Emergency in Samoan: 33 Travel Phrases with Audio

Fesoasoani mai!
Fe-so-a-so-a-ni-mai
Help!
Usage
The most critical emergency phrase — shout loudly when in danger
Grammar Note
Samoan imperative uses the bare verb form. Adding "mai" (toward speaker) signals "come and help". "Fesoasoani" is a single lexical verb: "Fesoasoani, v. to help, to assist". There is no such form as "fesoaani"
Vili mai le leoleo!
Vi-li-mai-le-le-o-le-o
Call the police!
Usage
Used in emergencies to summon police
Grammar Note
"Vili" = call/phone. "Leoleo" is the reduplicated form of "leo" (voice/guard), meaning police. Samoa has unified its emergency number to 911 (formerly police 995, fire 994, ambulance 996). "Vili" also appears in "vili loa le telefoni" (dials the telephone) and "vili mai" (ringing up)
Vili mai le foma'i!
Vi-li-mai-le-fo-ma-'i
Call a doctor!
Usage
Used in medical emergencies
Grammar Note
"Foma'i" = doctor. "Fale ma'i" (hospital) = "fale" (house) + "ma'i" (illness). Emergency number: 911 (ambulance, police and fire; the former ambulance number was 996). The main hospital is TTM Hospital in Apia
Ua ou ma'i
Ua-ou-ma-'i
I am sick / I feel unwell
Usage
Basic phrase to communicate illness or feeling unwell
Grammar Note
"Ma'i" = sick. "Ua" marks state change. ⚠ The derived form "fa'ama'i" is a NOUN meaning "pestilence", "epidemic" or "disease" — it cannot mean "I am sick". "I'm sick" is "Ua 'ou ma'i". For specific symptoms: "Ua tiga lo'u ulu" (my head hurts)
Ua gau lo'u vae
Ua-gau-lo-'u-va-e
I have broken my leg
Usage
Used to communicate a bone fracture to medical staff
Grammar Note
Samoan body parts use the "o"-class possessive (inalienable). "Lo'u" = "o"-class 1st person singular possessive. "Vae" = leg/foot (general)
Na gaoia la'u tupe
Na-ga-oi-a-la-'u-tu-pe
My money was stolen
Usage
Used to report theft to police or accommodation staff
Grammar Note
"Na" is the past tense marker. "La'u" = "a"-class 1st sg possessive (controllable/acquired possessions like money). ⚠ With the victim's property as subject Samoan needs the PASSIVE "gaoia". Bare "gaoi" is "to steal / a thief" and will not form this clause
Ua tupu se fa'alavelave
Ua-tu-pu-se-fa-'a-la-ve-la-ve
There has been an accident
Usage
Emergency phrase used to report an accident or injury
Grammar Note
"Fa'alavelave" is glossed "important occasion; accident; danger; trouble"; "tupu" = to happen ("e tutupu ni fa'alavelave" — troubles occur). ⚠ "Ua afaina" is unusable: "afaina" (to be hurt/endangered) is used only negatively and interrogatively, and its commonest live form is "E le afaina" = "it's all right / you're welcome". Shouting it in an emergency conveys the opposite
Ou te mana'o i se foma'i e tautala Igilisi
Ou-te-ma-na-'o-i-se-fo-ma-'i-e-tau-ta-la-I-gi-li-si
I need a doctor who speaks English
Usage
Used when requesting an English-speaking doctor at a medical facility
Grammar Note
"E tautala Igilisi" functions as a relative clause (who speaks English). Samoan relative clauses use "e + verb" to modify nouns. English is a co-official language in Samoa
Ou te fia inu vai
Ou-te-fi-a-i-nu-vai
I need water (dehydration)
Usage
Used when dehydrated or experiencing heat exhaustion in Samoa's tropical climate
Grammar Note
Samoa's tropical climate makes dehydration a real risk. "Vai" = water. "Fia inu" (thirsty) = "fia" (want to) + "inu" (drink)
E iai se fale vaila'au latalata?
