Māori Grammar

▶

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 toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

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

I hīkoi au.
I walked.

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

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

I tū tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I aha koe?
What did you do?

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

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

I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

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

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 konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

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

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

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

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

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

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

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

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

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 whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

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

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

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

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

I taraiwa māua.
We drove.

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

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

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

I whānau mai au i Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
I was born in Wellington.

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

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

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

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

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

I oma au.
I ran.

I tērā tau.
Last year.

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

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

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

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 haere ia ki te tāone.
She went to town.

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

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

I tae mai ia mā raro.
He arrived on foot.

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

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

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

I pai koe.
You were good.

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

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

I a Huria.
Huria did.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

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

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

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

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

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

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

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

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

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

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

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

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

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

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

I ora ahau.
I was well.

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

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

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

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

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

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

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

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

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

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

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

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

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