Māori Grammar

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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 whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

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

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

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

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

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

I hīkoi au.
I walked.

I ora ahau.
I was well.

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

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

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

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

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

I tērā tau.
Last year.

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

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

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

I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

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

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

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

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

I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

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 tēnei wiki.
This week.

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

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

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

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

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

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

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

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

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 tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

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

I pai koe.
You were good.

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 tipu au i Ahitereiria.
I grew up in Australia.

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

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

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

I tū tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.

I whānau mai au i Taranaki.
I was born in Taranaki.

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

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 tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

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

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

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

I oma au.
I ran.

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

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

I taraiwa māua.
We drove.

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

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

I a Huria.
Huria did.

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

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

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

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

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

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

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

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

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

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

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

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

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

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

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

I aha koe?
What did you do?

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

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

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

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

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

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

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

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

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