E-i-ai-se-fa-le-vai-la-'au-la-ta-la-ta
Is there a pharmacy nearby?
Usage
Used when looking for a pharmacy to get medication
Grammar Note
"Fale vaila'au" is a pharmacy ("chemist's shop"). "Latalata" means "near". ⚠ "Faleo'o" is not a pharmacy but a small back house / hut annexed to the main fale, and there is no morpheme "o'o" meaning medicine. "Su'esu'e" means to investigate/study. Apia's real pharmacy is named Fale Tala Vai (talavai = to dispense medicine)
gaoi
Thief
Usage
Show it when reporting a theft. The same word is also the verb "to steal" (passive gaoia)
fasioti tagata
Murder
Usage
fasioti (to kill) plus tagata (person). Bare "fasioti" is "to kill" in general and does not name the victim
pomu
Bomb
Usage
The Samoan form of English "bomb"; also used in compounds such as va'alele pomu (bomber aircraft)
'O fea le fale leoleo?
'O-fe-a-le-fa-le-le-o-le-o
Where is the police station?
Usage
Asking where to go to report a theft
Grammar Note
"'O fea le …?" ("Where is the …?") is the frame of "'O fea le falema'i?" and "'O fea le fale vaila'au?". Building names are formed as "fale + function" (falema'i "hospital", faleuila "toilet", fale vaila'au "pharmacy", fale'oloa "shop")
E iai se tagata e tautala Iapani?
E-i-ai-se-ta-ga-ta-e-tau-ta-la-I-a-pa-ni
Is there anyone who speaks Japanese?
Usage
Show it first at a police or hospital counter when looking for an interpreter
Grammar Note
"E iai se …?" ("Is there a …?") is the frame of "E iai se lifti iinei?", "E iai se ATM iinei?" and "E iai se fale vaila'au latalata?". The relative clause "e tautala + language name" is the form used in "Ou te mana'o i se foma'i e tautala Igilisi" ("I want a doctor who speaks English"); the language name here is "Iapani" (the same form as "E fia le tau e auina atu i Iapani?"). The language name is left bare, without the prefix fa'a-.
Fa'amolemole ave a'u i le falema'i.
Fa-'a-mo-le-mo-le-a-ve-a-'u-i-le-fa-le-ma-'i
Please take me to a hospital
Usage
Asking a taxi driver or a bystander when you can still move but do not need an ambulance
Grammar Note
"Fa'amolemole + verb" ("Please …") is the request frame of "Fa'amolemole ave mai se ipu vai." ("Please bring a glass of water"), "Fa'amolemole aumai le tasi" and "Fa'amolemole tautala tuusao"; the verb "ave" ("to take, carry") is the same form as in "Fa'amolemole ave mai se ipu vai." (which adds the directional "mai" = hither; it is absent here because the speaker is the one being moved). The object "a'u" ("me") is the same form as in "Fa'amolemole ta'u mai ia te a'u" and "Na taofi a'u e le leoleo o le auala.". "Le falema'i" means "hospital".
Fa'amolemole sau vave.
Fa-'a-mo-le-mo-le-sau-va-ve
Please come right away
Usage
Telling someone on the phone, or through a third person, to come to where you are
Grammar Note
The "Fa'amolemole + verb" request frame ("Fa'amolemole aumai le tasi", etc.) with the verb "sau" ("come") and "vave" ("quickly"). "vave" carries the sense "hasten" as well as the adjective "fast".
Fa'amolemole vave.
Fa-'a-mo-le-mo-le-va-ve
Please hurry
Usage
Telling an ambulance or taxi that the situation is urgent
Grammar Note
"Fa'amolemole sau vave." with the verb "sau" ("come") removed, leaving only "vave", which is the verb "to hasten". "Fa'amolemole sau vave." asks someone to come; this phrase tells someone already on the way to speed up.
Mata'utia!
