Māori Grammar

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I am going, I was going, I went.

past tense: i te

The tense marker i te is used to say that something was happening in the past:

I te oma au.
I was running.

This indicates continuous action - I must have been running for a duration of time.

Another tense marker indicates that something happened at a particular point in time, perhaps only once. This uses i as the tense marker:

I oma au.
I ran.

The difference between "I ran" and "I was running", or "she sang" and "she was singing" can be quite subtle, but one refers to continuous action and the other refers to a particular moment in time when an event happened.

Kei te kōrero ia.
She is talking.

I te kōrero ia.
She was talking.

I kōrero ia.
She spoke.

Kei te waiata ngā tamariki.
The children are singing.

I te waiata ngā tamariki.
She were singing.

I waiata ngā tamariki.
The children sang.

I tērā tau.
Last year.

I haere au ki te whare horoi kākahu.
I went to the laundry.

I haere ia ki te tāone.
She went to town.

I pou māua i ētahi rākau māori: he tōtara, he tarata, he kōwhai hoki.
We planted some native trees: tōtara, tarata and kōwhai.

I kai au tahi me...
I ate with...

I pānui a Toa i tērā pukapuka.
Toa read that book.

I pīrangi a Tau ki te haere hei mema pāremata.
Tau wanted to become an MP.

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

I haere rāua ki te whare pikitia inanahi.
Those two went to the movies yesterday.

I hoatu a Mere i te keke ki tana tama.
Mary gave the cake to her son.

I haere au ki te kauhoe.
I went for a swim.

I whakaakona māua ki te raranga harakeke e tō māua kaiako.
We (2 exclusive) were taught to weave flax by our teacher.

I whānau mai au i Rakiura.
I was born in Stewart Island.

I tono ahau kia mutu te tetū.
I ordered that the rowdy behaviour should stop.

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

I whakatō i ētehi kai māori pērā i te kūmara me te kōkihi.
We planted native food like kūmara and native spinach.

I ngā rā o mua, mā te hōiho kē te moua e tō.
In former times, a horse pulled the mower instead.

I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

I kai ngā tamariki i te parāoa.
The children ate the bread.

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

I oma mai te katipō nō raro mai i te takapau.
The spider ran out from under the mat.

I hoko a Rangi i te waka.
Rangi bought the car.

I haere au ki te pāka ki te hikoi.
I went to the park to walk.

I taraiwa māua.
We drove.

I hīkoi ia ki te kura.
She walked to school.

I āwhina mai ia. He atawhai nōna.
She helped me, She is very kind.

I mutu tōmua tātou i tēnei rā.
We finished early today.

I pakeke ake ia i Te Waipounamu.
He grew up in the South Island.

I karanga atu ki ngā manuhiri au.
I called to the guests.

I ora ahau.
I was well.

I aha koe?
What did you do?

I haere rātou ki te ngahere inānahi.
They went to the forest yesterday.

I tiki au i ngā tamariki.
I got the kids.

I kite au i te kurī i te pāmu.
I saw the dog at the farm.

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

I tākaro mātou i te kōti tuarua.
We played on the second court.

I pai koe.
You were good.

I pai taku moe, tuahine.
My sleep was good, sister.

I taraiwa māua ko taku hoa ki te whare wānanga i te waru karaka.
Me and my friend drove to uni at 8 o'clock.

I pēwhea tō moe, tungāne?
How was your sleep, brother?

I pēwhea hoki tō moe, e Mā?
How was your sleep, Mum?

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

I kauhoe atu ia ki te motu.
He swam to the island.

I Kohitātea ka whakatā tonu mātou.
We always take our holidays in January.

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

I whānau au i Poihākena, i Ahitereiria.
I was born in Sydney, Australia.

I noho rātou ki te kāinga o Ataahua.
They stayed at Ataahua's home.

I pakipaki te katoa me tō rātou kore e tino mārama ki tāua i kī ai.
Everyone applauded though they did not entirely understand what he had said.

I haere koutou ki te aha?
What did you go for?

