Māori Grammar

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The children played and then they learned

ka as a past tense marker

Typically, the tense marker ka is used to indicate that something will happen in the future. However, when telling a story, ka is often used to indicate that something happened next. Usually this will be in a situation where we have already established that the events are in the past. In the following example, the word inanahi sets the event in the past, and therefore ka is translated as a past event:

Inanahi, ka haere au ki Te Tai Rāwhiti.
Yesterday, I went to town.

Ka hoki mai nā roto i te nehenehe.
They returned by way of the patch of bush.

Ka mau ki tana mere pounamu, ke hoatu ki te tamaiti ariki o taua ope nei.
[He] took his greenstone mere and gave it to the young leader of this group.

Ka tūpeke a ia i reira.
He jumped into the air there.

Ka mōhio taku hoa ki te tangata rā.
My friend knows that man.

Ka tū atu anō he wahine.
Another woman stood up.

Ka whakatika te ope tamariki nei, ka tātou i a rātou mō te haere.
The group of young people got ready and girded themselves for the journey.

Ka takaia, ka kawea, ka whakairia ki runga ki te kauere.
They wrapped him up and took him and suspended him in a puriri tree.

Ka mau ana te ururoa ka kaha whawhai ia kia ora ake anō.
Whenever a shark was caught it put up a terrific fight to survive and personifies the epitome of striving.

Ka patua katoatia.
All [the people] were killed.

Ka patua taua kai rā e ia ki te manga o te kawakawa.
He struck that food with the branch of the kawakawa.

Ka whakatika te kōtiro rā, ka mua ki te kīaka.
The girl got up and took a calabash.

Ka kite mātou i te Wind Wand, ā, ka hīkoi i te ara moana.
We saw the Wind Wand, and walked on the beach walkway.

Ka tino kaha rawa tōna tangi ki tōna mamae.
She mourned deeply for her pains.

Ka pangaa atu to pāoro e Tame ki a Pāora.
Tame passes the ball to Pāora.

Ka pahemo te awa o Tōrere.
He passed Tōrere's stream.

Ka kite au i a ia, ka aroha atu.
When I saw her I was moved.

Ka kīa e te tatamariki he mea mahi ki te mākutu.
The young people said it was done with black magic.

Ka whakatika aua wāhine nei, ka whai atu i taua tokotoru.
Those women stood up and followed those three.

Ka aha koe i ngā hararei?
What do you do in the holidays?

Ka hoki te kōrero ki a Hotu i ruku rā i te punga o tō rāua waka.
The story returns to Hotu who had dived for the anchor of their canoe.

Ka whakatika atu ētahi ki te pōwhiri i waho o te pā.
Some stood to wave outside the pā.

Ka mahana haere ngā pō.
The nights get warmer.

Ka whāngaia ngā manu e ia.
The birds were fed by her.

Ka tātua i a rātou mō te haere.
They girded themselves for the journey.

Ka kiriweti ia ki ngā mahi whakapātaritari a tōna tungāne.
She gets annoyed with the teasing antics of her brother.

Ka kite mai a Rangi-uru-hinga, he taniwha tēnei kei Moana-ariki e noho ana, i te kino o te mahi a Kupe ki a Hotu.
Rangi-uru-hinga, who was a taniwha living in Moana-ariki, saw the wickedness of Kupu's treatment of Hotu.

Ka whakarongo puku a Ponga.
Pongo listened in silence.

Ka pōwhiri ia i a Pongo.
She beckoned to Pongo.

Ka tū mai tētahi o aua wāhine rā.
One of those women stood up.

Ka kite a Ari i te kōrua.
Ari saw the crayfish.

Ka haere noa atu te iwi whenua ki ō rātou kāinga.
The local tribe went to their home.

Ka hapū anō hoki ia i muri iho i a Kōpako.
She conceived again after Kōpako.

Ka hoki ake anō te kotiro rā ki te pā.
The girl returned once more to the pā.

Ka mea atu a Kupe ki a Hotu...
Kupe said to Hotu...

Ka haere a Te Kooti.
Te Kooti goes.

Ka karanga ki tana rōpā ki te wai ki a ia.
He called to his slave to get water for him.

Ka pātōtō ia ki te kūaha.
She knocks on the door.

Ka rite i te tokomaha te whakataāe te rā hei hokinga mō rātou.
The many young people reached agreement on the day for their return.

Ka roa, ka haere atu ia.
After a while, he left.

Ka rongo a Nikau i te whakapū ahi.
Nikau heard the fire siren.

Ka haere mātou ki te tāone i nga Tāite.
We go to town on Thursdays.

Ka haere ki Zealandia mō te kawhe.
I went to Zealandia for a coffee.

Ka noho ia i tētahi rākau e noho rā he tāngata i raro.
[He] came to rest in a tree under which some people sat.

Ka tū mai tētahi wahine anō me te mere pounamu i te ringa.
Another woman stood and came forward with a greenstone mere in her hand.

Ka noho au ki te moenga inu ai i taku kawhe.
I sat in bed and drank my coffee.

Ka tae mai te taraka o Tawa me ngā tēpu, me ngā tūru.
Tawa's truck arrived with the tables and the chairs.

Ka kite atu ngā tāne o tēnei i ngā wāhine o tērā.
The men of this [tribe] saw the women of that [tribe].

Ka haere te ope o Ngāti-Kahukoka i mua o ēnei.
The Ngāti-Kahukoka group went in front of them.

Ka tangi ngā tamāhine ki tō rātou pāpā.
The daughters mourned for their father.

Ka piki puku atu hoki a Ponga i muri i a ia.
Ponga also climbed up silently behind her.

Ka mutu tonu te kōrero ki konei.
The story finishes right here.