Ma-ta-'u-ti-a
Watch out!
Usage
Warning someone of immediate danger. Shout it
Grammar Note
"Mata'utia" ("dangerous") modifies a noun; shouted on its own it is the warning "Look out!". "Lapata'iga" ("warning") is a separate noun used on signage.
Ua malemo se tagata.
Ua-ma-le-mo-se-ta-ga-ta
Someone is drowning
Usage
Alerting others when you see someone drowning at the sea or a pool
Grammar Note
"Ua + verb + se + noun" ("a … has happened") is the word order of "Ua tupu se fa'alavelave" ("There has been an accident"). "Tagata" means "person". "Malemo" means: "1. to be under water, of things. 2. To be drowned.".
Na sasa a'u.
Na-sa-sa-a-'u
I was beaten
Usage
Reporting an assault to the police or to medical staff
Grammar Note
"Na + verb + a'u" ("someone did … to me") has the word order of "Na taofi a'u e le leoleo o le auala." ("I was stopped by the traffic police"), which names the agent with "e le …"; that is left out here because the attacker is unknown. "Sasa" is "to scourge, to beat"; "ta" and "fasi" are other words for "beat".
Ua galo ia te a'u la'u 'ato.
Ua-ga-lo-i-a-te-a-'u-la-'u-'a-to
I left my bag behind
Usage
Reporting that you left a bag behind in a shop or on a bus
Grammar Note
"Ia te a'u" ("to me"). In "la'u 'ato", "la'u" is the "a"-class possessive. "Galo" ("to forget"; plural "gagalo") is an impersonal verb, so the forgetter is not the subject but is marked with "ia te + person".
Gaoi! Pu'e!
Ga-oi-Pu-'e
Thief! Catch him!
Usage
Calling for help from bystanders when someone snatches your belongings
Grammar Note
"gaoi" ("thief") followed by a command to seize. "Pu'e" is used for "to seize, take", as in "na puʻe faamalosi aʻu" ("I was taken by force") and "Ia outou puʻe ma ave tamaʻi mamoe" ("take lambs and bring them along"). The object is omitted, as in an alarm cry.
Na fa'a'ole'ole a'u.
Na-fa-'a-'o-le-'o-le-a-'u
I was deceived
Usage
Reporting a scam or a rip-off
Grammar Note
The "Na + verb + a'u" word order of "Na taofi a'u e le leoleo o le auala." ("I was stopped by the traffic police"), with the agent phrase "e le …" omitted because the perpetrator is unknown. "Fa'a'ole'ole" is used as in "Ua taufaaʻoleʻole foʻi lo oulua tamā iā te aʻu" ("Your father has deceived me"). It is also spelled "faaʻoleʻole".
Ua tupu se fa'alavelave fa'afuase'i.
Ua-tu-pu-se-fa-'a-la-ve-la-ve-fa-'a-fu-a-se-'i
It's an emergency
Usage
Say it first on the phone or at a counter to signal that the situation is urgent
Grammar Note
"Ua tupu se fa'alavelave" ("There has been an accident") with the modifier "fa'afuase'i" ("sudden") added. The collocation is used as in "Neʻi tupu iā te ia se faalavelave faafuaseʻi ma oti ai" ("lest a sudden disaster befall him and he die"). "Ua tupu se fa'alavelave" says that an accident has happened; this phrase conveys urgency itself.
'O ia 'o se tagata solitulafono.
'O-i-a-'o-se-ta-ga-ta-so-li-tu-la-fo-no
That person is the culprit
Usage
Pointing out the offender to the police
Grammar Note
The "'O + subject + 'o se + noun" equative construction of "'O a'u 'o se tagata Iapani" ("I am Japanese"), with the subject "ia" ("he/she") and the noun "tagata solitulafono". "Tagata solitulafono" refers to a person who has broken the law, as in "Ou te aʻoaʻo atu ou ala i tagata solitulafono" ("I will teach transgressors your ways").
Na tutu'i a'u.
