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

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

I aha koe?
What did you do?

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

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

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

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

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

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

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

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

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

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

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

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

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

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

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

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

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

I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

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

I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

I pai koe.
You were good.

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

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

I taraiwa māua.
We drove.

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

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

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

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

I tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 tae mai ia raro.
He arrived on foot.

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

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

I ora ahau.
I was well.

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

I tērā tau.
Last year.

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

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

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

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I oma au.
I ran.

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

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

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

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

I a Huria.
Huria did.

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

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

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

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

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

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

I whānau mai au i Kawatiri.
I was born in Westport.

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

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

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

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

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

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

I hīkoi au.
I walked.

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

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

I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

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