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 mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

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

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

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

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

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

I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

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

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

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

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

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

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

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

I pakipaki te katoa me rātou kore e tino mārama ki tāua i ai.
Everyone applauded though they did not entirely understand what he had said.

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

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

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

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

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

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

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

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

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

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

I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

I hīkoi au.
I walked.

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

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 uru ia ki te kura.
She entered the school.

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

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

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 a Huria.
Huria did.

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

I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

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

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

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 okioki au.
I relaxed.

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I aha koe?
What did you do?

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

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

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

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

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

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

I taku taenga atu ki te kāinga, kua maoa i a ia ngā kai.
When I got home, he had already cooked dinner.

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

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

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

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

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

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

I oma au.
I ran.

I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

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

I tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.

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

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

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

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

I whānau mai au i Heretaunga.
I was born in Hastings.

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

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

I taraiwa māua.
We drove.

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

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

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

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

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

I pai koe.
You were good.

I mahi au i te māra, ā, āe, i pānui pukapuka, ā, i tunu hoki au i te kai te whānau.
I worked in the garden, yeah, I read books and I cooked for the family.

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

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

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

I ora ahau.
I was well.

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

I tae mai ia raro.
He arrived on foot.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I tērā tau.
Last year.

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

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 kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

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

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

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

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

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

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

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

I haere te kura ki te tāone ki te whakataetae te kapa haka.
The school went to town to compete for the kapa haka.

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

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

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