Māori Grammar

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Te Reo Māori Level 1
Ka used to indicate the past - ka

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

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

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

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

Ka mātihe a Tame.
Tame sneezed.

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

Ka tuhi ia i ngā kupu.
He wrote the words.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 pahure te .
They passed the pā.

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

Ka mutu te kōrero.
The discussion finished.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ka tangi te pere ākuanei.
The bell has rung.

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

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

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

Ka kitea au.
I am seen.

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

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

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

Ka pangaa atu to pāoro e Nikau ki a Hēmi.
Nikau passes the ball to Hēmi.

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

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

Ka a ia, ka karanga mai i waho i te whare.
He stood and called from outside the house.

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

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

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

Ka mutu te mahi inanahi, ka haere mātou ki te tāone.
When yesterday's work was finished, we went to town.

Ka tae tētahi tauhou ki te kāinga.
A certain stranger came to the village.

Ka herea e ia tāua kurī.
He tied up our dog.

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

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

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

Ka heke iho ko ngā roimata.
The tears fall down (representing the rain).

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

Ka 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 oma mai ngā tamariki i muri i te whare.
The children ran up from behind the house.

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

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

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

Ka rongo ahau i tētahi waiata pai i tēnei .
I heard a nice song today.

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

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

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

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

Ka kōrero ia ki tētahi atu āpiha.
He talked to another officer.

Ka haere a Mere.
Mary goes.

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

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

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

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

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

Ka kapo au i te .
I snatched the gun.

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

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

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

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

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

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 patua katoatia.
All [the people] were killed.

Ka maremare rawa atu ahau.
I had to cough.

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

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

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

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

Ka rongo tētahi tangata i ngā kōrero a taua tangata nei.
A man heard what this man here said.

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

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

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

Ka ia, ā, ka kōrero.
He stood and spoke.

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 atu anō he wahine.
Another woman stood up.

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

Ka mahana haere ngā .
The nights get warmer.

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

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

Ka whakarongo puku a Ponga.
Pongo listened in silence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ka haere a Te Kooti.
Te Kooti goes.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ka umere me te kata.
They shouted and laughed.

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

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

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

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