Māori Grammar

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The children are running from the house to the school

i to Indicate direction from

In te reo Māori, ki can mean "to" and i can mean "from". However, these two small words are also used often to undicate the object of a sentence. This is the thing that a person does something to or a person that has something done to them. For example, in the sentence "I am reading a book", the subject of the sentence is "I" - I am the one doig the action. The verb is "reading". But the object of the sentence is "a book". This is the thing being read.

In English we do not say "I am reading to to the book" - this would make no sense - but this is what we need to say in te reo. The object of a sentence (the book being read, or the song being sung, or the tree being planted, or the baby being fed) must always have an i or a ki. Very often, people miss this out because there is no English equivalent for this.

For example we do not say: "kei te pānui au te pukapuka" but:

Kei te pānui au i te pukapuka.
I am reading the book.

The i is a "particle" (a small word) that indicates the thing that is being read, and without it the sentence makes no sense.

Similarly, we do not say: "kei te waiata ia te waiata" but:

Kei te waiata ia i te waiata.
She is singing the song.

Again, the i is an essential part of the sentence and must be included to indicate the thing being sung - the song, which is the object of the sentence.

Kua mākū katoa ngā tamariki i te ua.
The children are all wet from the rain.

E taupoki ana ia i te māra.
She's digging the garden.

I rārāina ngā tuna i runga ake i te mānuka poa.
The eels were smoked over smouldering mānuka.

Kei te pata au i te tōhi mā te parakuihi.
I'm buttering the toast for breakfast.

Ko mataku māua i a ia.
We were frightened by him.

Ka hanga a Hēmi i tōku whare.
Hēmi will build my house.

Kua whakarite tāku tāne i te parakuihi.
My husband has prepared breakfast.

Ka kohi au i te kaimoana.
I will collect sea food.

Kei te pānui te tama i te pukapuka.
The boy is reading the book.

Ka haere i te ara i runga i te rangitoto, ke ahu ki Onehunga.
[They] went along the path over the scoria and headed to Onehunga.

E moe ana au i tētahi rākau kākāriki.
I am sleeping in a green tree.

Kua whakareri tāku tāne i te parakuihi.
My husband has prepared breakfast.

Kei te mau hū au pērā i ō Michael Jordan.
I am wearing shoes like Michael Jordan's.

Kei roto ngā putiputi i te ipu.
The flowers are in the vase.

Ka hoe atu ngā tāngata i uta ki tai.
The people will paddle from the shore towards the sea.

Kei te whakatokopā au i a koe.
I am burping you.

E kore au e ngaki i te māra.
I won't weed the garden.

Ka haere au ki te tiki miraka i te pouaka makariri.
I will go and fetch the milk from the fridge.

Kei te āwhina rāua i a Rangi.
They (2) are helping Rangi.

Kei te mau ia i tētahi pōtae, i tētahi poraka, i tētahi tīhate, me tētahi hāte hoki.
She is wearing a hat, a jersey, a t-shirt and a shirt.

Ka tunu au i te parāoa ā tēnei pō.
I'll bake the bread tonight.

Inapō au i whakaoti ai i taku mahi.
Yesterday I finished my work.

Kuhu atu ki roto i tō moenga.
Get in your bed.

I pakaru te wini i a Kauri.
The window was broken by Kauri.

Oma atu i a ia!
Run away from her!

E kihi ana a Taika i a Rina.
Taika is kissing Rina.

Ka kai tātou i tētahi ika nui.
We will eat a big fish.

I tākaro netipōro mātou i te ata o te Rāhoroi.
We played netball on Saturday morning.

Āe, kua kai au i te tītī.
Yes I have eaten mutton bird.

Kei te whakaoti rātou i ā rātou taumahi.
They are competing their assignments.

He maha ngā moni kua pau i a ia i te toa.
She has spent lots of money at the shop.

Kua pau i a ia te paraoa te kai.
He has eaten up the bread.

Ka āwhina aua manu i te tīwaiwaka.
Those birds help the fantail.

Ki te tiki i tō tungane i te pahi.
To pick up your brother from the bus.

Kei te waruwaru rātou i ngā rīwai.
They are peeling the spuds.

Kei te moe ia i tōna moenga.
He's sleeping on his bed.

Me kau hoki ki hea i te tawhiti ki waho o te moana nui?
Where could he swim to, from such a distance out in the ocean?

I tupu au i Te Tonga.
I grew up down South.

I kaukau ngā tamariki i te whanga.
The children swam in the bay.

Te whakamau atu i te kope mā.
Putting on a fresh nappy

I aha koe i te mutunga wiki.
What did you do in the weekend?

Ka tīmata rāua ki te horoi i te whare.
They have started to wash the house.