<p>The consensus answer (thanks Oliver Mason) for how to translate <code>Haters gonna hate</code> into Toki Pona is the following:</p>
<pre><code> tenpo ale la jan ike li ike
</code></pre>
<p><code>Tenpo ale la</code> translates as <code>at all times</code> and captures the sense of <em>inevitability</em> in <code>haters gonna hate</code> in English. It also serves to rule out other possible readings such as the tautological <code>bad people are bad</code>. Here <code>ike</code> is used as &quot;commit evil acts&quot;, one of which is presumably hating.</p>
<hr />
<p>I interpret <code>Haters gonna hate</code> as a phrase for dismissing all criticism as inevitable or unfounded regardless of its content.</p>
<p>I don't think <code>hate</code> in this context literally refers to feeling hatred/enmity, but to <a href="https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hate_on" rel="nofollow noreferrer"><code>hating on</code></a>, which is not quite the same thing and covers things like insults and ridicule.</p>
<p>I think we strip out a lot of the detail of <code>haters gonna hate</code> and get something reasonable.</p>
<pre><code>jan    ike    li   ike
person bad    PRED bad
bad    people are  bad
</code></pre>
<p>Since <code>jan ike</code> is so much broader than <code>bad person</code> in English, I think this does a good job of conveying the intent of the expression. People predisposed to ridicule or insult you are going to ridicule or insult you regardless of what you do.</p>
<hr />
<p>The right way to combine the phrases you gave above would be</p>
<pre><code>jan ike li awen pali e pilin ike tawa.
</code></pre>
<p>However, there are a few constructions in there I'm not sure about</p>
<pre><code>li   awen  pali
PRED keep    do
</code></pre>
<p>I don't know whether you can use <code>awen</code> like this as an auxiliary verb of sorts to mark habitual or progressive aspect, as you seem to be doing here.</p>
<pre><code>pilin   ike  tawa
feeling bad  towards
</code></pre>
<p>I don't know whether you can use an objectless preposition attributively like this. My guess is yes since prepositions besides <code>e</code> (if analyzed as a preposition) do not form a distinct word class in Toki Pona. I'm having trouble finding an explicit citation for the non-existence of <a href="https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Toki_Pona/Grammatical_categories" rel="nofollow noreferrer">prepositions as a distinct word class</a>, this is the closest I can find.</p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-28T21:03:10.933Z
This is a lot to digest, but I feel like the restatement of "bad people are bad" is no more accurate than "long cat is long" or "Boys will be Boys". It feels like tautological emphasis instead of the subtext of "let people who are hateful be hateful, and don't let them get to you, because no matter that you do to appease them they will remain unchanged." I'll try to go over what you said later, to understand the technix6 points you are making.
AncientSwordRage
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-29T16:39:58.017Z
maybe add a _tenpo ale la_ to the front: at all times/always bad people are bad.
Oliver Mason
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-01T21:54:46.037Z
@olivermason I like that addition
AncientSwordRage
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-18T00:25:39.127Z
@olivermason I'm close to accepting this answer ingles you want to add your own with that addition?
AncientSwordRage
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-18T01:59:49.723Z
Please wait for Oliver to add his answer, he deserves the credit for the “always” addition.
Greg Nisbet
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-18T07:52:07.263Z
Thank you, both! It's fine, I'm happy for you to accept this answer.  :)
Oliver Mason
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-19T09:29:07.333Z
@GregoryNisbet would you consider editing in the 'always' part ?
AncientSwordRage
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-28T20:27:50.083Z
2020-08-13T16:59:22.283Z
2020-08-13T16:59:22.283Z
Greg Nisbet
<p>I'd say something like </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>jan pi lawa ike li wile e ijo ike tawa sina lon tenpo ale</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Which means: "People of bad heads want bad things for you, always". </p>

<p>You could also use: </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>jan pi toki ike li wile e ijo ike tawa sina lon tenpo ale</p>
</blockquote>

<p>Which means: "People of bad talking want bad things for you, always". </p>

CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-01T21:56:37.570Z
How does that literally translate back?
AncientSwordRage
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-06-02T23:33:18.897Z
"People of bad heads want bad things for you, always".

