"Turn seawards at the street corner."

[GeraldMath4]

Does anybody have a hint on using "i" and "ma" correctly? I keep getting them backwards. Probably too used to "ma kai" in daily life. Maybe "direction" vs. "location/arena"?

[DABurnside]

Aloha, GeraldMath4, this comes from an old textbook: i and ma both mean in/on/at. Where they differ: i can also mean to and towards; ma isn't used that way. Also, i comes before time phrases when they are used to tell when something happens (either at the beginning or ending of the sentence). Ex.: i ka 'auinalā/in the afternoon...(something happens). Ma does not mean to/toward and does not commonly occur with time phrases. Ma is a little more specific than i. Ex.: Noho au ma Hilo i ka mokupuni ʻo Oʻahu/I live in Hilo on the island of Hawaiʻi. I hope this clarifies.

[GeraldMath4]

Thanks, that's pretty much where I was headed, but I still have to see if that helps when I next get to a case where I might have got them backwards again. By the way, I certainly hope the sentence "Noho au ma Hilo i ka mokupuni ʻo Oʻahu" will not come up in this course!

[DABurnside]

Mahalo. We will probably use "i" the most since it has broader meanings. Sorry about the sentence. In case youʻre interested, Ka noho is chair, E noho is sit, and Noho au means I live/dwell. Mokupuni is just island, so island of Oʻahu. Did you catch my mistake? Hilo is on Hawaii, not Oʻahu. Oops!! :-} (edited now)

[Mauimankne]

I'll take your word for it but you'd have a hard time convincing people in Hawai`i that ma kai / ma uka doesn't mesn 'toward the sea' and 'toward the upland (or shore).'

[DABurnside]

Aloha. I drew my information from the book "Ka Lei Haʻaheo: Beginning Hawaiian" by Alberta Pualani Hopkins, University of Hawaii Press, Honolulu, 1992, p. 40. Since Duolingo doesnʻt yet provide much information on Hawaiian grammar rules, I turn to books. You make a good point: Sometimes, popular English grammar is technically incorrect (for example, people are still taught that you canʻt end a sentence with a preposition based on old Latin grammar rules, but as English is not Latin, we do end sentences with prepositions, especially with interrogatives, and numerous grammar websites will easily verify that). Also, language changes over time. What was considered correct once may no longer be relevant. When I lived in Hawaii, my classmates and I used makai and mauka the way you suggest, but then I was merely copying what I heard without anything more to it than that. I am not trying to convince anybody that what they already know is wrong, but Iʻm trying to impart additional information where a deficit exists. I appreciate anyone with more extensive knowledge of the language to contribute to here on Duolingo. Books are one thing, but they donʻt always cover regional differences and certain nuances as well as native speakers can. So, mahalo.

[rabelon]

Barbara asked this question just yesterday. https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/30493927

[AlanAbonyi]

I made the same mistake. I'm used to hearing makai and mauka. What would be the best way of describing the difference between makai vs. i kai?

[GeraldMath4]

I think DAB has it about right. Usually when we say makai or mauka in English we're talking about where something is located. It no doubt carries over into, say, "Turn makai on Kapahulu," but "i kai" is surely better for direction.