Māori Grammar

The particle ai has many uses, one of which is to indicate that an action happens habitually, regularly, or as a usual practice.

In this structure, ai follows the verb. The verb normally appears without a tense or aspect marker:

Waiata ai ia.
She always sings.

Tākaro ai ngā tamariki.
The children always play.

The word ai does not literally mean “always”. Rather, it tells us that the action is something that happens as a normal or repeated pattern. Depending on the context, it can be translated as usually, regularly, often, or sometimes always.

The habitual meaning can be made more specific by adding a time expression:

Waiata ai ia i ngā ata.
She usually sings in the mornings.

Tākaro ai ngā tamariki i ngā Rāhoroi.
The children usually play on Saturdays.

See also:

• In order to - kia... ai
• The reason for an action - ...ai.
• The reason why something happened - nā... i... ai
• The reason why something will happen - mā... e... ai
• Why did? - He aha... i... ai?

▶

She is always swimming in the sea

Use of "ai" as habitual action

▶

I habitually go to the supermarket in order to buy food

Ai

Mai i tōku tamarikitanga pīrangi ai au ki te mahi hei nēhi.
Since childhood I have always wanted to work as a nurse.

Inu ai au i te waipiro ia rā ia rā.
I always drink alcohol every day.

Haere ai ia mā runga pahikara ki te mahi ia ata ia ata.
He always goes to work by bike every morning.

Oho ai au i te wari karaka i te ata.
I usually wake up at eight o'clock in the morning.

Kai ai te ngeru i ngā kiore.
The cat always eats mice.

Āe. Hīkoi ai au ia rā, ia rā.
Yes, I always walk each and every day.

Tuhituhi reta ai ia.
He regularly writes letters.

Mai i tōku tamarikitanga pīrangi ai ahau ki te mahi nēhi.
Since childhood I have always wanted to be a nurse.

I ia Rāhoroi haere ai a Hēmi ki te hoko tīkiti Rotarota.
Every Saturday Hēmi always goes to buy a Lotto ticket.

Haere ai a Kauri ki te marae ia rā, ia rā.
Kauri always goes to the marae each and every day.

Haere ai au ki Pōneke.
I am always going to Wellington.

Tū ai ngā whakamātautau i te mutunga o te tau.
The exams always take place at the end of the year.

Pānui ai au i ia pō, i ia pō.
I always read each and every night.

Noho ai rātou ki Waiwera ia tau, ia tau.
They always stay at Waiwera each year.

Maranga mai ai au ia rā, ia rā i te whitu karaka.
I always get up every day at seven o'clock.

Tunu rēwena ai ia i ia Rātapu.
She always bakes bread every Sunday.

Mau pāhau ai ia? Kāo!
Does he always have a beard? No!

Haere ai mātou ki Rotorua i ngā hararei.
We regularly go to Rotorua in the holidays.

Tae mai ai te pahi, i ia hāora, i ia hāora.
The bus regularly arrives every hour.

Ako ai au ia rā, ia rā.
Learn something habitually every day.

Mau mōhiti ai ia.
He always wears glasses.

Hokihoki ai ia ki te wā kāinga.
He returned home regularly.

Hīkoi ai a Amaru ki te kura.
Amaru always walks to school.

Hīkoi ai au ia rā, ia rā.
I always walk each and every day.

Horoi ai au i aku niho i te ao, i te pō.
I habitually brush my teeth day and night.

Noho ai ngā wāhine ki konei.
The always women sit here.

Oma ai a Manu ki te mahi i ngā rā katoa.
Manu always runs to work every day.

Titiro ai au ki te ua.
I always watch the rain.

Inu ai au i te kawhe ia ata, ia ata.
I always drink coffee every morning.

Karakia ai au ia ata, ia ata.
I always pray every morning.

Tirotiro ai ia i ngā pānui mō ngā matenga i ia rā, i ia rā.
She checks out the death notices religiously every day.

Ia rā, ia rā, tunu ai au i te hapa.
Every day I always cook dinner.

Ia rā, ia rā, oho ai au ki te horoi i ngā kākahu.
Every day, I always get up to wash the clothes.

Kai ai au i te pāreti ia ata, ia ata.
I always eat porridge each and every morning.

Mahi ai au, ia te rā, ia te rā, hāunga anō ko ngā Rātapu.
I work regularly, every day except on Sundays.

I ngā Rāpare, mātakitaki ai au i Coronation Street.
On Thursdays I always watch Coronation Street.

Ia Rāapa ia Rāapa waea ai tāku tamāhine ki a au.
Every Wednesday my daughter always phones me.

I ngā ata, haere ai ngā kaimahi ki te ngahere.
In the mornings, the workers always go to the bush.

Mātakitaki pouaka whakaata ai au, ia pō.
I always watch television every night.

Kai ai ngā manu i ngā kākano o tēnei rākau hua.
The birds usually eat the seeds of this fruit tree

Tunu kai ai ahai i a pō, i a pō.
I always cook food every night.

Ia rā, ia rā, tunu ai au i te hapa.
Every day, (each day) I always cook dinner.

Waiata ai ngā manu i ngā ata.
The birds usually sing in the mornings.

Inu ai au i te waipiro ia wiki ia wiki.
I always drink alcohol every week.