1️⃣ Try wait
Literal Meaning: "Try to wait" or "just wait a moment"
What It Actually Means: Anywhere from 30 seconds to 10 minutes
Usage: Polite way to ask someone to be patient
You: "Eh, you ready for go?"
Friend: "Try wait, I just gotta grab my slippahs."
(10 minutes later...)
2️⃣ In a minute / One minute
Literal Meaning: "In 60 seconds"
What It Actually Means: 5-15 minutes minimum, possibly much longer
Usage: The classic island time phrase - rarely means one actual minute
Mom: "Dinner time! Come eat!"
Kid: "In a minute!"
(Translation: I'm finishing this level of my video game, so 15-20 minutes)
3️⃣ Hold on / Hol' on
Literal Meaning: "Wait briefly"
What It Actually Means: Could be 10 seconds or 5 minutes depending on context
Usage: Quick pause needed, more urgent than "try wait"
Caller: "Hello?"
You: "Hol' on, hol' on, I driving!"
(Pulling over to talk safely)
4️⃣ Small kine wait / Little bit wait
Literal Meaning: "A small amount of waiting"
What It Actually Means: 5-20 minutes, rarely actually "small"
Usage: Softening the blow of making someone wait
Customer: "How long for da food?"
Server: "Small kine wait, maybe 10 minutes."
(Actual wait time: 25 minutes)
🔮 Future Time - "Later" Could Mean Anything
5️⃣ Bumbye / Bum-bye
Literal Meaning: "By and by" or "later"
What It Actually Means: Could be 5 minutes, could be next week - intentionally vague
Usage: Often used in warnings or promises, deliberately non-committal
Mom: "You no clean your room, bumbye I throw away all your stuffs!"
Kid: "Okay okay, I do 'em now!"
(Bumbye = eventual consequence if behavior continues)
6️⃣ Later / I see you later
Literal Meaning: "At some point in the future"
What It Actually Means: Today, tomorrow, next week, or never - context-dependent
Usage: Can be specific plan or vague goodbye
Friend A: "Okay brah, I going go. Later!"
Friend B: "Shoots, see you later!"
(Could mean later today, or just a friendly goodbye)
7️⃣ Afterwhile / Aftah while
Literal Meaning: "After some time passes"
What It Actually Means: Later today or this evening
Usage: Similar to "later" but implies same-day timeframe
Person A: "We go beach now?"
Person B: "Nah, too hot. We go afterwhile when da sun stay going down."
8️⃣ Sometime / Some time
Literal Meaning: "At an unspecified point"
What It Actually Means: Maybe never, but let's pretend it'll happen
Usage: The polite Hawaiian "no" without actually saying no
Person A: "Eh, we should go hiking!"
Person B: "Yeah yeah, sometime we go."
(Translation: Sounds nice but probably not happening)
⏮️ Past Time - It Already Happened (Or Did It?)
9️⃣ Wen / I wen do that
Literal Meaning: "Went" (past tense marker)
What It Actually Means: Simple past tense for any verb
Usage: Pidgin past tense - add "wen" before any verb
Person A: "You wen eat already?"
Person B: "Yeah, I wen grab one plate lunch earlier."
Literal Meaning: "Finished" or "completed"
What It Actually Means: Emphasizes completion - "it's done!"
Usage: Often combined with "pau" (finished) for emphasis
Person A: "You pau already?"
Person B: "Yeah, pau already. We can go."
1️⃣1️⃣ Before time / Befo' time
Literal Meaning: "Before," "earlier," or "in the past"
What It Actually Means: In the old days, previously, the way things used to be
Usage: Nostalgic reference to the past
Kupuna: "Before time, we never had all dis technology. Was more simple."
Youth: "How was life before time?"
▶️ Present Time - What's Happening Now
1️⃣2️⃣ Stay / I stay doing that
Literal Meaning: "Am," "are," or "is" (to be)
What It Actually Means: Continuous action or current state
Usage: Pidgin present tense - replaces "am/is/are doing"
Person A: "What you stay doing?"
Person B: "I stay watching TV. Why?"
1️⃣3️⃣ Right now / Now-now
Literal Meaning: "At this exact moment"
What It Actually Means: Urgency! Actually means immediately (rare in Hawaii)
Usage: When "now" really means NOW, not "in a minute"
Mom: "Come inside right now! Tsunami warning!"
Kid: "Okay okay!" (Actually moves immediately)
1️⃣4️⃣ Still / Still yet
Literal Meaning: "Continuing," "ongoing"
What It Actually Means: Still happening, hasn't changed
Usage: Emphasizes ongoing state, sometimes with mild surprise
Person A: "Eh, you still yet stay working there?"
Person B: "Yeah, still yet. Cannot find better job."
1️⃣5️⃣ Going / Going fo' do that
Literal Meaning: "Will" or "going to" (future tense)
What It Actually Means: Planning to, intending to (may or may not happen)
Usage: Pidgin future tense - but remember island time applies
Person A: "What you going do today?"
Person B: "I going clean da house... bumbye." (Maybe)
Island time isn't about being lazy or disrespectful. It's a fundamentally different philosophy about the role of time in life. Here's what you need to understand:
If someone is talking story with you, they're not going to rudely cut you off because "it's time to go." The conversation is more important than arbitrary time constraints.
Things happen when they're ready to happen. You can't force the waves to come or the fish to bite. Same philosophy applies to life.
☮️ Peace > Stress
Why stress about being exactly on time if everyone's going to be relaxed anyway? Life's too short to be constantly rushing.
Pro tip: If something is TRULY time-sensitive (flights, medical appointments, court dates), locals will say "mainland time" or "haole time" to signal that standard punctuality rules apply.
| What They Say | What They Mean | Actual Wait Time |
|---|---|---|
| Try wait | Hold on a sec | 30 seconds - 10 minutes |
| In a minute | When I get around to it | 5-15+ minutes |
| Bumbye | Eventually, maybe | Hours to never |
| Later | Sometime today? This week? | Context-dependent |
| Afterwhile | Later today | Few hours |
| Sometime | Polite "probably never" | Indefinite |
| Right now | Actually urgent! | Immediately |
If meeting at 3pm, expect 3:15-3:30. Build in flexibility to your schedule.
Use "waiting time" to enjoy the scenery, talk story, or just breathe. You're in Hawaii!
If punctuality matters, explicitly say "mainland time" or "haole time" so everyone knows.
Showing stress about time makes YOU look bad, not them. Relax, it'll happen.
Constantly asking "how much longer?" marks you as an outsider who doesn't get the culture.
Quality takes time. Authentic local spots operate on island time - it's worth the wait.
Master More Hawaiian Pidgin!
Now that you understand time, learn the rest of the language