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