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A Grammar and Dictionary of the Samoan Language, with English and Samoan vocabulary

7. Prepositions

7. Prepositions

o and a, of. i fafo, without; alu i fafo, go outside.
mo and ma, for, on account of.
ma, with; sau ma ia, come with him. i luga, above.
i lalo, under.
ia (to proper names), to. i tala atu, beyond; o loo i tala atu o le vai atu o le vai, it is beyond the, it is beyond the river.
i, in, at, to.*
e, by.
mai, from. i tala mai, on this side.
i totonu, within. i tua, behind.
i loto, within; o loo i loto fale, he is within the house. i luma, before.

The last six of these take the plural form of the pronoun. In the case of the last two it serves to distinguish them from the noun; alu i oʻu tua, go behind me. Alu i loʻu tua would mean, to get up on my back.

* A taeao, at to-morrow.,”–Codrington. It is also used to denote the instrument by which something is done, and answers to with; as, Na fasia o ia i le laʻau, He was beaten with a stick.