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Sentences that begin with he are categorising sentences - that is, they say that something belongs in a particular category. For example "that is a fish" is a sentence that says that a particular thing can be put in the "fish" category. In te reo Māori, we would use a he sentence:
He ika tēnei.
This is a fish.
Literally, we could say "in the category if fish this is", though no one would ever say that in English.
It is very easy to confuse he and ko sentences, but actually, they work in quite different ways and communicate different things.
A he sentence can only have three things as its subject:
(1) a noun (such as "fish", "dog", "man"):
He tākuta ahau.
I am a doctor.
He kuri a Fido.
Fido is a dog.
(2) a noun with an adjective ("a big fish", "a vicious dog", "a happy man"):
He kai pai te kūmara.
Kumara is good food.
He ara kino tēnei.
This is a bad road.
He tangata koa ia.
He's a happy chappy.
(3) Just an adjective ("good", "bad", "sad"):
He pai tōna ngākau.
He has a good heart.
He kino tēnei kurī.
This dog is bad.
He harikoa ahau.
I am happy.
Each of these examples say that someone or something belongs in a particular category: "in the category of 'good food' is kumera", "in the category of 'dog' is Fido", "in the category of 'happy' I am".
In a he sentence, we cannot swao the two parts of the sentence around. It makes no sense to say: "in the category of 'me' is 'good'" or "in the category of 'Fido' is 'dog'. What we are really saying in the he sentences is, firstly, that a particular category of things exist and that we want to name something that is in that category. He kino tēnei kurī means: "bad things exist in the world, and this dog is one of them". He kai pai te kūmara means: "things known as 'good food' exist in the world, and the kūmera is one of them."
One of these things is a subset of the category, which is why we cannot reverse the two parts of the sentence. We can say that "kūmera" is a subset of "good food", but not that "good food" is a subset of "kūmera".
This different from sentences with ko where the two things are said to be equal and the same: for example: "Jacob is my son". I am saying that "Jacob" and "my son" are one and the same, and so these two things can be reversed. I can say: "My son is Jacob".
When used with adjectives, there is a different in meaning between he and verbal sentences using kei te, ka, etc.. A sentence beginning with he says that something has a natural or permanent quality. For example, kei te harikoa au means that at the moment I am happy - but perhaps I will be unhappy tomorrow or was depressed yesterday. On the other hand, he harikoa au means not that I am happy now, but that I am natually a happy person because he sentences refer to how a thing is in and of itself, not just how something is at the present moment. A sentence beginnig with ka indicates that something has become a particular way as a result of something else happening. For example, ka harikoa au means "I have become happy" because of something good that has happened.
He kākāriki te karaihe.
The grass is naturally green.
Ka kākāriki te karaihe.
The grass has become green (because it has rained).
Kei te kākāriki te karaihe.
At the moment, the grass is green (because it has rained).
He maroke tana kōrero.
His speech was dry.He kārikihāura ōna karu.
Her eyes are hazel.He kaikōrero te kaiako.
The teacher is a speaker.He pākete kei roto i te horoimanga.
There's a bucket in the laundry.He tangata pakari a Rangi.
Rangi is a mature person.He kerei tana hāte.
His shirt is grey.He tangata atawhai ia.
He is a kind person.He kaha te iwi te manaaiki i ngā manuhiri.
The iwi is strong at looking after guests.He kaiako nui a Mere.
Mere is an important teacher.He wahine tino mōhio a Rongomai ki te hoahoa i te takoto o te whenua.
Rongomai is a woman very knowledgeable in designing the layout of the land.He poti a Pihikete.
Pihikete is a cat.He kaiako ahau.
I am a teacher.He hāte pai tēnā.
That's a nice shirt.He hoa pai koe.
You are a good friend.He kuia tōku whaea.
My mother is an elder.He taumaha tēnei.
This is heavy.He kōura ōna karu.
Her eyes are gold.He pō tino makariri tēnei.
This is a very cold night.He tamaiti kaha ia.
He is a strong child.He rangatira tōku pāpā.
My father is a leader.He tangata mohio koe.
You are a knowledgeable person.He kākāriki te karaihe.
The grass is green.He kaitākaro ngā tamariki.
The children are athletes.He tāne ranginamu ia.
He is a handsome man.He kaihanga te tāne.
The man is a builder.He pai tō pikitia.
You're picture's great.He mea pai ake kia āta kōrero.
It would be better if it was spoken slowly.He ātaahua te pēpi.
The baby is beautiful.He pukapuka tērā.
That is a book (over there).He wahine atamai ia.
She is a clever woman.He ātaahua hoki koe.
You look beautiful.He nui ōna ringaringa.
He has big hands.He māngai te ākonga.
The student is a representative.He mātua pai a Manu rāua ko Ataahua.
Manu and Ataahua are good parents.He waewae huruhuru.
Hairy legs.He kotutu te tina.
It's boil up for dinner.He kaikōrero koe.
You are a speaker.He āwhina koe.
You are a helper.He waiata pai tērā.
That's a nice song.He tāone pai rawa a Raumati.
Raumati is the best town.He kahurangi ōna karu.
Her eyes are blue.He ua ake te nekehanga.
The shift was difficult.He poto ōna makawe.
His hair is short.He kino ēnā kurī.
Those dogs are bad.He tangata pukumahi ia, nērā?
She's a hardworker, eh?He whare kōhatu, he mea hōu.
A new, stone house.He ākonga ahau.
I am a student.He kaiwhakaako rāua.
They (two) are teachers.