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

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

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

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 whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

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

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

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

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

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

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

I ora ahau.
I was well.

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

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

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

I pai koe.
You were good.

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

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

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

I oma au.
I ran.

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

I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

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

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

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

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

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

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

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

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

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

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

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

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

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

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

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

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

I a Huria.
Huria did.

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

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

I aha koe?
What did you do?

I whānau mai au i Kirikiriroa.
I was born in Hamilton.

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

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

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

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 haere mātou ki Kāpiti inanahi.
We went to town yesterday.

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

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

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

I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

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

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

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

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

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

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

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

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

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

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

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 tērā wiki.
Last week.

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

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

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

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

I taraiwa māua.
We drove.

I hīkoi au.
I walked.

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 whare horoi kākahu.
I went to the laundry.

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

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

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

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

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

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

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 kauhoe.
I went for a swim.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

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

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 uru ia ki te kura.
She entered the school.

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

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

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

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

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

I tērā tau.
Last year.

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

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