Māori Grammar


Level 1
Present Tense (kei te)

1. Simple sentences - present tense with an adjective - kei te

2. Simple sentences: present tense with a verb - kei te

3. Locatives (at the moment, something is somewhere) - kei te

Level 1
Past tense

4. Simple sentences: past tense - i te

5. Past - specifying a particular time - i te

Level 1
Use of ka

6. Simple sentences: future tense - ka

7. Ka used to indicate the past - ka

Level 1
E... ana

8. Simple sentences: present tense - e... ana

9. Simple sentences: past tense - i

Level 1
Commands

10. Command with e! - e!

11. Commands without e or the passive - Homai! Whakarongo!

12. Negative active commands - Don't! - Kaua e..., kāti...

Level 1
The definite and indefinite articles (te, ngā, he)

13. The article - te, ngā, he

14. Some - tētahi, ētahi

15. The use of 'e' - e

16. Use of 'a' as a personal article - a

Level 1
Use of 'i' and 'ki'

17. Using 'ki' to indicate direction towards something - ki

18. Using 'i' to indicate direction away from something - i - i

19. Using 'i' to mark the object of the sentence - i

20. Using 'i' to mean 'in', 'by' or 'at' - i

21. Sentences with i - i

22. Sentences with ki - ki

23. Verbs that take 'i' (kite, etc) - i

24. Verbs that take 'ki' - ki

25. Verbs that take 'i' or 'ki' - i, ki

Level 1
Sentences using 'he' and 'ko'

26. Identity sentences - ko...

27. Categorizing sentences - he

Level 1
Asking questions

28. What? - He aha?

29. Asking 'are you a...?' - He... ?

30. What is this for? - hei aha?

31. Asking who - Ko wai...?

32. How is...? - E pēwhea ana, he pēwhea?

33. What is happening at the moment? - kei te aha?

34. Which - Ko tēhea?

Level 1
This and that

35. This - tēnei, te nei

36. That (near you) - tēnā, te... nā

37. That (over there) - tērā

38. These - ēnei

39. Those (near you) - ēnā

40. Those (over there) - ērā

Level 1
Pronouns

41. Pronouns - singular - au, ahau

42. Pronouns - singular - koe

43. Pronouns - singular - ia

44. Pronouns - plural, inclusive of listener - tātou

45. Pronouns - plural - koutou

46. Pronouns - plural - rātou

Level 1
Family relationships (tēina, tuakana...)

47. Family relationships - father - papa

48. Family relationships - mother - mama, whaea

49. Family relationships - parents - matua, mātua

50. Family relationships - brother to a girl - tungāne

51. Family relationships - sister to a boy - tamahine

52. Family relationships - older sibling of the same sex - tuakana

53. Family relationships - younger sibling of the same sex - teina

Level 1
Counting and numbers

54. Counting 1-10 -

55. Numbering people - tokorua, tokotahi...

56. Numbering things - e rua, e toru...

57. This week, this month, this year - i tēnei wiki, i tēnei marama...

58. Last week, last month, last year - tērā

Level 1
Possessives

59. Possessives - 'a' class - ā, tāku...

60. Possessives - 'o' class - ō, tōku...

61. Possessives - neuter - taku, tō...

62. Words that can be 'a' or 'o' categories - o, a

63. Sentences with two possessives - a, o

64. Belonging to a place -

Level 2
Simple sentences

65. Simple sentences: past completed tense - kua

66. Simple sentences: you should - me

Level 2
Locatives

67. Locatives - past (something was somewhere) - i te

68. Future locatives - kei te

69. In, on, by, under... - kei runga...

70. Above, underneath, outside of - runga ake, raro iho, waho atu, roto atu

Level 2
Negations

71. Negations of identity sentences - ehara...

72. Negations of the past tense - Kāore... i...

73. Negations of the present tense (I am not working) - Kāore... i te...

74. Negations of the past tense - Kāore... i te...

75. Negations of e... ana... sentences - kāore... e... ana...

76. Negations of the future (I will not go) - Kāore... e...

Level 2
Questions

77. What are you doing? - He aha tāu mahi?

78. When? (in the future) - Āwhea? Āhea?

79. Is it OK if... ? - Ka pai taku...?

80. Do you have any...? - He... ?

Level 2
Possession

81. I have no... - Kāore aku...

82. Mild imperatives (You should be...) - kia

83. Let there be... - kia...

84. Established possession - nāku, nōku...

85. Unrealised possession - mā, māku

Level 2
Commands

86. Belonging to the past -

87. Commands using the passive - Tāpirihia, Tīkina...

88. Negative passive commands (Don't be...) - Kaua... e...

Level 2
Direction and location (mai, atu, ake, iho)

