Māori Grammar

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Te Reo Māori Level 1
Simple sentences: past tense - i

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 tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

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

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

I a Huria.
Huria did.

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

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

I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

I pekepeke te tamaiti i te taiapa.
The child jumped backwards and forwards over the fence.

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

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

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

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

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

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

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

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

I tērā tau.
Last year.

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

I pātōtō tonu ia i runga i te tēpu.
She kept knocking on the table.

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

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

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

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

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 mutu tōmua tātou i tēnei .
We finished early today.

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

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

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

I ora ahau.
I was well.

I tērā , ka tae mai ētahi manuhiri.
Last night, some visitors arrived.

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

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

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

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

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

I aha koe?
What did you do?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

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

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

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

I whānau mai au i Te Tai Tonga.
I was born in Southland.

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

I pātōtō ia i runga i te tēpu.
She knocked on the table.

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

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

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

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

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

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

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

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

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

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

I mahi kai mātou i mua i te hui.
We prepared food before the meeting.

I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

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

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

I tae mai ia raro.
He arrived on foot.

I tihewa ia i te roa nei.
She sneezed all night.

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

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

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

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

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

I tae atu rātou ki reira me ā rātou .
They arrived there with their guns.

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

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

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

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

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

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

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

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

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

I kite au i tērā tamaiti tāne.
I saw that boy.

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

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

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

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

I pai koe.
You were good.

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

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

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

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

I oma au.
I ran.

I tāraia te waka ki te toki pounamu.
The canoe was carved with a jade adze.

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

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

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

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

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

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 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 tatari mātou i te kēti.
We walked by the gate.

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

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

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

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

I hīkoi au.
I walked.

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

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

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

I taraiwa māua.
We drove.

I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

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

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

I tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.

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

I tainahi.
Yesterday.