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

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

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

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

Ka maremare rawa atu ahau.
I had to cough.

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

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

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

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

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

Ka haere a Te Kooti.
Te Kooti goes.

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

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

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

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

Ka kitea au.
I am seen.

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

Ka whakarongo puku a Ponga.
Pongo listened in silence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ka tangi te pere ākuanei.
The bell has rung.

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

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

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

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

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

Ka mahana haere ngā pō.
The nights get warmer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ka pahure te pā rā.
They passed the pā.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 pōwhiri ia i a Pongo.
She beckoned to Pongo.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 umere me te kata.
They shouted and laughed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ka mutu te kōrero.
The discussion finished.

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

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

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

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 haere a Mere.
Mary goes.

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

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

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

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 mātihe a Tame.
Tame sneezed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.