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

I ora ahau.
I was well.

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

I a Huria.
Huria did.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

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

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

I haere ā tāua tamariki ki tō rātou wharekura.
Our children went to their 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 tū tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.

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

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

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

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

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

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

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

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

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

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

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

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

I pai koe.
You were good.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

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

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

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

I whānau mai au i Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa.
I was born in Gisborne.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

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

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

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

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

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

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

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

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

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

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

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 tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

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

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

I taraiwa māua.
We drove.

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

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

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

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

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 tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

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

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

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

I tērā tau.
Last year.

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

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 hīkoi au.
I walked.

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 tipu au i Ahitereiria.
I grew up in Australia.

I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

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

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

I oma au.
I ran.

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

I aha koe?
What did you do?

I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

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.