Convenience Store

1. ʻOku ʻi ai ha falekoloa ʻo ofi?

   ʻO-ku ʻi ai ha fa-le-ko-lo-a ʻo o-fi?

   Is there a shop nearby?

   Usage

   Tonga has no Japanese-style convenience stores; the village falekoloa fills that role. Most are run by Chinese families and stock tinned food, bread, cold drinks, soap and phone top-ups. Note that Sunday is a legally protected sabbath — almost everything closes

   Grammar Note

   "ʻOku ʻi ai" is the fixed existential construction. "Ha" is the indefinite article ("a / some"), contrasting with definite "e / he". "Falekoloa" is fale (house) + koloa (goods)

2. Ko e hā e totongi ʻo e meʻa ni?

   Ko e hā e to-to-ngi ʻo e me-ʻa ni?

   How much is this?

   Usage

   Prices are often unmarked in a Tongan shop, so asking aloud is normal. The currency is the paʻanga (TOP), referred to locally simply as "paʻanga"

   Grammar Note

   "Ko e hā …?" is the basic "what is …?" question. The demonstrative "ni" (this) follows the noun rather than preceding it

3. Kātaki ʻomai ha taha

   Kā-ta-ki ʻo-mai ha ta-ha

   One, please

   Usage

   Tongan shops often keep stock behind the counter or a grille and hand items to you, so point and say this

   Grammar Note

   "ʻOmai" means give towards the speaker, "ʻatu" give away from the speaker — the mai / atu directional contrast shared across Polynesian languages

4. ʻOku ou fiemaʻu ha vai momoko

   ʻO-ku ou fi-e-ma-ʻu ha vai mo-mo-ko

   I would like some cold water

   Usage

   Tonga is hot and humid and a cold drink matters, but power cuts and struggling fridges mean stock is often at room temperature — worth specifying "momoko" (cold)

   Grammar Note

   Adjectives follow the noun: "vai momoko" is literally "water cold". The pre-verbal particle "fie" expresses desire and combines freely: fie kai (want to eat), fie inu (want to drink)

5. Kātaki fakavela ʻa e meʻa ni

   Kā-ta-ki fa-ka-ve-la ʻa e me-ʻa ni

   Please heat this up

   Usage

   Village shops have no microwave and do not reheat food. For something hot, head to a takeaway in Nukuʻalofa, a market food stall, or a service-station shop

   Grammar Note

   The prefix "faka-" is a highly productive causative: vela (hot) → fakavela (to heat), momoko (cold) → fakamomoko (to cool)

6. ʻOku ke fiemaʻu ha kato?

   ʻO-ku ke fi-e-ma-ʻu ha ka-to?

   Would you like a bag?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Tonga restricts single-use plastic bags, so what you get is usually paper or cloth — carrying your own bag is now the norm

   Grammar Note

   Tongan is VSO, but the tense marker "ʻoku" and pronoun "ke" come first, so the surface pattern is "ʻoku ke + verb"

7. Kātaki ʻomai ha kato

   Kā-ta-ki ʻo-mai ha ka-to

   A bag, please

   Usage

   How to say yes to a bag. To decline, say "ʻIkai, mālō" (no, thank you)

   Grammar Note

   Placing "kātaki" at the front turns an imperative into a polite request, much like English "please"

8. ʻOku ke fiemaʻu ha talitotongi?

   ʻO-ku ke fi-e-ma-ʻu ha ta-li-to-to-ngi?

   Would you like a receipt?

   Usage

   Said by staff. Small shops often issue no receipt at all; being asked usually means you are in a larger store or supermarket

   Grammar Note

   "Talitotongi" means "receipt" (also "laʻitohi talitotongi"), short for tohi tali-totongi. Its parts: "tali" = to receive, "totongi" = payment or charge. The loan "lisiti" also exists. Tongan has no r in its alphabet.

9. Paʻanga pe kaati?

   Pa-ʻa-nga pe ka-a-ti?

   Cash or card?

   Usage

   Said by staff, though village shops are cash-only in practice. Cards work in Nukuʻalofa supermarkets, hotels and resorts — often with a surcharge added

   Grammar Note

   "Paʻanga" is both the name of the currency and the general word for money, so it appears whenever amounts are discussed

10. ʻOku lava ke u totongi ʻaki e kaati?

    ʻO-ku la-va ke u to-to-ngi ʻa-ki e ka-a-ti?

    Can I pay by card?

    Usage

    Cards are often refused for small purchases and some places set a minimum spend, so keep paʻanga cash on you throughout the trip

    Grammar Note

    "ʻAki" is the instrumental preposition ("by means of"). "ʻOku lava ke + subject + verb" is the standard way to ask whether something is possible

11. Kātaki ʻomai ʻa e toenga paʻanga

    Kā-ta-ki ʻo-mai ʻa e to-e-nga pa-ʻa-nga

    My change, please

    Usage

    Small shops frequently cannot break large notes — a 50 paʻanga bill is often waved away. Keep 5s, 10s and 20s handy

    Grammar Note

    Change is expressed as "toenga paʻanga" (remaining money). "Toenga" is "toe" (to remain) plus the nominalising suffix "-nga"

12. ʻOku ʻi ai ha misini ATM ʻi heni?

    ʻO-ku ʻi ai ha mi-si-ni ATM ʻi he-ni?

    Is there an ATM around here?

    Usage

    ATMs are confined to Nukuʻalofa, the airport and bank branches on the larger islands. In Haʻapai and outer Vavaʻu you may find none at all, so withdraw before you travel

    Grammar Note

    "Misini" borrows English "machine" and is the general word for a device. Acronyms such as ATM are read as English, often prefaced with "misini" for clarity

13. ʻOku ʻi ai ha kaati telefoni?

    ʻO-ku ʻi ai ha ka-a-ti te-le-fo-ni?

    Do you sell phone top-up cards?

    Usage

    Tongan mobile service is mostly prepaid and the village shop is the main top-up outlet. The two carriers are Digicel Tonga and TCC — the sign outside tells you which a shop sells

    Grammar Note

    Modifiers follow the noun, so "kaati telefoni" is literally "card phone". In everyday speech the English word "top-up" is heard just as often

14. ʻOku lava ke u ngāueʻaki e falemālōlō?

    ʻO-ku la-va ke u ngā-u-e-ʻa-ki e fa-le-mā-lō-lō?

    May I use the toilet?

    Usage

    Shops rarely have a customer toilet; you may be offered the family one, which means entering someone's living space, so always ask properly. Churches, resorts and the market are safer bets

    Grammar Note

    "Ngāueʻaki" is "ngāue" (work, use) plus the applicative suffix "-ʻaki". The root "fale" (house) generates many compounds: falekoloa (shop), falemahaki (hospital). Toilet is falemālōlō, written as one word (the spaced form "fale mālōlō" also occurs). The loanword toileti coexists with it, and both are real.

15. Mālō ʻaupito

    Mā-lō ʻau-pi-to

    Thank you very much

    Usage

    Say this as you leave. Courtesy and respect carry real weight in Tonga, so a proper thank-you even after a small purchase is appreciated

    Grammar Note

    "Mālō" alone means thanks and also appears in the greeting "Mālō e lelei" (hello). Adding "ʻaupito" gives the fullest, most polite thank-you

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