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 hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

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

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

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

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

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

I tae mai ia mā raro.
He arrived on foot.

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

I tērā tau.
Last year.

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

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

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

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

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

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

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

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 whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

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

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

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

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

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

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

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

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

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

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

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

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

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

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 kite a Manu i a ia anō.
Manu saw himself.

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

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

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

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

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

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

I a Huria.
Huria did.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

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

I whānau mai au i Whakatamacr;ne.
I was born in Whakatamacr;ne.

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

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

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

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

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 tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

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

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

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

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

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

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

I tū tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

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

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

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

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

I taraiwa māua.
We drove.

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

I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

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

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

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

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

I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

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

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

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

I ora ahau.
I was well.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I oma au.
I ran.

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

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

I aha koe?
What did you do?

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

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

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

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

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

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

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

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

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

I pai koe.
You were good.

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 hīkoi au.
I walked.

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