Māori Grammar

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.

▶

The children played and then they learned

ka as a past tense marker

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

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

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

Ka mutu te kōrero.
The discussion finished.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ka mahana haere ngā pō.
The nights get warmer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ka haere a Mere.
Mary goes.

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

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

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

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

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

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 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 umere me te kata.
They shouted and laughed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ka maremare rawa atu ahau.
I had to cough.

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

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

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

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

Ka kitea au.
I am seen.

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

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

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

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

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

Ka whakarongo puku a Ponga.
Pongo listened in silence.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ka tangi te pere ākuanei.
The bell has rung.

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

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

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

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 haere a Te Kooti.
Te Kooti goes.

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 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 kite ia i te tīwaiwaka.
He sees the fantail.

Ka mātihe a Taika.
Taika sneezed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ka pahure te pā rā.
They passed the pā.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.