Māori Grammar


1. ā - ā to indicate the future

2. ā - Conjunctions - and

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

4. A and o categories intro - a, o

5. A chair to sit on is o category, if you make the chair is it a category - a, o

6. ā hea... ai? - Asking 'when' with ai

7. ā to indicate the future - ā

8. a, o - Sentences with two possessives

9. a, o - A chair to sit on is o category, if you make the chair is it a category

10. a, o - A and o categories intro

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

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

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

14. ai - Habitual action

15. Alike in what way? - rite pēwhea nei?

16. And then... - kātahi ka...

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

18. Asking 'when' with ai - ā hea... ai?

19. Asking who - Ko wai...?

20. atu - Away

21. au, ahau - Pronouns - singular

22. Away - atu

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

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

25. Because - he... nō...

26. Belonging to a place -

27. Belonging to the past -

28. Categorizing sentences - he

29. Command with e! - e!

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

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

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

33. Conjunctions - and - ā

34. Conjunctions - but - engari

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

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

37. Down - iho

38. e - The use of 'e'

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

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

41. e! - Command with e!

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

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

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

45. Ehara i... - Negating nāku possessives

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

47. ehara... - Negations of identity sentences

48. engari - Conjunctions - but

49. Established possession - nāku, nōku...

50. For the purpose of - hei

51. Future agent emphatic - māku

52. Future locative - hei

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

54. Habitual action - ai

55. Has just... - kātahi anō...

56. he - Categorizing sentences

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

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

59. He aha? - What?

60. he mea... - The pseudo-passive

61. he rite tonu - This is just like that

62. he... nō... - Because

63. hei - For the purpose of

64. hei - Future locative

65. hei - The reason for an action

66. hei - Hei for future location in time

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

68. hei aha? - What is this for?

69. Hei for future location in time - hei

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

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

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

73. i - Simple sentences: past tense

74. i - Sentences with i

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

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

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

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

79. i te - Past - specifying a particular time

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

81. i te - Simple sentences: past tense

82. I thought mistakenly - Pēnei au...

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

84. Identity sentences - ko...

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

86. If... (using me) - me

87. iho - Down

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

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

90. ka - Simple sentences: future tense

91. ka - Ka used to indicate the past

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

93. Ka used to indicate the past - ka

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

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

96. kāore... - Negation of locatives

97. Kāore... e... - Negating passive sentences

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

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

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

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

102. kara - Telling time

103. kātahi anō... - Has just...

104. kātahi ka... - And then...

105. kātahi te... - What a...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

114. ki - Verbs that take 'ki'

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

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

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

118. kia - Kite takes kia rather than ki

119. kia... - Let there be...

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

121. Kite takes kia rather than ki - kia

122. Ko tēhea? - Which

123. Ko wai...? - Asking who

124. ko... - Identity sentences

125. kua - Simple sentences: past completed tense

126. Let there be... - kia...

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

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

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

130. mā runga - Travelling by means of

131. mā wai? - Who will?

132. mā, māku - Unrealised possession

133. mā... e... ai - The reason why something will happen

134. mai - Towards

135. māku - Future agent emphatic

136. mate, ngaro, mau... - Statives

137. me - Simple sentences: you should

138. me - If... (using me)

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

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

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

142. nā - agent emphatic - Past agent emphatic

143. nā... e... nei - The reason why something is happeneing

144. nā... i... ai - The reason why something happened

145. nāku, nōku... - Established possession

146. Negating nāku possessives - Ehara i...

147. Negating passive sentences - Kāore... e...

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

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

150. Negation of locatives - kāore...

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

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

153. Negations of identity sentences - ehara...

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

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

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

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

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

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

160. -nga - Nominaliztion, noun endings

161. - Belonging to a place

162. - Belonging to the past

163. Nō hea ma? - Where is something from?

164. Nominaliztion, noun endings - -nga

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

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

167. Numbering people - tokorua, tokotahi...

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

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

170. Ordinal numbers (First, second, third...) - tuatahi, tuarua...

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

172. Passive sentences - tikina...

173. Past - specifying a particular time - i te

174. Past agent emphatic - nā - agent emphatic

175. Pēnei au... - I thought mistakenly

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

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

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

179. Pronouns - singular - au, ahau

180. rata - To like

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

182. rite pēwhea nei? - Alike in what way?

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

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

185. Sentences with i - i

186. Sentences with two possessives - a, o

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

188. Simple sentences: future tense - ka

189. Simple sentences: past completed tense - kua

190. Simple sentences: past tense - i te

191. Simple sentences: past tense - i

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

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

194. Simple sentences: you should - me

195. Statives - mate, ngaro, mau...

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

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

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

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

200. taua, aua - That aforementioned thing

201. te, ngā, he - The article

202. Te... nei, te... nā, te... rā - This and that thing over there

203. Telling time - kara

204. tēnā, te... nā - That (near you)

205. tēnei, te nei - This

206. tērā - That (over there)

207. That (near you) - tēnā, te... nā

208. That (over there) - tērā

209. That aforementioned thing - taua, aua

210. The article - te, ngā, he

211. The pseudo-passive - he mea...

212. The reason for an action - hei

213. The reason why something happened - nā... i... ai

214. The reason why something is happeneing - nā... e... nei

215. The reason why something will happen - mā... e... ai

216. The use of 'e' - e

217. This - tēnei, te nei

218. This and that thing over there - Te... nei, te... nā, te... rā

219. This is just like that - he rite tonu

220. tikina... - Passive sentences

221. To like - rata

222. tokorua, tokotahi... - Numbering people

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

224. Towards - mai

225. Travelling by means of - mā runga

226. tuatahi, tuarua... - Ordinal numbers (First, second, third...)

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

228. Unrealised possession - mā, māku

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

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

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

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

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

234. Verbs that take 'ki' - ki

235. waiata, kai - Words that are both verbs and nouns

236. What a... - kātahi te...

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

238. What is this for? - hei aha?

239. What? - He aha?

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

241. Where is something from? - Nō hea ma?

242. Which - Ko tēhea?

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

244. Who will? - mā wai?

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

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

247. Words that are both verbs and nouns - waiata, kai

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