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