Language/Samoan/Vocabulary/Fruits

Samoan Vocabulary - Fruits

Hi Samoan learners! 😊
In this lesson, we're going to learn some fruity Samoan vocabulary! 🍎🍊🍌🍉🍇🥥

Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Clothes & Health.

Basic Fruits

Let's begin with the most common fruits you'll encounter in Samoa:

Samoan	Pronunciation	English Translation
faiā	[fa.ˈjaa]	pineapple
faʻi	[faˈʻi]	banana
faʻausi	[fa.ˌʻau.si]	passion fruit
papāya	[pa.ˈpa.a]	papaya
tavaʻi	[ta.ʋa.ˈʔi]	avocado
ula	[u.ˈla]	watermelon
malauli	[ma.la.ˈu.li]	blueberries
momo	[mo.ˈmo]	peach
tinito	[ti.ˈni.to]	cherry

Here are some examples to see these fruits in context:

• Person 1: O fea lou faiā faʻausi? (Where did you get your passion fruit?)
• Person 2: Ua faʻatoa i le faleoloa. (I got it at the market.)

• Person 1: E mafai ona faʻamū ʻoe i le ula? (Can you cut the watermelon?)
• Person 2: Ou te toe ula i le itu. (I will cut it into pieces.)

Other Fruits

Samoans have a wide range of fruits that they enjoy. Let's learn some more!

Samoan	Pronunciation	English Translation
ananāsi	[a.ˌna.ˈnaː.si]	pineapple
itiiti	[i.ˈti.i.ti]	fig
kavika	[ka.ˈʋi.ka]	kiwi
pāperika	[pa.ˈpe.ɾi.ka]	paprika
pere	[pe.ˈɾe]	pear
puʻaʻai	[pu.ʔa.ˈʔai]	apricot
vailima	[ʋai.ˈli.ma]	lime
vao	[ʋao]	tangerine
vī	[ʋiː]	mango

Let's see some examples:

• Person 1: E te le puipuiga puʻaʻai? (Are these fresh apricots?)
• Person 2: Io. Ou te faatau i le televavega. (Yes, I just bought them from the market.)

• Person 1: ʻO fea lou itiiti? (Where did you get your fig?)
• Person 2: Ua maua i le faletua i le nuʻu. (I got it from a lady in the village.)

Fruit Idioms

Samoans use idioms that relate to fruits. Here are some examples:

Samoan	Pronunciation	English Translation	English Equivalent
Sai ua tele	[sai ʊa ˈte.le]	The banana that is heavy with fruit	The profitable choice
E aʻa ana malauli ʻai?	[e ʔa.a ana ma.la.ˈu.li ʔai]	Why eat the blueberries?	Why worry about the small things?
Vī pea i luga i le la itia	[ʋiː pea i lu.ga i le la i.ti.a]	The mango is still up in the land	There is still unfinished work to be done.

Let's hear these idioms in context:

• Person 1: O le a le fia oti lea aute? (Are you sure about buying that car?)
• Person 2: E leai se mea, e sai ua tele. (Yes, I'm sure. It's the profitable choice.)

• Person 1: E mafai ona toe sau se suikia e ala iā te oe? (Can you pass me one of those small watermelons?)
• Person 2: Ou te toe moe malū i luga o le ḅleki i lea faleoloa. O le aʻa ana malauli ʻai? (I'll grab one from the basket in the market. Why worry about the small things?)

Cultural Information

In Samoa, fruits play a big part in their culture. They have a strong connection with nature and the farming practices that provide them with their bountiful harvests. It is customary for a Samoan family to share their fruits with others, especially their neighbors. This is something that is deeply connected to their fa'a Samoa (Samoan way of life). During the harvesting season, they participate in the fa'alavelave (traditional chores) such as making the umu (traditional oven) to cook the feast. The fruits are used to create the toʻanaʻi (feast) for their guests. Sharing food is an important aspect of their culture and fruits are no exception.

To learn more about the Samoan culture, check out Samoan Culture.

Practice Dialogue

Here's a dialogue where you can practice the words you've learned:

• Person 1: ʻO le a le fia ʻai se vī? (Do you want to eat a mango?)
• Person 2: E le mafai ona te ʻai, faafetai. (I can't eat right now, thank you.)
• Person 1: O le a le fia ʻai se faʻi? (Do you want to eat a banana?)
• Person 2: ʻIo, faamolemole. Ou te ʻai se siosiomaga. (Yes, please. I'll eat a small piece.)
• Person 1: ʻO ai lenei papāya i lea tamaoaiga? (Whose papaya is this?)
• Person 2: O le a outou tamaoaiga. (It's from your plantation.)

Sources

• Top 11 Words for Fruits in Samoan.
• How to say "Fruits" in Samoan.

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Other Lessons

• How to say Good Bye?
• Geography
• Colors
• Food
• Feelings and Emotions
• Drinks
• Express Surprise
• Clothes
• Family