Ka mīharo rātou, me te tino whakamihi.
They were all full of admiration, and very grateful.

Ka karanga atu te rōpū whakaeke ki ngā tangata whenua.
The group ascending onto the marae calls back to the people of the land/marae.

Ka kite ia i te tīwaiwaka.
He sees the fantail.

Ka mataku ngā kararehe i te whatitiri.
Thunder frightens animals.

Ka puta mai te mate moe ki a Te Tahi.
Te Tahi became sleeopy.

Ka tangi te pere ākuanei.
The bell has rung.

Ka haere i te ara i runga i te rangitoto.
They went along the path over the coria.

Ka māharahara te rōpā rā ki te mate whakamomori o tana ariki.
That slave was anxious that his master might commit suicide.

Ka tono tonu ia i ngā turituri.
He kept hearing noises.

Ka kīa e te taitamariki he mea mahi ki te mākutu.
The young people said it was done with black magic.

Ka rongo tana whaea i tana ui ki te hinu rautangi.
His mother listened to his question about scented oil.

Ka puta katoa ki waho ngā tāngata o te pā ki te tahu kai.
All the people of the pā came outside to cook food.

Ka mutu te kai, ka kī ia...
When the meal was over, he said...

Ka pōwhiri ki ana ringaringa.
She beckoned with her hands.

Ka whakawhanaunga koe ki a ia?
Do you relate to him?

Ka puta taua tini rā ki waho o te pā.
That group went out of the pā.

Ka oho te tini i roto i te whare manuhiri.
The party at the visitor's house woke up.

Ka kapo au i te pū.
I snatched the gun.

Ka hoe mai whaka te tauranga waka i Onehunga.
They rowed through the canoe anchorage at Onehunga.

Ka hoki te ope rā ki tana pā.
That group returned to its pā.

Ka waiho he wāhi kia tuwhera ana i waenganui i ngā taiepa kōhatu nei.
A place was left open between the stone walls.

Ka hoki atu ngā tamariki ki te kura āpōpō.
The children are returning to school tomorrow.

Ka nui te mīti, te hēki me te tuna.
There's plenty of meat, eggs and eels.

Ka tae ki te teihana, ā, ka hīkoi mātou i te taha moana ki Te Papa.
We arrived at the station and we walked by the sea to Te Papa Tongarewa National Museum.

Ka pahure te pā rā.
They passed the pā.

Ka puta te iwi rā i te pā.
The tribe emerged from the pā.

Ka tītaha a Matariki ki te uru.
The Pleiades had descended to the west from its highest point.

Ka waiho tonu tātou hei tinihangatanga mā tō tātou whaea.
We are always left cheated by our mother.

Ka rere mai ngā waka i tai ki uta.
The canoes came from the sea to the shore.

Ka kite a Tū i te mamaha e puta ake ana i mua o te tereina.
Tū saw the steam rising from the front of the train.

Ka kuhu mai te hoa o Mere.
Mere's friend comes in.

Ka mea atu te rōpā rā, 'He kai.'
The slave said, 'Food!'.

Ka mutu ōna tohu, ka noho ki raro.
When his instructions were ended, he sat down.

Ka mau ki te kākahu o waho.
And took hold of her outer garment.

Ka kauhoe ia i Rotorua ki Mokoia.
She swam from Rotorua to Mokia.

Ka hokona e ua te koti rā mō te whā rau tāra.
She bought that coat for four hundred dollars.

Ka titiro a Aroha ki te parani i runga i te pounamu.
Aroha looked at the brand on the bottle.

Ka mutu te kōrero.
The discussion finished.

Ka mamae aku turi, ngā wāhi katoa ōku, engari kāore e heke taku taumaha.
They hurt my knees, and every other part of me, yet I don't seem to lose any weight.

Ka mea atu a Kupe ki a Hotu,
Kupe said to Hotu, "We must return".

Ka tū ngā tamāhine i te mataihi katau o te marae.
The daughters stood at the front right of the marae.

Ka nui taku hiahia kia kite i a koe!
I greatly desire to see you.

Ka tae te ope rā ki ā rātou mea i mahia mai rā i Āwhitu.
The group took their things which had been made in Āwhitu.

Ka mātihe a Pāora.
Pāora sneezed.

Ka mahana haere te kaimoana i te rā.
The seafood is getting warm in the sun.

Ka roherohea taua moana e rātou.
That sea was divided up by them.

Ka kitea kua puta i tētahi taha o te pā, kua haere whakatētahi taha o te pā.
They were seen emerging from one side of the pā, going towards the other side.

Ka nui taku aroha ki a koe.
My love for you knows no bounds.

Ka puta a Pihihuia me te wai.
Puhihuia appeared with the water.

Ka pīrangi ia ki ngā mea katoa.
He wants all the things.

Ka pupihi te hau, ha hingahinga ngā rākau, ka rere ngā tīni o te whare.
The wind blew, the trees blew over and roofing iron blew off.

Ka mau anō te kōtiro rā i te ipu.
That girl picked up the calabash again.

Ka tū mai te tumuaki ki te mihi ki a rātou.
The headmaster stood up to greet them.

Ka kite o reira taitamariki rangatira i taua kōtiro nei, i a Puhihuia,.
The young chiefs from there was this girl, Puhihuia.

Ka karakia ia i ngā karakia mō ngā taniwha moana.
He chanted the incantations for the taniwha of the sea.

Ka mea atu te kotiro rā ki tana whaea...
That girl said to her mother...

Ka maremare rawa atu ahau.
I had to cough.

Ka riro i te hai hāte a Paki.
It was taken by Paki's ace of hearts.

Ka kitea au.
I am seen.