Māori Grammar
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There are a number of locatives in Māori including:
| Locative | Basic spatial meaning |
|---|---|
| mua | front, in front |
| muri | back, behind |
| runga | top, above, on |
| raro | bottom, below, under |
| roto | inside, within |
| waho | outside |
The first two - mua and muri have more metaphorical or figurative meanings, The meanings “front” and “back” extend into time. Mua commonly expresses an earlier point, while muri expresses a later point. Thus i mua i … means “before …”, and i muri i … means “after …”.
I mahi kai mātou i mua i te hui.
We prepared food before the meeting.
Whakapaingia te whare i mua i te taenga mai o ngā manuhiri.
Clean the house before the guests arrive.
Ā muri ka hoki atu au ki te kāinga.
Afterwards I am going home.
The meaning of mua and muri can be extended by using iho, ake and noa atu, etc:
I muri iho.
Soon afterwards.
I mua noa atu.
Long ago.
Ā muri ake nei.
Afterwards; in the future.
Nō mua ake i tērā.
Before that.
Ā muri tata iho.
Very shortly.
Ā muri atu nei.
Presently; soon.
Muri and mua can also be used with nō:
| Expression | Meaning |
|---|---|
| nō muri tata mai | Shortly after |
| nō muri noa mai | A long time after |
| nō mua tata atu | Shortly before |
| nō mua noa atu | A long time before |
I muri i tērā, ka haere ki Whakatamacr;ne.
After that, I went to Whakatamacr;ne.I muri i te hui, i kōrero au ki a Tame.
After the meeting, I spoke with Tame.I muri i te piringa o Rangi rāua ko Papa ka whānau mai ngā tamariki.
After the union of Rangi and Papa the children were born.I muri i te whare te motokā.
The car was behind the house.I muri i tērā, ka haere ki tāwāhi.
After that, I went overseas.Nō mua noa atu.
A long time before.Engari i mua i te haere ki te marae, i hoki au ki te kāinga ki te kohikohi i aku taputapu.
But before going to the marae, I returned home to pack my gears.I mahi kai mātou i mua i te hui.
We prepared food before the meeting.Engari i mua i te haere ki te mahi, i hoki au ki te kāinga tīni kākahu ai.
But before going to work, I returned home to change clothes.I mua atu i tōku hokinga mai ki konei.
Before I returned here.I muri i tērā, ka haere ki tāwāhi.
After that, I went overseas.