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