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 whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

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

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

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

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

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

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 hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

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

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

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

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

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

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

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

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

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

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

I taraiwa māua.
We drove.

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

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

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

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

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

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

I oma au.
I ran.

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

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

I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

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

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 waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

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

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

I a Huria.
Huria did.

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

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

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

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

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

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

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

I oma mai te katipō nō 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 tihewa ia i te pō roa nei.
She sneezed all night.

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

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

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 ora ahau.
I was well.

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

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

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

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 mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

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

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

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

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

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

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

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

I hīkoi au.
I walked.

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 tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

I aha koe?
What did you do?

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

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

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

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

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

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

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

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I tū tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.

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

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

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

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

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

I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

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

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

I whānau mai au i Ahuriri.
I was born in Napier.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

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

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

I tērā tau.
Last year.

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

I pai koe.
You were good.

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

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

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

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