Māori Grammar

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Te Reo Māori Level 1
Simple sentences: past tense - i

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 toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I pai koe.
You were good.

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

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

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

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

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

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

I whānau mai au i Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
I was born in Wellington.

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

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

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

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

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

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

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

I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

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

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

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

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

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

I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

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

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

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

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

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

I ora ahau.
I was well.

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

I haere te kura ki te tāone ki te whakataetae te kapa haka.
The school went to town to compete for the kapa haka.

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

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

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

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 koutou ki te aha?
What did you go for?

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

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

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

I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

I hīkoi au.
I walked.

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

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

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

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

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

I a Huria.
Huria did.

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

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

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

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

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

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

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

I tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.

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

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

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

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

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

I aha koe?
What did you do?

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

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

I pakipaki te katoa me rātou kore e tino mārama ki tāua i ai.
Everyone applauded though they did not entirely understand what he had said.

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

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

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

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

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

I mahi au i te māra, ā, āe, i pānui pukapuka, ā, i tunu hoki au i te kai te whānau.
I worked in the garden, yeah, I read books and I cooked for the family.

I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

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

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

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

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

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

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

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

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

I oma au.
I ran.

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

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

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

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

I haere mātou ki Whakatamacr;ne inanahi.
We went to town yesterday.

I tae mai ia raro.
He arrived on foot.

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

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 ngā o mua, te hōiho te moua e .
In former times, a horse pulled the mower instead.

I taraiwa māua.
We drove.

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

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

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

I tērā tau.
Last year.