Na-tu-tu-'i-a-'u
I was stabbed
Usage
Telling medical staff or police that you were stabbed
Grammar Note
The "Na + verb + a'u" word order of "Na taofi a'u e le leoleo o le auala." ("I was stopped by the traffic police"). "Tutu'i" means "to stab", as in "Ona ia alu atu lemū lea iā te ia ma tutuʻi le pine i ona manifinifi" ("drove the peg into his temples") and "seʻi oʻu tutuʻi iā te ia i le tao" ("let me stab him with the spear").
Na talepe lo'u fale.
Na-ta-le-pe-lo-'u-fa-le
My house was broken into
Usage
Reporting that your accommodation was broken into while you were out
Grammar Note
The "Na + verb + possession" damage-report pattern of "Na gaoia la'u tupe" ("My money was stolen"). "Talepe fale" ("to break into a house") is used as in "po o le talepe fale po ua ave faagaoi se mea mai i lana uō" ("a house break-in, or stealing something from a friend"). "Lo'u" is the "o"-class possessive used for body parts and dwellings, as in "Ua tiga lo'u ulu.". "Fale" is the word used in "'O fea le fale vaila'au?".
Na gaoia la'u 'ato tupe.
Na-ga-oi-a-la-'u-'a-to-tu-pe
My wallet was stolen
Usage
Use it when filing a theft report; remember to cancel your cards too
Grammar Note
"Na gaoia la'u tupe" ("My money was stolen") with the object changed to "'ato tupe" ("wallet"); the passive "gaoia" is required. "'Ato tupe" is used as in "Ua alu o ia ma ave i lona lima le ato tupe" ("He went off with the purse in his hand"). It is also written "ato tupe", without the koma liliu.
Na lavea a'u i le ta'avale.
Na-la-ve-a-a-'u-i-le-ta-'a-va-le
I was hit by a car
Usage
Telling police or medical staff that a car hit you
Grammar Note
The word order "Na + verb + a'u". "Lavea" is "to be struck" (passive) and takes "i + agent", as in "Afai ua lavea se tasi i lona tuaoi".
Ua matapogia le tagata.
Ua-ma-ta-po-gi-a-le-ta-ga-ta
This person is unconscious
Usage
Telling emergency services the condition of a person who has collapsed
Grammar Note
The "Ua + predicate" form of "Ua tupu se fa'alavelave". "Matapogia" means "to faint", as in "Na ou tau matapogia ina ua tautala mai o ia" ("I nearly fainted when he spoke") and "Ua matapogia lau fanau tama" ("your sons have fainted"). "Tagata" is the word used in "'O a'u 'o se tagata Iapani".
Ua mū! Sola!
Ua-mū-So-la
Fire! Run!
Usage
Alerting people to a fire and telling them to get out
Grammar Note
The first clause uses the "Ua + predicate" form. "Mū" is "to burn" and refers to literal burning, as in "ua mū i le afi". The second clause is a bare imperative, the two-word alarm-cry shape of "Gaoi! Pu'e!". "Sola" is "to run away, to escape, to fly away" and is also used in imperatives such as "inā sola ia e te ola ai!". ⚠ Bare "afi" reads as "engine" ("uila afi" = motorcycle).
Ua tupu se fa'alavelave i le auala.
Ua-tu-pu-se-fa-'a-la-ve-la-ve-i-le-au-a-la
There has been a traffic accident
Usage
Report that a road accident has happened, to the emergency line or to bystanders. In Samoa the emergency number is 911 (formerly police 995, fire 994, ambulance 996)
Grammar Note
"Ua tupu se fa'alavelave" ("There has been an accident") with "le auala" from "Na taofi a'u e le leoleo o le auala" ("I was stopped by the traffic police") added under the locative preposition "i". The "Ua + predicate" shape is that of "Ua matapogia le tagata.". The alternative "fa'alavelave tau ta'avale" ("vehicle accident") is not certain.

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