Māori Grammar

PreviousBack Next
Te Reo Māori Level 1
Simple sentences: past tense - i

The tense marker i te is used to say that something was happening in the past:

I te oma au.
I was running.

This indicates continuous action - I must have been running for a duration of time.

Another tense marker indicates that something happened at a particular point in time, perhaps only once. This uses i as the tense marker:

I oma au.
I ran.

The difference between "I ran" and "I was running", or "she sang" and "she was singing" can be quite subtle, but one refers to continuous action and the other refers to a particular moment in time when an event happened.

Kei te kōrero ia.
She is talking.

I te kōrero ia.
She was talking.

I kōrero ia.
She spoke.

Kei te waiata ngā tamariki.
The children are singing.

I te waiata ngā tamariki.
She were singing.

I waiata ngā tamariki.
The children sang.

I tae mai ia raro.
He arrived on foot.

I oma mai te katipō raro mai i te takapau.
The spider ran out from under the mat.

I tono ahau kia mutu te tetū.
I ordered that the rowdy behaviour should stop.

I haere koe ki te toa?
Kāore koe i haere ki te toa?

I kite a Koa i a ia anō.
Koa saw himself.

I pēwhea moe, tungāne?
How was your sleep, brother?

I mahi poka noa au ki te keri i te whenua, ka kohete mai ia, 'E tama e! Me taki karakia i te tuatahi'.
I heedlessly started digging and she growled at me, 'Boy! You should do karakia first!'

I whakatō i ētehi kai māori pērā i te kūmara me te kōkihi.
We planted native food like kūmara and native spinach.

I haere au ki to awa ki to hīkoi, i toro auto ki tōku hoa, ā, i kai tahi hoki me tōku whānau.
I went to the river to go walking, I visited my friend and I are together with my family.

I noho rātou ki te kāinga o Honi.
They stayed at Honi's home.

I mahi au i te māra, ā, āe, i pānui pukapuka, ā, i tunu hoki au i te kai te whānau.
I worked in the garden, yeah, I read books and I cooked for the family.

I rapu haere ia i ana .
He went around looking for his keys.

I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

I haere au ki te whare horoi kākahu.
I went to the laundry.

I haere rāua ki te whare pikitia inanahi.
Those two went to the movies yesterday.

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

I tauomaoma rātou e rua maero i te one.
They had a race for two miles along the beach.

I noho au ki te mahi.
I stayed and worked.

I whānau au i Poihākena, i Ahitereiria.
I was born in Sydney, Australia.

I rangona e koe tērā haruru?
Did you hear/feel that rumble?

I pakeke ake ia i Te Waipounamu.
He grew up in the South Island.

I hīkoi au.
I walked.

I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

I kite au i tērā tamaiti tāne.
I saw that boy.

I tae tōmuri mai ia i te .
He arrived late last night.

I oma te tama ki te kura.
The boy ran to school.

I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

I tērā tau i hūnuku tōku whānau ki ngā roto o Kai Iwi.
Last year, my family moved to the lakes of Kai Iwi.

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

I tērā tau.
Last year.

I pai koe.
You were good.

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

I tae atu rātou ki reira me ā rātou .
They arrived there with their guns.

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

I pēwhea hoki moe, e ?
How was your sleep, Mum?

I haere rāua i te tahataha awa.
They walked beside the river.

I haere rātou ki te ngahere inānahi.
They went to the forest yesterday.

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

I ngā o mua, te hōiho te moua e .
In former times, a horse pulled the mower instead.

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

I pātōtō tonu ia i runga i te tēpu.
She kept knocking on the table.

I aha koe inapō?
What did you do last night?

I ngā hōtoke kei ngā raorao, kei ngā mānia, ā, i ngā raumati kei ngā maunga.
In the winter they were on the foothills and on the plains, and in the summer they were in the mountains.

I haere mātou ki Te Waipounamu inanahi.
We went to town yesterday.

I aha koe?
What did you do?

I pīrangi a Tau ki te haere hei mema pāremata.
Tau wanted to become an MP.

I tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.

I mahi kai mātou i mua i te hui.
We prepared food before the meeting.

I tiki au i ngā tamariki.
I got the kids.

I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

I hoatu a Mere i te keke ki tana tama.
Mary gave the cake to her son.

I rongo a Kauri i te kurī.
Kauri heard the dog.

I pou māua i ētahi rākau māori: he tōtara, he tarata, he kōwhai hoki.
We planted some native trees: tōtara, tarata and kōwhai.

