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 oma au.
I ran.

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

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

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

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 haere ia ki te tāone.
She went to town.

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

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

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

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

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

I tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.

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

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

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

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

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

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

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

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

I ora ahau.
I was well.

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 Te Tai Tonga inanahi.
We went to town yesterday.

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

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

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

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

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

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

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

I pai koe.
You were good.

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

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 hīkoi au.
I walked.

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

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

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

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

I taraiwa māua.
We drove.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I tērā tau.
Last year.

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

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

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

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

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

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

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

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

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

I whānau mai au i Rakiura.
I was born in Stewart Island.

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 whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

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

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

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

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

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

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

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

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

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

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

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 noho au ki te mahi.
I stayed and worked.

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

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

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

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

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

I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

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

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

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

I aha koe?
What did you do?

I tae mai ia raro.
He arrived on foot.

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

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

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

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

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 tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

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

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

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

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

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

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

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

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

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

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

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

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

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 mutu tōmua tātou i tēnei .
We finished early today.

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

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

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

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

I a Huria.
Huria did.

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