Māori Grammar

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Te Reo Māori Level 1
Locatives (at the moment, something is somewhere) - kei te

Kei te means that something is happening at the moment. However, kei can also indicate that something is located somewhere at the moment.

Kei te hokomaha ahau.
At the moment, I am located at the supermarket.
I'm at the supermarket.

Kei te wharepaku ia.
At the moment, she's located in the toilet.
She's in the toilet.

This might seem a little confusing, because you might think that kei te hokomaha ahau means "I am supermaketing" in the same way that kei te oma ahau means "I am running". But, in fact, this is more or less what it means. 

In English, sentences with verbs like "run" and "sing" are different from sentences where we say where we are. But in te reo Māori, they are very closely related. In Māori, a sentence with a verb actually tells someone where a person is located:

Kei te hikoi ahau.
At the moment, I am located at the walking.
I'm walking.

Kei te waiata ia.
At the moment, she is located at the singing.
She is singing.

Of course, in English, no one would ever say "I am located at the walking" to indicate that they were going for a walk, but in te reo, kei te is a kind of locative.

Kei te kāinga tōna tuahine.
Her sister is at home.

Kei te toa ngā āporo.
The apples are at the shop.

Kei te kīhini ngā kapu.
The cups are in the kitchen.

Kei te whare wānanga ngā tauira.
The students are at the university.

Kei te papa purei te pōro.
The ball is on the field.

Kei te hōhipera māmā.
Your mother is at the hospital.

Kei te papa tākaro ngā tamariki.
The children are at the playground.

Kei te kura a Mere.
Mere is at school.

Kei te rūma horoi kākahu ō .
Your shoes are in the laundry.

Kei te tākarokaro ki waho.
Playing outside.

Kei te māra whutupōro.
Your football's by the garden.

Kei hea ngā pounamu mīraka?
Where are the milk bottles?

Kei te toa au.
I'm at the shop.

Kei te pakitara ngā whakaahua.
The photos are on the wall.

Kei Pōneke te kāinga tūtru o Tawa.
Tawa's permanent home is in Wellington.

Kei te hui rātou.
They are at the meeting.

Kei te kāpata te paraoa.
The bread is in the cupboard.

Kei te hokomaha.
At the supermarket.

Kei te kuaha.
At the door.

Kei tērā tamaiti waea pūkoro.
That child has your cell phone.

Kei te kāpata te puruma.
The broom's in the cupboard.

Kei Rakiura te pāpā.
The father is in Stewart Island.

Kei a Nikau te waka.
Nikau has the car.

Kei te papa tākaro rāua.
Those two are at the playground.

Kei te mahi ia.
She is at her place or work. OR: She is working.

I hea?
Where was?

Kei te tauranga waka waka?
Is your car in the carpark?

Kei te kura.
At school.

Kei te kaitiaki whare.
The caretaker has them.

Kei te whare pikitia au.
I'm at the movie theatre.

Kei te wharepaku ia.
She's in the toilet.

Kei te māra a Māmā.
Mum's in the garden.

Kei te kāpata.
In the cupboard.

Kei te tāone.
At town.

Kei a wai āku kihi?
Who's got my keys?

Kei Taranaki a Ari.
Ari is in Taranaki.

Kei te huarahi o Kuini.
On Queen Street.

Kei te kura ngā tamariki.
The children are at school.

Kei te rūma horoi kākahu ō .
Your shoes are in the laundry.

Kei te Kāpiti au e noho ana.
I am living in Kāpiti.

Kei Matipō Tirīti rātou kāinga.
Their house is in Matipō Street.

Kei te te waka i te huarahi.
The car's parked on the road.

Kei te kāpata te huka.
The sugar's in the cupboard.

Kei te kāinga te pēpi.
The baby is at home.

Kei waho ōku hoa.
My friends are outside.