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

I mutu tōmua tātou i tēnei .
We finished early today.

I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

I taraiwa māua ko taku hoa ki te whare wānanga i te waru karaka.
Me and my friend drove to uni at 8 o'clock.

I hīkoi ia ki te kura.
She walked to school.

I tipu au i Ahitereiria.
I grew up in Australia.

I hīkoi au me te kurī.
I walked the dog.

I oma au.
I ran.

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

I kai au tahi me...
I ate with...

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

I pekepeke te tamaiti i te taiapa.
The child jumped backwards and forwards over the fence.

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

I taku whare te hui.
The meeting was at my place.

I tapahi a Marama i a ia.
Marama cut herself, or, Marama cut him.

I kite au i te kurī i te pāmu.
I saw the dog at the farm.

I tākaro mātou i te kōti tuarua.
We played on the second court.

I pahure atu au i te whare.
I walked past the house.

I karanga atu ki ngā manuhiri au.
I called to the guests.

I haere ia ki te tāone.
She went to town.

I tērā , ka tae mai ētahi manuhiri.
Last night, some visitors arrived.

I kauhoe atu ia ki te motu.
He swam to the island.

I āwhina mai ia. He atawhai nōna.
She helped me, She is very kind.

I pānui a Toa i tērā pukapuka.
Toa read that book.

I titiro atu ia ki te , ka tihewa.
He look at the sun and sneezed.

I taku taenga atu ki te kāinga, kua maoa i a ia ngā kai.
When I got home, he had already cooked dinner.

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

I pai. I au taku moe.
It was good. I slept well.

I pai taku moe, tuahine.
My sleep was good, sister.

I kite koe i te pirihimana?
Kāore koe i kite i te pirihimana?

I tihewa ia i te roa nei.
She sneezed all night.

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

I pakipaki te katoa me rātou kore e tino mārama ki tāua i ai.
Everyone applauded though they did not entirely understand what he had said.

I hoko a Rangi i te waka.
Rangi bought the car.

I haere koutou ki te aha?
What did you go for?

I haere au ki te awa ki to hīkoi i te mutunga wiki.
I went to the river to go walking in the weekend.

I haere au ki te pāka hei te hikoi.
I went to the park in order to walk.

I taraiwa māua.
We drove.

I a Huria.
Huria did.

I uru ia ki te kura.
She entered the school.

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

I pātōtō ia i runga i te tēpu.
She knocked on the table.

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

I Kohitātea ka whakatā tonu mātou.
We always take our holidays in January.

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

I haere te kura ki te tāone ki te whakataetae te kapa haka.
The school went to town to compete for the kapa haka.

I tāraia te waka ki te toki pounamu.
The canoe was carved with a jade adze.

I noho au i reira i tērā tau.
I stayed there last year.

I kite au i a rātou e ika ana.
I saw them fishing.

I pēnei anō te tītere o te moana inanahi nei i tēnei .
The sea yesterday was as rough as it is today.

I aha koe i tēnei ata?
What did you do this morning?

I whakatā māua i te whare.
We (me and one other) rested at the house.

I noho ngā wāhine ki te marae.
The women stayed at the marae.

I whānau mai au i Poneke.
I was born in Wellington.

I ora ahau.
I was well.

I haere au ki te kauhoe.
I went for a swim.

I haere a Hori ki te kanikani ki te kimi hoa wahine.
Hori went to the dance to look for a girlfriend.

I haere au ki te whare horoi kākahu.
I went to the laundry.

I kōrero a Tīmoti ki te whakaminenga.
Tīmoti addressed the assembled people.

I whakaakona māua ki te raranga harakeke e māua kaiako.
We (2 exclusive) were taught to weave flax by our teacher.

I aha koe i te mutunga wiki?
What did you do in the weekend?

I tupu hoki ahau i reira.
I also grew up there.

I tatari mātou i te kēti.
We walked by the gate.

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

I waiata rāua i te hui?
Kāore rāua i waiata i te hui?

I haere au ki te pāka ki te hikoi.
I went to the park to walk.

I haere a Hemi ki te whare pikitia.
Hemi went to the cinema.

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

I kite a Aroha i te katipō.
Aroha saw a katipō.

I haere ā tāua tamariki ki rātou wharekura.
Our children went to their school.

I kai ngā tamariki i te parāoa.
The children ate the bread.

I waiho ahau i te koti ki whare.
I left the coat at your house.

I kai koe i te aha i nāpo?
What did you eat last night?