Māori Grammar
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Te reo Māori has two categories for nouns called the a and o categories.
The o category includes:
water and medicine
parts of things
things associated with the body (including clothes)
one's home, land and iwi
parents, grandparents and siblings
people in a superior position (a boss, police, etc)
modes of transport (including horses)
A simple possessive can use o on its own:
Te whare o te whānau.
The family's house. (Literally: the house of the family)
Te waka o Rangi.
Rangi's car. (Literally: the car of Rangi)
T-class possessives in the o category include for singular items (eg "my pen"):
tōku - my
tōu - your
tōna - his/her
tō tāua - yours and mine
tō kōrua - belonging to you two
tō māua -belonging to us two but not you
tō rāua - belonging to those two
tō tātou - ours
tō koutou - yours (3+)
tō mātou - ours (but not yours)
tō rātou - theirs
T-class possessives in the o category include for plural items (eg "my pens"):
ōku - my
ōu - your
ōna - his/her
ō tāua - yours and mine
ō kōrua - belonging to you two
ō māua -belonging to us two but not you
ō rāua - belonging to those two
ō tātou - ours
ō koutou - yours (3+)
ō mātou - ours (but not yours)
ō rātou - theirs
Note the difference between the singular and plural of things possessed, and singular and plural of owners:
tōku whare
my house
ōku whare
my houses
tō tātou whare
our house
ō tātou whare
our houses
Ko Aroha tōna matuakēkē.
Aroha is his aunty.Ko to iwi Māori ngā tāngata whenua o Aotearoa.
The Māori people are the tāngata whenua of Aotearoa.No Ahuriri ā koutou irāmutu.
Your nieces are from Napier.Hāpatia tōu ringaringa!
Raise your hand!Ko Kirikiriroa te kāinga o te tipuna tāne o te whānau.
The grandfather of the family lives in Hamilton.He hū ō ā māua tamariki.
Our children have shoes.Kua whakawātea tō mātou rangatira i tōna tūranga.
Our boss has returned from his position.Kua hinga te totara o te wao nui o Tāne.
The totara of Tāne's great forest has fallen.Kei te haere tō māua hoa ki te whare o tō rāua whaea.
Our friend is going to their mother's house.Ko Tame rāua ko Aria ōku hungarei.
Tame and Aria are my inlaws.He tāokete ia no tāku wāhine.
He is a brother-in-law of my wife.Ko Tūhawaiki te rangatira o Murihuku i tērā ray tau.
Tūhawaiki was the chief of Murihiku last century.He tatau tō te whare.
The house has a door.Ko Ari tōna matuakēkē.
Ari is his uncle.Hoake tātou ki tō rāua whare.
Let's go to their house.Ko Ataahua te whaea o Pāora.
Ataahua is the mother of Pāora.He tatou tō tō rātou whare.
Their house has a door.Kua oma ato ō tātou hōiho.
Our horses have escaped.He Aria ro kaiako o ā māua tamariki.
Our children's teacher is Aria.Kei hea ngā uri o Te Rangihiroa? Kāore ōna uri.
Where are the descendants of Te Rangihiroa? He had none.Ko Moana te hoa wahine o Niko.
Moana is the wife of Niko.Ko Manu te pāpā o Taika.
Manu is Taika's father.Kua whati te waewae o tāku tamāhine.
My daughter has a broken leg.Kei hea ō koutou kamapūtu, tamariki mā?
Where are your gumboots, children?Ka koa tōku ngākau ki āna kupu.
My heart raced at her words.Kua rere te wauria o Rua.
Rua's spirit has fled.Kua whati te waewae o te tūru.
The leg of the chair is broken.I tupu tōna pukurir i roto i a ia.
His anger grew within him.Ko Ingarangi pea te kīnga tūturu o te nuinga o te iwi Pākehā.
The original home of most Pākehā people is probably England.Whakapai tōu moenga, E Honi!
Make your bed, Honi!Ka mihi ahau ki tōku kara, arā te kara hui o te Kuini.
I greet my flag, the great flag of the Queen.Haere mai ki te mihi ki tōku whanau!
Come and meet my family!Kāore tō tāua matua i haere ki tāna hui.
Our father did not go to his meeting.Ko Hēmi tōna hoa tane.
Hēmi is her husband.He aha ngā whainga o tō koutou rōpū?
What are the objectives of your organisation?Ko Niko tō rāua tungāne.
Niko is their cousin.He kaumātua a Tawa rāua ko Rangi no tērā marae.
Tawa and Rangi are elders of that marae.Ko Mia te tāokete o Kauri.
Mia is Kauri's sister-in-law.Ko Ngāti Hāmuti Wera to ingoa o tērā iwi.
The name of that tribe is Ngāti Hāmuti Wera.Ko te whakaititianga te tohu o te mana nui.
Humility is the sign of greatness.Ko Nikau rāua ko Rangi ō tātou tumuaki.
Nikau and Rangi are our leaders.