Māori Grammar

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I am going, I was going, I went.

past tense: i te

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I ora ahau.
I was well.

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

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

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

I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

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

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

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

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I pai koe.
You were good.

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

I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

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

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

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

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

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

I taraiwa māua.
We drove.

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

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

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

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

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

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

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

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

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

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

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

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

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

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

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

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

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

I aha koe?
What did you do?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

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

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

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

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

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 mātou ki Waikanae inanahi.
We went to town yesterday.

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

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 tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

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

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

I whānau mai au i Poneke.
I was born in Wellington.

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

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

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

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 ko taku hoa ki te whare wānanga i te waru karaka.
Me and my friend drove to uni at 8 o'clock.

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 kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

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

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

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

I hīkoi au.
I walked.

I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

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

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

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

I a Huria.
Huria did.

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

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

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

I oma au.
I ran.

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

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

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

I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

I tērā tau.
Last year.

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

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

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

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