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 toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

I a Huria.
Huria did.

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

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

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

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

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

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

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

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

I hīkoi au.
I walked.

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

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

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

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

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

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

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 hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

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

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

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

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

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

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

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

I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

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

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

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

I tērā tau.
Last year.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

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

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

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

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

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

I aha koe?
What did you do?

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

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

I tū tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.

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

I ora ahau.
I was well.

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

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

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

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

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

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 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 kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

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

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

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

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

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

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 tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

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

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 uru ia ki te kura.
She entered the school.

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

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 taraiwa māua.
We drove.

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

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

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

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

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

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

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

I pai koe.
You were good.

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

I whānau mai au i Whakatamacr;ne.
I was born in Whakatamacr;ne.

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

I oma au.
I ran.

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

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.