to know your numbers then, of course, the Samoan words for each month. You also need to be prepared to say long words. For example, the 'proper'...

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...