Māori Grammar

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I am going, I was going, I went.

past tense: i te

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 ngenge koe.
You were tired.

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

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

I ora ahau.
I was well.

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

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

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

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

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

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

I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

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

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

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

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

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

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

I whānau mai au i Kirikiriroa.
I was born in Hamilton.

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

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

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

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

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

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

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

I aha koe?
What did you do?

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

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

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

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

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

I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

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

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

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

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

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

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

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

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

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

I pai koe.
You were good.

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

I oma au.
I ran.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

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

I hīkoi au.
I walked.

I tērā tau.
Last year.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

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

I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

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

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

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

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

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

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

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

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

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

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

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

I haere mātou ki Taranaki inanahi.
We went to town yesterday.

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

I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

I taraiwa māua.
We drove.

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

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

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

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

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

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

I a Huria.
Huria did.

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

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

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

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