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
He aha ō rātou whakaaro e pā ana ki tēnā?
What do they think about that?Ko Mere te tuahine o Mārama rāua ko Tamahae.
Mere is Marama's and Tamahae's cousin.Kua hinga te totara o te wao nui o Tāne.
The totara of Tāne's great forest has fallen.No Te Wai Pounamu tōu tipuna wahine.
Your grandmother is from the South Island.Ko Tame rāua ko Ari ō tātou tumuaki.
Tame and Ari are our leaders.Ko Hēmi tō rāua tungāne.
Hēmi is their cousin.Ka mīharo rātou ki te ātaahua o te wahine patupaiarehe.
They were astonished at the beauty of the fairy woman.Haere mai ki te mihi ki tōku whanau!
Come and meet my family!Kāore anō ngā tamariki tāne kia paraihe i ō rātou makawe.
The boys have not brushed their hear yet.He tāokete ia no tāku wāhine.
He is a brother-in-law of my wife.Ko tēnei te kōrero o te matenga o Kae.
This is the story of the death of Kae.Kāore tō tāua matua i haere ki tāna hui.
Our father did not go to his meeting.Ko tēnei tōku hoa pai rawa.
This is my best friend.Ko Hēmi tōna hoa tane.
Hēmi is her husband.Ka mihi ahau ki tōku kara, arā te kara hui o te Kuini.
I greet my flag, the great flag of the Queen.He tatou tō tō rātou whare.
Their house has a door.Ko Mia tōna matuakēkē.
Mia is his aunty.Kua whakawātea tō mātou rangatira i tōna tūranga.
Our boss has returned from his position.Kua whati te waewae o tāku tamāhine.
My daughter has a broken leg.Ko Amaru tōna matuakēkē.
Amaru is his uncle.I tupu tōna pukurir i roto i a ia.
His anger grew within him.Ko ia tōku teina.
She is my younger sister.Ka roa noa atu tōku rerenga i roto i tōku rererangi.
I can go for miles in my airplane.Ko Ataahua te whaea o Niko.
Ataahua is the mother of Niko.Ka koa tōku ngākau ki āna kupu.
My heart raced at her words.Ko Ngāti Hāmuti Wera to ingoa o tērā iwi.
The name of that tribe is Ngāti Hāmuti Wera.Kua rere te wauria o Rua.
Rua's spirit has fled.He kaumātua a Tawa rāua ko Koa no tērā marae.
Tawa and Koa are elders of that marae.Kaua e tū ki runga i tō rātou whāriki hou!
Do not stand on their new carpet!He toa ngā kuia o Waikato ki te kanikani.
The old ladies of Waikato are great dancers.No Waikanae ā koutou irāmutu.
Your nieces are from Waikanae.Ko Nikau rāua ko Aria ōku hungarei.
Nikau and Aria are my inlaws.Hoake tātou ki tō rāua whare.
Let's go to their house.Kei te haere tō māua hoa ki te whare o tō rāua whaea.
Our friend is going to their mother's house.Kei hea ngā uri o Te Rangihiroa? Kāore ōna uri.
Where are the descendants of Te Rangihiroa? He had none.Ko Tūranga-nui-a-Kiwa te kāinga o te tipuna tāne o te whānau.
The grandfather of the family lives in Gisborne.Kua ngaro ōku whenua katoa.
All my lands are lost.Ko Aorangi te tino maunga o Ngāi Tahu.
Aorangi is the foremost mountain of Ngāi Tahu.Ko ēnei ngā mahi o te hui.
These things are the work of the meeting.Hāpatia tōu ringaringa!
Raise your hand!Ka roa tō tātou haerenga.
Our journey is long.Kōrero ki tērā wahine e whakamau ana i tōku pōtae.
Speak to that woman wearing my hat.Whakapai tōu moenga, E Koa!
Make your bed, Koa!Ka nui te aroha o ngā tāngata ki te take nei.
The people feel very sympathetic to this cause.Ko ia tētahi o tō tātou rōpū.
She is one of our group.He whāiti, he kōtiti ngā ara ki tōna takiwā.
The roads to her district are narrow and winding.Ko Pāora te pāpā o Taika.
Pāora is Taika's father.Kāore tōna motokā e haere.
His car doesn't go.He Mia ro kaiako o ā māua tamariki.
Our children's teacher is Mia.Ko Tūhawaiki te rangatira o Murihuku i tērā ray tau.
Tūhawaiki was the chief of Murihiku last century.Ko Ani te tāokete o Kauri.
Ani is Kauri's sister-in-law.He tatau tō te whare.
The house has a door.Kei hea ō koutou kamapūtu, tamariki mā?
Where are your gumboots, children?Ko ngā iwi katoa o te ao kua huihui mai i tēnei rā.
All the peoples of the world have gathered here today.He pai ki a koe tōku tūru hou?
Do you like my new chair?Ko te whakaititianga te tohu o te mana nui.
Humility is the sign of greatness.He rongonui te kōrero mo te patunga o Kae e Tinirau.
The story of Kae's being killed by Tinirau is famous.Whakahokia tōku heru!
Give back my comb!He aha ngā whainga o tō koutou rōpū?
What are the objectives of your organisation?I te taha o te awa te ana o taua ngārara.
The cave of the monster was beside the river.Manaakitia ōu kaumātua!
Respect your elders!Ko to iwi Māori ngā tāngata whenua o Aotearoa.
The Māori people are the tāngata whenua of Aotearoa.Kei hea te kakau o te toki?
Where's the handle of the axe?Me piri koe ki tōu ope.
You must stick to your party.He Pākehā te nuinga o ngā tauira i reira.
Most of the students there are Pākehā.Unumia tō rongoa!
Take your medicine!Kua whati te waewae o te tūru.
The leg of the chair is broken.Ko Aroha te hoa wahine o Tame.
Aroha is the wife of Tame.Kua mate rawa ō tātou koroua katoa.
All our old men are dead.Kua oma ato ō tātou hōiho.
Our horses have escaped.E titiro ana ngā tauhou ki te nui o tērā rākau, o Tāne Mahuta.
The strangers gazed at the size of that tree, Tane Mahuta.E rua ōu whatu, kotahi tōu ihu.
You have two eyes and one nose.Ko Ingarangi pea te kīnga tūturu o te nuinga o te iwi Pākehā.
The original home of most Pākehā people is probably England.