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