Māori Grammar

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 aha koe inapō?
What did you do last night?

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

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

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

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

I a Huria.
Huria did.

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

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

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

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

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

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 hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

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

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

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 tiki au i ngā tamariki.
I got the kids.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

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

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

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

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

I tērā tau.
Last year.

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

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

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

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

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

I taraiwa māua.
We drove.

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

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

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

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

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

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

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

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

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

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 aha koe?
What did you do?

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

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 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 konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

I ora ahau.
I was well.

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

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

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

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 āno ia.
He went again.

I whānau mai au i Tāmaki-makau-rau.
I was born in Auckland.

I hīkoi au.
I walked.

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

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

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

I tū tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

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

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

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

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

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

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

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

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

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

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

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

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

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

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

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

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

I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

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

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

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

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

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

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

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

I pai koe.
You were good.

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

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

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

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

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

I haere mātou ki Te Tai Tokerau inanahi.
We went to town yesterday.

I oma au.
I ran.

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

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

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

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

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

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

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