Māori Grammar

▶

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 aha koe?
What did you do?

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

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

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

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

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

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

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 hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

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

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

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

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

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

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

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

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

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

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

I tērā tau.
Last year.

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

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

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

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

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

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 a Huria.
Huria did.

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

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

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

I oma au.
I ran.

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

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

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

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

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

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

I hīkoi au.
I walked.

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

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

I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

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

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

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 taraiwa māua.
We drove.

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

I tae mai ia mā raro.
He arrived on foot.

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

I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

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

I ora ahau.
I was well.

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

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

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

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

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

I pai koe.
You were good.

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

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

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

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

I tū tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.

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

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

I haere mātou ki Te Tai Tonga inanahi.
We went to town yesterday.

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

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

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

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

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

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

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

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

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very 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 okioki au.
I relaxed.

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

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

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

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

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

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I whānau mai au i Ahuriri.
I was born in Napier.

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 mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

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

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

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

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

I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

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

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.