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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I taraiwa māua.
We drove.

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

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

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

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

I oma au.
I ran.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I haere mātou ki Te Tai Tonga inanahi.
We went to town 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 a Huria.
Huria did.

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

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 uru ia ki te kura.
She entered the school.

I aha koe?
What did you do?

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

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 .
He went around looking for his keys.

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

I whānau mai au i Tāmaki-makau-rau.
I was born in Auckland.

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

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

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

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

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

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

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

I ora ahau.
I was well.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 mutu tōmua tātou i tēnei .
We finished early today.

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

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

I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

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

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

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

I tērā tau.
Last year.

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

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

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

I tae mai ia raro.
He arrived on foot.

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

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

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

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

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

I tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

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

I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

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

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

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 tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

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

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

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

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

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

I hīkoi au.
I walked.

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

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 tipu au i Ahitereiria.
I grew up in Australia.

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

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

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

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

I pai koe.
You were good.

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

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

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

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

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

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