The adjective follows the noun, and agrees with it in number; as ‘o le fale lelei, a good house; ‘o talo tetele, large taro. When two adjectives qualify one noun, the second takes the article, and thus, in fact, becomes a noun; as ‘o le tagata malosi ma le ‘aulelei, a strong man, and good-looking. The same is the case even with a plural noun, the second being in the singular form; ‘o va‘a fou ma le lelei, new canoes, and (the) good.

One adjective cannot qualify two nouns, but must be repeated with each; ‘o aposetolo pa‘ia, ma perofeta pa‘ia, holy apostles, and holy prophets.

The pronominal adjective lenei may either precede or follow the noun; as ‘o lenei le fale, or ‘o le fale lenei, this is the house.

Comparison

There is no real superlative. The idea is expressed in various ways; E silisili ‘ese lava Ieova, Jehovah is exceedingly excellent; ‘O le fa‘ato‘a fale tele lenei, This is the first big house; ‘Ua tasi lava le va‘a, The canoe is unique; ‘Ua leaga na‘na le ‘upu, The saying is too bad; ‘O le uso aupito iliiti, The brother, the last of the little ones.

Sometimes it is expressed by repeating the adjective, and adding the intensive particle lava; E leaga, leaga lava, It is bad, very bad.

Numerals

There are different ways of counting; thus, besides those already given, e tolugafulu i le fa, thirty-four, lit., thirty in the four; e limaga-fulu ma ona tupu e fitu, e ono sefulu a‘i, fifty and seven over towards the sixty. ‘O le aso lima, the fifth day; but ‘O le tausaga e fitu, the seventh year. With months ga is added; ‘O lona onoga masina lenei, this is her sixth month. Numerals may either precede the noun, as e tolu aso; or follow, as ‘o aso e tolu, three days. Odd numbers are expressed as above by the phrase ma ona tupu, and that which is over; ‘o matau e sefulu ma ona tupu e lima, ten fish-hooks, and five over. Round numbers are expressed by ‘a‘ato, from ‘atoa, complete; e luafulu ‘a‘ato, twenty complete. In things counted by couples, an odd oue is expressed by fai soa; ‘o popo e limaga oa ma le fai soa, five couples of nuts, and an odd one.

Peculiar among the distributives is the sentence ‘Ua ta‘itasi ‘uma ma alu, Each and all went.

A kind of distributive is expressed by a; as, Sau a aiga, Come by families.