Lea Faka-Tonga · Lessons

Lesson 38: Warnings, Hopes, Permissions, and Uncertainty

This lesson introduces a set of expressions built around the subordinator ke (taught in Lesson 26: Purpose, Reason, and Benefit) that let you grant permission, express hopes, and issue warnings. These are social expressions that come up frequently in daily conversation.

The verb tuku has several ordinary meanings: to put down, to leave, to stop. When followed by ke, it takes on the special meaning of "let" in the sense of "allow" or "permit."

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Lesson 37 · All 52 lessons · Lesson 39

The Tongan alphabet and pronunciation · Tongan greetings and what they mean · Tongan tense markers explained · Tongan word order · Saying "not" in Tongan · Tongan possessives · The Tongan ko pattern