Previous | Back | Next |
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 haere a Hori ki te kanikani ki te kimi hoa wahine.
Hori went to the dance to look for a girlfriend.I noho au ki te mahi.
I stayed and worked.I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.I kite au i a rātou e hī ika ana.
I saw them fishing.I kauhoe atu ia ki te motu.
He swam to the island.I tapahi a Marama i a ia.
Marama cut herself, or, Marama cut him.I tatari mātou i te kēti.
We walked by the gate.I haere rāua ki te whare pikitia inanahi.
Those two went to the movies yesterday.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 haere au ki te pāka hei te hikoi.
I went to the park in order to walk.I kai au tahi me...
I ate with...I kai ngā tamariki i te parāoa.
The children ate the bread.I uru ia ki te kura.
She entered the school.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 kite au i tērā tamaiti tāne.
I saw that boy.I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.I whakaakona māua ki te raranga harakeke e tō māua kaiako.
We (2 exclusive) were taught to weave flax by our teacher.I haere au ki te whare horoi kākahu.
I went to the laundry.I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.I pēwhea hoki tō moe, e Mā?
How was your sleep, Mum?I pīrangi a Tau ki te haere hei mema pāremata.
Tau wanted to become an MP.I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.I hoatu a Mere i te keke ki tana tama.
Mary gave the cake to her son.I haere au ki te kauhoe.
I went for a swim.I aha koe inapō?
What did you do last night?I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.I hīkoi ia ki te kura.
She walked to school.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 koutou ki te aha?
What did you go for?I rongo a Hera i te kurī.
Hera heard the dog.I tiki au i ngā tamariki.
I got the kids.I tae mai ia mā raro.
He arrived on foot.I noho rātou ki te kāinga o Pāora.
They stayed at Pāora's home.I haere au ki te whare horoi kākahu.
I went to the laundry.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 horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.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 waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.I tākaro mātou i te kōti tuarua.
We played on the second court.I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.I pou māua i ētahi rākau māori: he tōtara, he tarata, he kōwhai hoki.
We planted some native trees: tōtara, tarata and kōwhai.I haere mātou ki Ōtautahi inanahi.
We went to town yesterday.I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.I haere a Hemi ki te whare pikitia.
Hemi went to the cinema.I pānui a Toa i tērā pukapuka.
Toa read that book.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 tērā pō, ka tae mai ētahi manuhiri.
Last night, some visitors arrived.I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.I pēwhea tō moe, tungāne?
How was your sleep, brother?I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.I tauomaoma rātou e rua maero i te one.
They had a race for two miles along the beach.I whānau au i Poihākena, i Ahitereiria.
I was born in Sydney, Australia.I haere au ki te pāka ki te hikoi.
I went to the park to walk.I hoko a Rangi i te waka.
Rangi bought the car.I noho ngā wāhine ki te marae.
The women stayed at the marae.I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.I tae tōmuri mai ia i te pō rā.
He arrived late last night.I haere rātou ki te ngahere inānahi.
They went to the forest yesterday.I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.I noho au i reira i tērā tau.
I stayed there last year.I haere rāua i te tahataha awa.
They walked beside the river.I tihewa ia i te pō roa nei.
She sneezed all night.I pēnei anō te tītere o te moana inanahi nei i tēnei rā.
The sea yesterday was as rough as it is today.I oma mai te katipō nō raro mai i te takapau.
The spider ran out from under the mat.I pekepeke te tamaiti i te taiapa.
The child jumped backwards and forwards over the fence.I rapu haere ia i ana kī.
He went around looking for his keys.I whakatā māua i te whare.
We (me and one other) rested at the house.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 tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.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 taku taenga atu ki te kāinga, kua maoa kē i a ia ngā kai.
When I got home, he had already cooked dinner.I tae atu rātou ki reira me ā rātou pū.
They arrived there with their guns.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 mahi kai mātou i mua i te hui.
We prepared food before the meeting.I karanga atu ki ngā manuhiri au.
I called to the guests.I pai. I au taku moe.
It was good. I slept well.I oma te tama ki te kura.
The boy ran to school.I āwhina mai ia. He atawhai nōna.
She helped me, She is very kind.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 aha koe i tēnei ata?
What did you do this morning?I ngā rā o mua, mā te hōiho kē te moua e tō.
In former times, a horse pulled the mower instead.I kai koe i te aha i nāpo?
What did you eat last night?I aha koe i te mutunga wiki?
What did you do in the weekend?I whakatō i ētehi kai māori pērā i te kūmara me te kōkihi.
We planted native food like kūmara and native spinach.I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.I kite a Rangi i a ia anō.
Rangi saw himself.I kōrero a Tīmoti ki te whakaminenga.
Tīmoti addressed the assembled people.I kite koe i te pirihimana?
Kāore koe i kite i te pirihimana?I haere ia ki te tāone.
She went to town.I tono ahau kia mutu te tetū.
I ordered that the rowdy behaviour should stop.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 tipu au i Ahitereiria.
I grew up in Australia.I mutu tōmua tātou i tēnei rā.
We finished early today.I pahure atu au i te whare.
I walked past the house.I pai taku moe, tuahine.
My sleep was good, sister.I pātōtō ia i runga i te tēpu.
She knocked on the table.I kite au i te kurī i te pāmu.
I saw the dog at the farm.I haere ā tāua tamariki ki tō rātou wharekura.
Our children went to their school.I waiho ahau i te koti ki tō whare.
I left the coat at your house.I tupu hoki ahau i reira.
I also grew up there.I taku whare te hui.
The meeting was at my place.I waiata rāua i te hui?
Kāore rāua i waiata i te hui?I haere koe ki te toa?
Kāore koe i haere ki te toa?I pakeke ake ia i Te Waipounamu.
He grew up in the South Island.I tū tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.I kite a Ari i te katipō.
Ari saw a katipō.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.