Māori Grammar

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Te Reo Māori Level 3
A strong or emphatic negative. - Nō hea, nō whea

Ka kimihia he puna wai, nō whea e kitea.
They looked for a spring, but had no luck whatsoever finding one.

Nō whea e ora ngā tāngata o te takutai i tēnā taiāniwhaniwha.
There was no chance of the coastal dwellers surviving that tsunami.

Nō whea e mutu te whawhai a ngāi tāua, te tangata.
Humankind will never stop fighting.

Ka aroha rātou. Nō whea e oma, nō whea e huna.
Poor things. There was absolutely nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

Nō whea e pēnā te Māori!
A Māori would never do that!

Nō whea e ora ngā tāngata o te maunga i tēnā pakarutanga?
How cold the mountain dwellers possibly survive that eruption?

Nō hea i uia te pono o ngā kōrero i tana CV.
The truth of what he put in his CV was never questioned.

Ka kimihihia he rūma mōtēra e wātea ana, nō whea e kitea.
They looked for a vacant motel room, but had no luck whatsoever finding one.

Ka aroha rātou. Nō hea e oma, nō hea e huna. - Poor things.
Poor things. There was absolutely nowhere to run, nowhere to hide.

Nō whea tātou i mōhio ai!
We couldn't possibly have known!

Nō whea hoki i taea ai!
There's no way that could have been done.

Nō whea e toa te poroheahea i te pōtitanga?
How could a nutter possibly win an election?

Nō whea e toa tērā kōtiro i te tauwhāingaroa?
How can that girl possibly win the marathon?

Nō hea i uia te pono o ngā kōrero i tana whārangi pukumata.
The truth of what she put on her facebook page was never questioned.

Nō whea e hoki te tihe ki te ihu.
A sneeze can't possibly return to the nose.

He mate kino i pā ohorere ki ōna roro, nō hea e taea te whakaora.
A serious condition struck her brain without warning, and there was no hope of saving her.