| Previous | Back | Next |
The use of me to mean "if" can be tricky, because it is used at the start of a sentence in the same way that me is used as a mild imperative.
Me haere au.
I should go.
Me haere au...
If I go...
Me, meaning "if" is short for mehemea ("if") and will usually be part of a longer sentence ("if I go, you will cry", "if you sing, I will applaud"). A phrase like me haere au ("if I go") will therefore have another part to the sentence:
Me hinga te ua, ka haere mātou ki te tāone.
If the rain falls, we will go to town.
On its own, me hinga te ua will probably mean "it should rain".
Me i konei ia.
If only he were here.Me i kore koe a hāmama, kua kore mātou e mōhio i pēnā koe.
If you hadn't spoken up, we would not have known that you thought that.Me he manu ahau...
If I were a bird...Me he mahi kei te haere, ka oma!
If there's work to be done, he runs!Me i konei koe kua kite koe i a ia.
If you had been here, you would have seen him.Me i tae wawe mai koutou, kua whaiwāhi mai koutou ki te kōrero.
If you had arrived in time, you could have participated in the discussion.Me he manu rere ahau...
If I were a flying bird...