Māori Grammar


1. ā - ā to indicate the future

2. ā - Conjunctions - and

3. a - Use of 'a' as a personal article

4. A and o categories intro - a, o

5. A chair to sit on is o category, if you make the chair is it a category - a, o

6. ā hea... ai? - Asking 'when' with ai

7. ā to indicate the future - ā

8. a, o - A and o categories intro

9. a, o - Sentences with two possessives

10. a, o - A chair to sit on is o category, if you make the chair is it a category

11. ā, tāku... - Possessives - 'a' class

12. About someone - mōku, mōu, mōna...

13. Above, underneath, outside of - runga ake, raro iho, waho atu, roto atu

14. ai - Habitual action

15. Alike in what way? - rite pēwhea nei?

16. And then... - kātahi ka...

17. Asking 'when was?' When did something happen? - Nōnahea, inahea

18. Asking 'when' with ai - ā hea... ai?

19. Asking who - Ko wai...?

20. atu - Away

21. au, ahau - Pronouns - singular

22. Away - atu

23. Āwhea? Āhea? - When? (in the future)

24. Be careful... lest! - kia... kei...

25. Because - he... nō...

26. Belonging to a place -

27. Belonging to the past -

28. Categorizing sentences - he

29. Command with e! - e!

30. Commands using the passive - Tāpirihia, Tīkina...

31. Commands without any verb signs - Haere!

32. Commands without e or the passive - Homai! Whakarongo!

33. Comparatives (better than...) - pai ake...

34. Conjunctions - and - ā

35. Conjunctions - but - engari

36. Direction markers with adverbs - tonu mai, kā atu, rawa mai...

37. Don't... just yet! - Taihoa... e

38. Down - iho

39. e - The use of 'e'

40. e - e as a particle of address

41. e as a particle of address - e

42. E hia? Tokohia? - How many are there?

43. e or e ka - if and when

44. E pēwhea ana, he pēwhea? - How is...?

45. ...e taea ai hoki tērā... - So something can happen...

46. e! - Command with e!

47. e... ana - Sentences with a subclause

48. e... ana - Simple sentences: present tense

49. Ehara i... - Negating nāku possessives

50. ehara mā.. - Negating the future agent emphatic

51. ehara... - Negations of identity sentences

52. engari - Conjunctions - but

53. Established possession - nāku, nōku...

54. For the purpose of - hei

55. Future agent emphatic - māku

56. Future locative - hei

57. Gerund phrases (fence building, bread baking, dishes washing...) - tunu parāoa...

58. Habitual action - ai

59. Haere! - Commands without any verb signs

60. Has just... - kātahi anō...

61. he - Categorizing sentences

62. He aha... i kore... aib e - Why didn't...

63. He aha... i... ai? - Why did?

64. He aha? - What?

65. he mea... - The pseudo-passive

66. he rite tonu - This is just like that

67. he... nō... - Because

68. hei - Hei for future location in time

69. hei - For the purpose of

70. hei - The reason for an action

71. hei - Future locative

72. Hei aha te..., Kia ahatia@ - Never mind the... No worries!

73. hei aha? - What is this for?

74. Hei for future location in time - hei

75. Homai! Whakarongo! - Commands without e or the passive

76. How is...? - E pēwhea ana, he pēwhea?

77. How many are there? - E hia? Tokohia?

78. i - Using 'i' to mean 'in', 'by' or 'at'

79. i - Sentences with i

80. i - Simple sentences: past tense

81. i - Using 'i' to indicate direction away from something - i

82. i a, i te, i ngā - Statives with 'i'

83. I am able... - Ka taea e...

84. i te - Past - specifying a particular time

85. i te - Locatives - past (something was somewhere)

86. i te - Simple sentences: past tense

87. I thought mistakenly - Pēnei au...

88. i, ki - Verbs that take 'i' or 'ki'

89. Identity sentences - ko...

90. if and when - e or e ka

91. If... (using me) - me

92. iho - Down

93. In order to - kia... ai

94. In, on, by, under... - kei runga...

95. It won't be long before... - kāore e roa...; kāori i roa...

96. ka - Simple sentences: future tense

97. ka - Ka used to indicate the past

98. Ka taea e... - I am able...

99. Ka used to indicate the past - ka

100. Kāore ano... kia... - Negations of kua (I haven't yet...)

101. kāore e roa...; kāori i roa... - It won't be long before...

102. kāore... - Negation of locatives

103. Kāore... e... - Negations of the future (I will not go)

104. Kāore... e... - Negating passive sentences

105. Kāore... i te... - Negations of the past tense

106. Kāore... i te... - Negations of the present tense (I am not working)

107. kara - Telling time

108. kātahi anō... - Has just...

109. kātahi ka... - And then...

110. kātahi te... - What a...

111. Kaua e..., kāti... - Negative active commands - Don't!

112. ...kaua ki... - Not to, not with, not against

113. Kaua... (passive) e... - Negations of 'me' - We shouldn't...

114. kei runga... - In, on, by, under...

115. kei te - Simple sentences: present tense with a verb

116. kei te - Locatives (at the moment, something is somewhere)

117. kei te - Simple sentences - present tense with an adjective

118. kei te aha? - What is happening at the moment?

119. ki - Verbs that take 'ki'

120. ki - Using 'ki' to indicate direction towards something

121. Ki a wai te...? - Who is going to...

122. kia - Kite takes kia rather than ki

123. kia - Mild imperatives (You should be...)

124. kia... ai - In order to

125. kia... kei... - Be careful... lest!

