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

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

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

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

Ka whakarongo puku a Ponga.
Pongo listened in silence.

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

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

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

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

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

Ka maremare rawa atu ahau.
I had to cough.

Ka pahure te .
They passed the pā.

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

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

Ka mea atu te kotiro 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 hei hokinga rātou.
The many young people reached agreement on the day for their return.

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

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

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

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

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

Ka mātihe a Rangi.
Rangi sneezed.

Ka mahana haere ngā .
The nights get warmer.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ka kapo au i te .
I snatched the gun.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ka atu anō he wahine.
Another woman stood up.

Ka kitea au.
I am seen.

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

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

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

Ka haere a Mere.
Mary goes.

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

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

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

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

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 umere me te kata.
They shouted and laughed.

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

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

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

Ka tangi te pere ākuanei.
The bell has rung.

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

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 mutu te kōrero.
The discussion finished.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 Te Kooti.
Te Kooti goes.

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

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

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

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