Māori Grammar

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Te Reo Māori Level 1
Sentences with two possessives - a, o

Sometimes there are sentences that have two possessives: "the door of my house" or "my father's car". In the first example, the door belongs to the house and the house belongs to me. In the second sentence, the car belongs to the father and the father 'belongs' to me.

There are many similar sentences in te reo:

E toru ngā tamariki a ō māua hoa.
Our friends have three children.

In this sentence, the friends 'belong' to us, and the children 'belong' to the friends. There is a further complication here because children are in the 'a' category and friends are in the 'o' category. The a possessive relates to the children, while the ō māua possessive relates to the friends.

I te taha o taku māmā.
On my mum' s side.

I te taha o taku pāpā.
On my dad's side.

I moe tā tāua pēpi i te moenga o tā rāua pēpi.
Our baby slept in their baby's bed.

E toru ngā tamariki a ō māua.
Our friends have three children.

Ngā rākau a ō tātou rangatira.
Our chief's weapons.

Ko te taiapa e karapoti ana i te wahanga o taku whenua.
The fence is around the edge of my section.