89. Towards - mai

90. Away - atu

91. Up - ake

92. Down - iho

93. Direction markers with adverbs - tonu mai, kā atu, rawa mai...

Level 2
Pronouns

94. Pronouns - dual, inclusive of listener - tāua

95. Pronouns - dual, exclusive of listener - māua

96. Pronouns - dual - kōrua

97. Pronouns - dual - rāua

98. Pronouns - plural, exclusive of listener - mātou

Level 2
Family relationships (mātāmua, pōtiki)

99. Talking about more than one person - ...rāua ko..., rātou ko...

100. Family relationships - oldest - mātāmua

101. Family relationships - youngest - pōtiki

Level 2
Statives and Passives

102. Statives - mate, ngaro, mau...

103. Passive sentences - tikina...

Level 2
Transitives and Intransitives

104. Transitive verbs -

105. Intransitive verbs -

Level 2
Conjuctions (therefore, but, and then...)

106. Conjunctions - and - ā

107. Conjunctions - but - engari

108. Conjunctions - if - mēnā

Level 2
Time and numbers

109. Counting over ten -

110. Ordindinal numbers (First, second, third...) - tuatahi, tuarua...

111. Telling time - kara

Level 2
Other sentence structures

112. Travelling by means of - mā runga

113. Perhaps - Tērā pea

114. I like... - He pai ki a au...

115. "Ki" before the second verb (to do something) - ki

116. The use of 'a' - a

117. Asking who - i... wai? ka... wai?

118. I don't like... - Ehara... i te pai...

Level 3
About someone - mō

119. About someone - mōku, mōu, mōna...

120. Different from... - rerekē

Level 3
I am able to, I am allowed to

121. I am able... - Ka taea e...

122. To be unable - Kāore... taea...

123. Allowed to do something - āhei

Level 3
Conditional statements (if...)

124. If (using mehemea) - mehemea, mehe, mēnā

125. If using ki - ki

126. If... (using me) - me

127. If not... - ki te kore...

Level 3
Uses of 'ai'

128. Habitual action - ai

129. Direction - ...ai

130. In order to... - kia... ai...

131. In order not to... - kia... kore ai

132. Specifically - ai

133. The reason for an action - ...ai.

134. Asking "when" with ai - ā hea... ai?

135. Why did? - He aha... i... ai?

136. Why will? - He aha... e... ai?

137. Why didn't? - he aha i kore ai e?

138. For what reason? - nā te aha ai?

139. Why not? - nā te aha i kore ai?

140. Using "ai" instead of ka - ai

Level 3
Uses of 'kē'

141. Actually -

Level 3
Uses of 'kia'

142. A certain amount - kia

143. Kia for second verb after a passive - kia

Level 3
Uses of 'kei'

144. Be careful... lest! - kia... kei...

145. In case... - kei

146. Don't even think about... - kei noho... ka...

Level 3
Negations

147. Negations of kua (I haven't yet...) - Kāore ano... kia...

148. Negations of 'me' - We shouldn't... - Kaua... (passive) e...

149. Negating locatives - kāore... i runga...

150. Negating statives - kāore i... i ahau...

151. Negation of locatives - kāore...

152. Negating māku possessives - ehara... mā...; ehara... mā

153. Negating t possessives - kāore i a...

154. Do you not have any? - Kāore āu...

155. Negating nāku possessives - Ehara i...

156. Negating passive sentences - Kāore... e...

157. Negate anything - ehara i te mea...

Level 3
That thing I talked about - taua, aua

158. That aforementioned thing - taua, aua

Level 3
Uses of 'hei'

159. Never mind the... No worries! - Hei aha te..., Kia ahatia@

160. For the purpose of - hei

161. Future locative - hei

162. Negating future locatives - Kāore... hei...

163. Future categorising sentences - hei

164. Negating future categorising sentences - hei

Level 3
Uses of 'hoki'

165. How... - Te... hoki...

166. How... - tō... hoki

Level 3
Statives

167. Statives with 'i' - i a, i te, i ngā

Level 3
Conjunctions

168. Conjugations - therefore - nā reira, nō reira

169. Conjunctions - however - otirā

170. Conjunctions - although - ahakoa

171. Conjuctions - because - nā te mea

172. Conjunctions - on the other hand, however - heoi anō

Level 3
Uses of 'kātahi' and 'ka'

