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

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

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

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

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

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

I oma au.
I ran.

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

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

I ora ahau.
I was well.

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

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 rātou wharekura.
Our children went to their school.

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

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

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

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

I aha koe?
What did you do?

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

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

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

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

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

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

I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

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

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

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

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

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.

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

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

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 noho au ki te mahi.
I stayed and worked.

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

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

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 toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

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

I whānau mai au i Te Tai Rāwhiti.
I was born in the Eastland region.

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

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

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

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

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

I pai koe.
You were good.

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

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

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

I hīkoi au.
I walked.

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

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

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

I tērā tau.
Last year.

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

I tae mai ia raro.
He arrived on foot.

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

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

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

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

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

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

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 hīkoi au me te kurī.
I walked the dog.

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

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

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

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 tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

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

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

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

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

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

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

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

I a Huria.
Huria did.

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

I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

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

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

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

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

I taraiwa māua.
We drove.

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

I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

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

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

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

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

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

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

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

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

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

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.