Māori Grammar

PreviousBack Next
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 horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

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 taraiwa au.
I drove.

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

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

I taraiwa māua.
We drove.

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

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

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

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

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

I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

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

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

I aha koe?
What did you do?

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

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

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

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

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

I a Huria.
Huria did.

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

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

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

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

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 tērā wiki.
Last week.

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

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

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

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

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

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

I whānau mai au i Waikanae.
I was born in Waikanae.

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

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

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

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

I ora ahau.
I was well.

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

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

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

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

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

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

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

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

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

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

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

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 waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

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

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

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I tae mai ia raro.
He arrived on foot.

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

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

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

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

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

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

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

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

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

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

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

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

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

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

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

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

I hīkoi au.
I walked.

I haere mātou ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara inanahi.
We went to town yesterday.

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

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

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

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

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

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

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

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

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

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

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

I tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.

I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

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

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

I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

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

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

I tērā tau.
Last year.

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

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

I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

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

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

I pai koe.
You were good.

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

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

I oma au.
I ran.