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 whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

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

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

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

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

I pai koe.
You were good.

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

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

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

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

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

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 konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

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

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

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

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

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

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

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

I oma au.
I ran.

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

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

I hīkoi au.
I walked.

I a Huria.
Huria did.

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 tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

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

I ora ahau.
I was well.

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

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

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

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

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

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

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

I haere mātou ki Kirikiriroa inanahi.
We went to town yesterday.

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

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

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

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

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

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

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

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

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

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 tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

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

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

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

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

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

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

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

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 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 taraiwa au.
I drove.

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

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

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

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

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

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

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

I taraiwa māua.
We drove.

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

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

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

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

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

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

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

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 aha koe inapō?
What did you do last night?

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

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

I aha koe?
What did you do?

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

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

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

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

I tērā tau.
Last year.

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

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

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

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 hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

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

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

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

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

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

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