Māori Grammar


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

2. ā - ā to indicate the future

3. ā - Conjunctions - and

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 - Sentences with two possessives

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

10. a, o - A and o categories intro

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. ake - Up

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

17. And then... - kātahi ka...

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

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

20. Asking who - Ko wai...?

21. atu - Away

22. au, ahau - Pronouns - singular

23. Away - atu

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

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

26. Because - he... nō...

27. Belonging to a place -

28. Belonging to the past -

29. Categorizing sentences - he

30. Command with e! - e!

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

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 hia? Tokohia? - How many are there?

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

42. e! - Command with e!

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

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

45. ehara i... - Negating the past agent emphatic

46. Ehara i... - Negating nāku possessives

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

48. ehara... - Negations of identity sentences

49. engari - Conjunctions - but

50. Established possession - nāku, nōku...

51. For the purpose of - hei

52. Future agent emphatic - māku

53. Future locative - hei

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

55. Habitual action - ai

56. Has just... - kātahi anō...

57. he - Categorizing sentences

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

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

60. He aha? - What?

61. he mea... - The pseudo-passive

62. he rite tonu - This is just like that

63. he... nō... - Because

64. hei - The reason for an action

65. hei - For the purpose of

66. hei - Hei for future location in time

67. hei - Future locative

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

69. hei aha? - What is this for?

70. Hei for future location in time - hei

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

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

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

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

75. i - Simple sentences: past tense

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

77. i - Sentences with i

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

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

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

81. i te - Past - specifying a particular time

82. i te - Simple sentences: past tense

83. I thought mistakenly - Pēnei au...

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

85. Identity sentences - ko...

86. If (using mehemea) - mehemea, mehe, mēnā

87. If... (using me) - me

88. iho - Down

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

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

91. ka - Simple sentences: future tense

92. ka - Ka used to indicate the past

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

94. Ka used to indicate the past - ka

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

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

97. kāore... - Negation of locatives

98. Kāore... e... - Negating passive sentences

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

100. kāore... e... ana... - Negations of e... ana... sentences

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

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

103. kara - Telling time

104. kātahi anō... - Has just...

105. kātahi ka... - And then...

106. kātahi te... - What a...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

115. ki - Verbs that take 'ki'

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

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

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

119. kia - Kite takes kia rather than ki

120. kia... - Let there be...

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

122. Kite takes kia rather than ki - kia

123. Ko tēhea? - Which

124. Ko wai...? - Asking who

125. ko... - Identity sentences

126. kua - Simple sentences: past completed tense

127. Let there be... - kia...

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

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

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

131. mā runga - Travelling by means of

132. mā wai? - Who will?

133. mā, māku - Unrealised possession

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

135. mai - Towards

136. māku - Future agent emphatic

137. mate, ngaro, mau... - Statives

138. me - Simple sentences: you should

139. me - If... (using me)

140. mehemea, mehe, mēnā - If (using mehemea)

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

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

143. nā - agent emphatic - Past agent emphatic

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

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

146. nāku, nōku... - Established possession

147. Negating nāku possessives - Ehara i...

148. Negating passive sentences - Kāore... e...

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

150. Negating the past agent emphatic - ehara i...

151. Negation of locatives - kāore...

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

153. Negations of e... ana... sentences - kāore... e... ana...

154. Negations of identity sentences - ehara...

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

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

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

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

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

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

161. -nga - Nominaliztion, noun endings

162. - Belonging to the past

163. - Belonging to a place

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

165. Nominaliztion, noun endings - -nga

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

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

168. Numbering people - tokorua, tokotahi...

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

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

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

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

173. Passive sentences - tikina...

174. Past - specifying a particular time - i te

175. Past agent emphatic - nā - agent emphatic

176. Pēnei au... - I thought mistakenly

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

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

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

180. Pronouns - singular - au, ahau

181. rata - To like

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

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

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

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

186. Sentences with i - i

187. Sentences with two possessives - a, o

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

189. Simple sentences: future tense - ka

190. Simple sentences: past completed tense - kua

191. Simple sentences: past tense - i te

192. Simple sentences: past tense - i

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

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

195. Simple sentences: you should - me

196. Statives - mate, ngaro, mau...

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

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

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

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

201. taua, aua - That aforementioned thing

202. te, ngā, he - The article

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

204. Telling time - kara

205. tēnā, te... nā - That (near you)

206. tēnei, te nei - This

207. tērā - That (over there)

208. That (near you) - tēnā, te... nā

209. That (over there) - tērā

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. This - tēnei, te nei

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

220. This is just like that - he rite tonu

221. tikina... - Passive sentences

222. To like - rata

223. tokorua, tokotahi... - Numbering people

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

225. Towards - mai

226. Travelling by means of - mā runga

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

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

229. Unrealised possession - mā, māku

230. Up - ake

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