You could also use:
"jan pi toki ike li wile e ijo ike tawa sina lon tenpo ale" > "People of bad talking want bad things for you, always".
KNTRO
CC BY-SA 4.0
2020-05-28T18:30:04.360Z
2020-06-05T00:47:16.200Z
2020-06-05T00:47:16.200Z
KNTRO
<p>The closest I could find was</p>

<blockquote>
  <p>jan ike | awen pali e ona | pilin ike tawa<br>
  enemy | continue | hate</p>
</blockquote>

<p>But I've not figured out if that the right way to combine those phrases</p>

<toki-pona><phrase-request>
How to say, 'Haters gonna Hate' in Toki Pona
# How to say, 'Haters gonna Hate' in Toki Pona

(Asked by: username_0 on 2020-05-28)

The closest I could find was

> jan ike | awen pali e ona | pilin ike tawa  
> enemy | continue | hate

But I've not figured out if that the right way to combine those phrases

**Tags:** toki-pona, phrase-request


---

## 2 answers

### Answer by username_1 on 2020-05-28. Score: 5 | Accepted answer

The consensus answer (thanks username_2 username_2) for how to translate `Haters gonna hate` into Toki Pona is the following:

```
 tenpo ale la jan ike li ike

```

`Tenpo ale la` translates as `at all times` and captures the sense of *inevitability* in `haters gonna hate` in English. It also serves to rule out other possible readings such as the tautological `bad people are bad`. Here `ike` is used as "commit evil acts", one of which is presumably hating.

---

I interpret `Haters gonna hate` as a phrase for dismissing all criticism as inevitable or unfounded regardless of its content.

I don't think `hate` in this context literally refers to feeling hatred/enmity, but to [`hating on`](https://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/hate_on), which is not quite the same thing and covers things like insults and ridicule.

I think we strip out a lot of the detail of `haters gonna hate` and get something reasonable.

```
jan    ike    li   ike
person bad    PRED bad
bad    people are  bad

```

Since `jan ike` is so much broader than `bad person` in English, I think this does a good job of conveying the intent of the expression. People predisposed to ridicule or insult you are going to ridicule or insult you regardless of what you do.

---

The right way to combine the phrases you gave above would be

```
jan ike li awen pali e pilin ike tawa.

```

However, there are a few constructions in there I'm not sure about

```
li   awen  pali
PRED keep    do

```

I don't know whether you can use `awen` like this as an auxiliary verb of sorts to mark habitual or progressive aspect, as you seem to be doing here.

```
pilin   ike  tawa
feeling bad  towards

```

I don't know whether you can use an objectless preposition attributively like this. My guess is yes since prepositions besides `e` (if analyzed as a preposition) do not form a distinct word class in Toki Pona. I'm having trouble finding an explicit citation for the non-existence of [prepositions as a distinct word class](https://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Toki_Pona/Grammatical_categories), this is the closest I can find.

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: This is a lot to digest, but I feel like the restatement of "bad people are bad" is no more accurate than "long cat is long" or "Boys will be Boys". It feels like tautological emphasis instead of the subtext of "let people who are hateful be hateful, and don't let them get to you, because no matter that you do to appease them they will remain unchanged." I'll try to go over what you said later, to understand the technix6 points you are making.  
> **username_2**: maybe add a _tenpo ale la_ to the front: at all times/always bad people are bad.  
> **username_0**: @username_2 I like that addition  
> **username_0**: @username_2 I'm close to accepting this answer ingles you want to add your own with that addition?  
> **username_1**: Please wait for username_2 to add his answer, he deserves the credit for the “always” addition.  
> **username_2**: Thank you, both! It's fine, I'm happy for you to accept this answer.  :)  
> **username_0**: @GregoryNisbet would you consider editing in the 'always' part ?  

---

### Answer by username_3 on 2020-05-28. Score: 2

I'd say something like

> jan pi lawa ike li wile e ijo ike tawa sina lon tenpo ale

Which means: "People of bad heads want bad things for you, always".

You could also use:

> jan pi toki ike li wile e ijo ike tawa sina lon tenpo ale

Which means: "People of bad talking want bad things for you, always".

> **Comments:**
> **username_0**: How does that literally translate back?  
> **username_3**: "People of bad heads want bad things for you, always".  You could also use: "jan pi toki ike li wile e ijo ike tawa sina lon tenpo ale" > "People of bad talking want bad things for you, always".  

---