126. Kite takes kia rather than ki - kia

127. Ko tēhea? - Which

128. Ko wai...? - Asking who

129. ko... - Identity sentences

130. kua - Simple sentences: past completed tense

131. Like this, like that - pēnei, pēna, pēra

132. Locatives (at the moment, something is somewhere) - kei te

133. Locatives - past (something was somewhere) - i te

134. mā runga - Travelling by means of

135. mā wai? - Who will?

136. mā, māku - Unrealised possession

137. mā... e... ai - The reason why something will happen

138. mai - Towards

139. māku - Future agent emphatic

140. mate, ngaro, mau... - Statives

141. me - Simple sentences: you should

142. me - If... (using me)

143. Mild imperatives (You should be...) - kia

144. mōku, mōu, mōna... - About someone

145. nā - agent emphatic - Past agent emphatic

146. nā reira, nō reira - Therefore

147. nā... e... nei - The reason why something is happeneing

148. nā... i... ai - The reason why something happened

149. nāku, nōku... - Established possession

150. Negating nāku possessives - Ehara i...

151. Negating passive sentences - Kāore... e...

152. Negating the future agent emphatic - ehara mā..

153. Negation of locatives - kāore...

154. Negations of 'me' - We shouldn't... - Kaua... (passive) e...

155. Negations of identity sentences - ehara...

156. Negations of kua (I haven't yet...) - Kāore ano... kia...

157. Negations of the future (I will not go) - Kāore... e...

158. Negations of the past tense - Kāore... i te...

159. Negations of the present tense (I am not working) - Kāore... i te...

160. Negative active commands - Don't! - Kaua e..., kāti...

161. Never mind the... No worries! - Hei aha te..., Kia ahatia@

162. -nga - Nominaliztion, noun endings

163. - Belonging to a place

164. - Belonging to the past

165. Nō hea ma? - Where is something from?

166. Nominaliztion, noun endings - -nga

167. Nōnahea, inahea - Asking 'when was?' When did something happen?

168. Not to, not with, not against - ...kaua ki...

169. Numbering people - tokorua, tokotahi...

170. o, a - Words that can be 'a' or 'o' categories

171. ō, tōku... - Possessives - 'o' class

172. Ordinal numbers (First, second, third...) - tuatahi, tuarua...

173. pai ake... - Comparatives (better than...)

174. Passive sentences - tikina...

175. Past - specifying a particular time - i te

176. Past agent emphatic - nā - agent emphatic

177. Pēnei au... - I thought mistakenly

178. pēnei, pēna, pēra - Like this, like that

179. Possessives - 'a' class - ā, tāku...

180. Possessives - 'o' class - ō, tōku...

181. Pronouns - singular - au, ahau

182. rata - To like

183. ...rāua ko..., rātou ko... - Talking about more than one person

184. rite pēwhea nei? - Alike in what way?

185. runga ake, raro iho, waho atu, roto atu - Above, underneath, outside of

186. Sentences with a subclause - e... ana

187. Sentences with i - i

188. Sentences with two possessives - a, o

189. Simple sentences - present tense with an adjective - kei te

190. Simple sentences: future tense - ka

191. Simple sentences: past completed tense - kua

192. Simple sentences: past tense - i te

193. Simple sentences: past tense - i

194. Simple sentences: present tense - e... ana

195. Simple sentences: present tense with a verb - kei te

196. Simple sentences: you should - me

197. So something can happen... - ...e taea ai hoki tērā...

198. Statives - mate, ngaro, mau...

199. Statives with 'i' - i a, i te, i ngā

200. Taihoa... e - Don't... just yet!

201. Talking about more than one person - ...rāua ko..., rātou ko...

202. Tāpirihia, Tīkina... - Commands using the passive

203. taua, aua - That aforementioned thing

204. te, ngā, he - The article

205. Te... nei, te... nā, te... rā - This and that thing over there

206. Telling time - kara

207. tēnā, te... nā - That (near you)

208. tēnei, te nei - This

209. That (near you) - tēnā, te... nā

210. That aforementioned thing - taua, aua

211. The article - te, ngā, he

212. The pseudo-passive - he mea...

213. The reason for an action - hei

214. The reason why something happened - nā... i... ai

215. The reason why something is happeneing - nā... e... nei

216. The reason why something will happen - mā... e... ai

217. The use of 'e' - e

218. Therefore - nā reira, nō reira

219. This - tēnei, te nei

220. This and that thing over there - Te... nei, te... nā, te... rā

221. This is just like that - he rite tonu

222. tikina... - Passive sentences

223. To like - rata

224. tokorua, tokotahi... - Numbering people

225. tonu mai, kā atu, rawa mai... - Direction markers with adverbs

226. Towards - mai

227. Travelling by means of - mā runga

228. tuatahi, tuarua... - Ordinal numbers (First, second, third...)

229. tunu parāoa... - Gerund phrases (fence building, bread baking, dishes washing...)

230. Unrealised possession - mā, māku

231. Use of 'a' as a personal article - a

232. Using 'i' to indicate direction away from something - i - i

233. Using 'i' to mean 'in', 'by' or 'at' - i

234. Using 'ki' to indicate direction towards something - ki

235. Verbs that take 'i' or 'ki' - i, ki

236. Verbs that take 'ki' - ki

237. waiata, kai - Words that are both verbs and nouns

238. What a... - kātahi te...

239. What is happening at the moment? - kei te aha?

240. What is this for? - hei aha?

241. What? - He aha?

242. When? (in the future) - Āwhea? Āhea?

243. Where is something from? - Nō hea ma?

244. Which - Ko tēhea?

245. Who is going to... - Ki a wai te...?

246. Who will? - mā wai?

247. Why did? - He aha... i... ai?

248. Why didn't... - He aha... i kore... aib e

249. Words that are both verbs and nouns - waiata, kai

250. Words that can be 'a' or 'o' categories - o, a