Māori Grammar

▶

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 horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

I ora ahau.
I was well.

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

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

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

I oma au.
I ran.

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

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

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

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

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

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

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 koutou ki te aha?
What did you go for?

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

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

I whānau mai au i Whakatū.
I was born in Nelson.

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

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

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

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

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

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

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

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

I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

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

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

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 hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

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.
We drove.

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

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

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

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

I tērā tau.
Last year.

I hīkoi au.
I walked.

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

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

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

I pai koe.
You were good.

I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

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

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

I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

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

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

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

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

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

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

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

I aha koe?
What did you do?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

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

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

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

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

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

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

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

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

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

I haere mātou ki Tāmaki-makau-rau inanahi.
We went to town yesterday.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

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

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

I a Huria.
Huria did.

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

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

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

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 waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

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

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

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

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

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

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 tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.