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

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

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

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

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

I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I tū tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.

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

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

I pai koe.
You were good.

I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

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

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

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

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

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

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

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

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

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

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

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

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

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

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

I hīkoi au.
I walked.

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

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 tēnei wiki.
This week.

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

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 horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

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

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

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

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

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

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

I oma au.
I ran.

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

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

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

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

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

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

I ora ahau.
I was well.

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

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

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

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

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

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

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

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

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

I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

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 tipu au i Ahitereiria.
I grew up in Australia.

I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

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

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

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

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

I a Huria.
Huria did.

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

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

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 hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

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

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

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

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

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

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

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

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

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

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

I taraiwa māua.
We drove.

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

I aha koe?
What did you do?

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

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

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

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

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

I tērā tau.
Last year.

I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

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