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 hīkoi au.
I walked.

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

I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

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

I ora ahau.
I was well.

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

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

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

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

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

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

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

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

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

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

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

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

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

I a Huria.
Huria did.

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

I oma au.
I ran.

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

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

I whānau mai au i Te Waipounamu.
I was born in the South Island.

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

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

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

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

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

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

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

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

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

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

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

I taraiwa māua.
We drove.

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

I haere mātou ki Te Tai Rāwhiti inanahi.
We went to town yesterday.

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

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

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

I pai koe.
You were good.

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

I tae mai ia raro.
He arrived on foot.

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

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

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

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

I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

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

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

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

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

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

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

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

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

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

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

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

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 rongo a Koa i te kurī.
Koa heard the dog.

I tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.

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

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

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

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

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

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

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

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

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

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

I aha koe?
What did you do?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I tērā tau.
Last year.

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

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

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

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

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

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

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

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

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

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

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

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

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

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

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

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

I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

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

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

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 waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

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

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

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

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.