173. And then... - kātahi ka...

174. And then... - ...ka/kātahi... ai...

175. What a... - kātahi te...

176. Has just... - kātahi anō...

177. While - i... ka...

178. When... - ka... ka; kia... ka

Level 3
Time and numbers

179. Negating counting people - Kāore e toko...

180. Negating counting things - Kāore e...

181. Who didn't? - Ko wai kāore...

182. Not allowed - kāore... e āhei

183. The day before yesterday, etc - inatahīrā, inaoake...

Level 3
Questions

184. Who is going to... - Ki a wai te...?

185. How many are there? - E hia? Tokohia?

186. How many are needed? - Kia hia

187. Asking 'when was?' When did something happen? - Nōnahea, inahea

188. Answering when (in the past) -

189. Answering when (in the future) -

Level 3
The agent emphatic

190. Past agent emphatic - nā - agent emphatic

191. Who will? - mā wai?

192. Future agent emphatic - māku

193. Negating the future agent emphatic - ehara mā..

194. Negating the past agent emphatic - ehara i...

Level 3
Uses of 'e... ana...'

195. Sentences with a subclause - e... ana

196. While... - i... e... ana, ka...

Level 3
Various sentences structures

197. Comparatives (better than...) - pai ake...

198. Like this, like that - pēnei, pēna, pēra

199. Over there - āra

200. There's no one better than... - Kāore i...

201. That's the reason... - Koirā te take...

202. I thought mistakenly - Pēnei au...

203. This is just like that - he rite tonu

204. Don't... just yet! - Taihoa... e

205. To like - rata

206. According to... - E ai ki.../E ai ki tā... /Ki tā

207. A strong or emphatic negative. - Nō hea, nō whea

208. Be waited for - tāria

209. Serves you right! - kaitoa

210. Each - ia

211. Intensifier - ia

212. Because - he... nō

213. Why didn't... - He aha... i kore... aib e

214. What happened to...? - ahatia?

215. So something can happen... - ...e taea ai hoki tērā...

216. You forgot to... - Ka mahue tō...

217. I was forced to... - ...mate... ki...

218. Because - he... nō...

219. By means of - ki

220. This could have happened to you - Me... ai...

221. There were lots of... - te maha a te...

222. All we have to do... - heoi anō tā tātou... he...

223. Not -

224. Or... - ...rānei

225. Why... now? - He aha... e... nei?

226. When, whenever - ka... ana, ka...

227. Lucky, fortunate - nōku te whiwhi

228. Why won't... - He aha... e kore ai e...

229. Why aren't... - he aha... e kore nei e...

230. Another, a different - tētahi atu

231. Kei... - Don't...

232. Via -

233. Achieved the state of... - kua...

234. Not with someone, not at a place - kaua i...

235. Not to, not with, not against - ...kaua ki...

236. Not that - kaua ko.. tēnei, tēnā, tērā

237. Absolutely don't - kaua rawa!

238. No sweat to you... - Mō te... he painga i a koe...

239. Not here - kāore i konei

240. If... then.. - ko... ko...

241. Negating he with characteristic - Kāore

242. Nominaliztion, noun endings - -nga

243. Could you please make me... - Tēnā mahia mai he... māku.

244. It was as if - ānō nei

245. You go on ahead - hoatu koe

246. It won't be long before... - kāore e roa...; kāori i roa...

247. Through (one thing/action), (a second thing) will be achieved. - Mā te... ka...; mā... e... ai

248. Almost/just about - kua/i tata...

249. While at the same time/and in addition - me te... anō

250. Gerund phrases (fence building, bread baking, dishes washing...) - tunu parāoa...

251. It is becoming... - E... haere ana

252. Certainly, almost certainly, no doubt - Kāore e kore

253. So that something can happen for someone else - kia

254. ...and also, moreover - ...ka mutu

255. there wasn't any... absolutely no... - Kāore kau...

256. When I was young - I a e tamariki ana

257. All of a sudden - Mea ake

258. It carried on like this... - Pēnei tonu...

259. You’d better watch it! - Ākuanei!

260. When - Kia

261. The pseudo-passive - he mea...

262. Agreeing, disagreeing with a negative question - āe, kao