I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

I tērā tau i hūnuku tōku whānau ki ngā roto o Kai Iwi.
Last year, my family moved to the lakes of Kai Iwi.

I kōrero a Tīmoti ki te whakaminenga.
Tīmoti addressed the assembled people.

I haere koe ki te toa?
Kāore koe i haere ki te toa?

I aha koe inapō?
What did you do last night?

I haere rāua i te tahataha awa.
They walked beside the river.

I haere au ki te pāka hei te hikoi.
I went to the park in order to walk.

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

I pahure atu au i te whare.
I walked past the house.

I aha koe i tēnei ata?
What did you do this morning?

I haere a Hemi ki te whare pikitia.
Hemi went to the cinema.

I tae tōmuri mai ia i te pō rā.
He arrived late last night.

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

I mahi au i te māra, ā, āe, i pānui pukapuka, ā, i tunu hoki au i te kai mā te whānau.
I worked in the garden, yeah, I read books and I cooked for the family.

I tipu au i Ahitereiria.
I grew up in Australia.

I taku whare te hui.
The meeting was at my place.

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

I rongo a Mia i te kurī.
Mia heard the dog.

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

I kai koe i te aha i nāpo?
What did you eat last night?

I waiata rāua i te hui?
Kāore rāua i waiata i te hui?

I noho ngā wāhine ki te marae.
The women stayed at the marae.

I noho au i reira i tērā tau.
I stayed there last year.

I mahi poka noa au ki te keri i te whenua, ka kohete mai ia, 'E tama e! Me taki karakia i te tuatahi'.
I heedlessly started digging and she growled at me, 'Boy! You should do karakia first!'

I haere te kura ki te tāone ki te whakataetae mō te kapa haka.
The school went to town to compete for the kapa haka.

I tupu hoki ahau i reira.
I also grew up there.

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

I noho au ki te mahi.
I stayed and worked.

I rapu haere ia i ana kī.
He went around looking for his keys.

I kite au i a rātou e hī ika ana.
I saw them fishing.

I haere mātou ki Kirikiriroa inanahi.
We went to town yesterday.

I waiho ahau i te koti ki tō whare.
I left the coat at your house.

I tauomaoma rātou e rua maero i te one.
They had a race for two miles along the beach.

I ngā hōtoke kei ngā raorao, kei ngā mānia, ā, i ngā raumati kei ngā maunga.
In the winter they were on the foothills and on the plains, and in the summer they were in the mountains.

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

I haere a Hori ki te kanikani ki te kimi hoa wahine.
Hori went to the dance to look for a girlfriend.

I aha koe i te mutunga wiki?
What did you do in the weekend?

I kite a Niko i te katipō.
Niko saw a katipō.

I kite a Tame i a ia anō.
Tame saw himself.

I pai. I au taku moe.
It was good. I slept well.

I titiro atu ia ki te rā, ka tihewa.
He look at the sun and sneezed.

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

I haere au ki to awa ki to hīkoi, i toro auto ki tōku hoa, ā, i kai tahi hoki me tōku whānau.
I went to the river to go walking, I visited my friend and I are together with my family.

I haere ā tāua tamariki ki tō rātou wharekura.
Our children went to their school.

I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

I oma te tama ki te kura.
The boy ran to school.

I a Huria.
Huria did.

I whakatā māua i te whare.
We (me and one other) rested at the house.

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

I haere au ki te awa ki to hīkoi i te mutunga wiki.
I went to the river to go walking in the weekend.

I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

I uru ia ki te kura.
She entered the school.

I hīkoi au.
I walked.

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

I rangona e koe tērā haruru?
Did you hear/feel that rumble?

I taku taenga atu ki te kāinga, kua maoa kē i a ia ngā kai.
When I got home, he had already cooked dinner.

I hīkoi au me te kurī.
I walked the dog.

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

I tapahi a Marama i a ia.
Marama cut herself, or, Marama cut him.

I kite koe i te pirihimana?
Kāore koe i kite i te pirihimana?

I oma au.
I ran.

I pēnei anō te tītere o te moana inanahi nei i tēnei rā.
The sea yesterday was as rough as it is today.