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 tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

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

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

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

I oma au.
I ran.

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

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

I hīkoi au.
I walked.

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

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 i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

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

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

I tērā tau.
Last year.

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

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

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

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

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

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

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

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

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

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

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

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

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

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

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

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

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

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 taraiwa māua.
We drove.

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

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

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

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

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

I ora ahau.
I was well.

I tū tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.

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

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

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

I aha koe?
What did you do?

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

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

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

I pai koe.
You were good.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

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

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

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

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

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

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 aha koe inapō?
What did you do last night?

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

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

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

I whānau mai au i Poneke.
I was born in Wellington.

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

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

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

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 taraiwa au.
I drove.

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

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

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

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 tērā wiki.
Last week.

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

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

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

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

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

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

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

I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

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

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

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

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

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 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 pai ia.
He or she was good.

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

I a Huria.
Huria did.

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

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

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