| Previous | Back | Next |
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 kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.I pēwhea tō moe, tungāne?
How was your sleep, brother?I haere au ki te pāka hei te hikoi.
I went to the park in order to walk.I hīkoi au me te kurī.
I walked the dog.I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.I tākaro mātou i te kōti tuarua.
We played on the second court.I haere rāua ki te whare pikitia inanahi.
Those two went to the movies yesterday.I uru ia ki te kura.
She entered the school.I kai ngā tamariki i te parāoa.
The children ate the bread.I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.I mutu tōmua tātou i tēnei rā.
We finished early today.I tupu hoki ahau i reira.
I also grew up there.I oma te tama ki te kura.
The boy ran to school.I haere rāua i te tahataha awa.
They walked beside the river.I whakaakona māua ki te raranga harakeke e tō māua kaiako.
We (2 exclusive) were taught to weave flax by our teacher.I tae tōmuri mai ia i te pō rā.
He arrived late last night.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 ngā rā o mua, mā te hōiho kē te moua e tō.
In former times, a horse pulled the mower instead.I tatari mātou i te kēti.
We walked by the gate.I tae mai ia mā raro.
He arrived on foot.I pātōtō tonu ia i runga i te tēpu.
She kept knocking on the table.I kōrero a Tīmoti ki te whakaminenga.
Tīmoti addressed the assembled people.I tāraia te waka ki te toki pounamu.
The canoe was carved with a jade adze.I kite au i a rātou e hī ika ana.
I saw them fishing.I pātōtō ia i runga i te tēpu.
She knocked on the table.I whānau mai au i Te Tai Tokerau.
I was born in the Northland region.I haere au ki te kauhoe.
I went for a swim.I waiho ahau i te koti ki tō whare.
I left the coat at your house.I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.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 ia ki te tāone.
She went to town.I oma mai te katipō nō raro mai i te takapau.
The spider ran out from under the mat.I noho ngā wāhine ki te marae.
The women stayed at the marae.I taku whare te hui.
The meeting was at my place.I kite a Tame i te katipō.
Tame saw a katipō.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 haere rātou ki te ngahere inānahi.
They went to the forest yesterday.I tērā pō, ka tae mai ētahi manuhiri.
Last night, some visitors arrived.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 whakatō i ētehi kai māori pērā i te kūmara me te kōkihi.
We planted native food like kūmara and native spinach.I whakatā māua i te whare.
We (me and one other) rested at the house.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 rapu haere ia i ana kī.
He went around looking for his keys.I haere koutou ki te aha?
What did you go for?I aha koe inapō?
What did you do last night?I pakeke ake ia i Te Waipounamu.
He grew up in the South Island.I kite a Niko i a ia anō.
Niko saw himself.I karanga atu ki ngā manuhiri au.
I called to the guests.I tiki au i ngā tamariki.
I got the kids.I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.I āwhina mai ia. He atawhai nōna.
She helped me, She is very kind.I haere au ki te pāka ki te hikoi.
I went to the park to walk.I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.I kite koe i te pirihimana?
Kāore koe i kite i te pirihimana?I haere au ki te whare horoi kākahu.
I went to the laundry.I waiata rāua i te hui?
Kāore rāua i waiata i te hui?I mahi kai mātou i mua i te hui.
We prepared food before the meeting.I tapahi a Marama i a ia.
Marama cut herself, or, Marama cut him.I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.I tae atu rātou ki reira me ā rātou pū.
They arrived there with their guns.I aha koe i tēnei ata?
What did you do this morning?I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.I haere mātou ki Whakatamacr;ne inanahi.
We went to town yesterday.I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.I whānau au i Poihākena, i Ahitereiria.
I was born in Sydney, Australia.I pai taku moe, tuahine.
My sleep was good, sister.I pēwhea hoki tō moe, e Mā?
How was your sleep, Mum?I haere ā tāua tamariki ki tō rātou wharekura.
Our children went to their school.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 kai au tahi me...
I ate with...I hoatu a Mere i te keke ki tana tama.
Mary gave the cake to her son.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 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 waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.I haere koe ki te toa?
Kāore koe i haere ki te toa?I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.I noho au ki te mahi.
I stayed and worked.I pēnei anō te tītere o te moana inanahi nei i tēnei rā.
The sea yesterday was as rough as it is today.I kite au i te kurī i te pāmu.
I saw the dog at the farm.I rangona e koe tērā haruru?
Did you hear/feel that rumble?I hīkoi ia ki te kura.
She walked to school.I tihewa ia i te pō roa nei.
She sneezed all night.I tū tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.I rongo a Rangi i te kurī.
Rangi heard the dog.I pānui a Toa i tērā pukapuka.
Toa read that book.I pīrangi a Tau ki te haere hei mema pāremata.
Tau wanted to become an MP.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 haere a Hori ki te kanikani ki te kimi hoa wahine.
Hori went to the dance to look for a girlfriend.I titiro atu ia ki te rā, ka tihewa.
He look at the sun and sneezed.I haere au ki te whare horoi kākahu.
I went to the laundry.I tipu au i Ahitereiria.
I grew up in Australia.I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.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 rātou ki te kāinga o Rangi.
They stayed at Rangi's home.I haere a Hemi ki te whare pikitia.
Hemi went to the cinema.I noho au i reira i tērā tau.
I stayed there last year.I tauomaoma rātou e rua maero i te one.
They had a race for two miles along the beach.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 hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.I tono ahau kia mutu te tetū.
I ordered that the rowdy behaviour should stop.I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.I pai. I au taku moe.
It was good. I slept well.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 kite au i tērā tamaiti tāne.
I saw that boy.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.