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 okioki au.
I relaxed.

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

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 hīkoi au.
I walked.

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

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

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

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

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

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

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

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

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

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

I aha koe?
What did you do?

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

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

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

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

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

I a Huria.
Huria did.

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

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 whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

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

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

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

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

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 āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

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

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

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

I oma au.
I ran.

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 tipu au i Ahitereiria.
I grew up in Australia.

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

I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

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

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

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

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

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

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

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

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

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

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

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

I ora ahau.
I was well.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

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

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

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

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

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 whānau mai au i Waikanae.
I was born in Waikanae.

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

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

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

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

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

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

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

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

I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

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

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

I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

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

I tērā tau.
Last year.

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

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

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

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

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

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

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

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

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

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

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

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

I haere mātou ki Rakiura inanahi.
We went to town yesterday.

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

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

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

I taraiwa māua.
We drove.

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

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

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

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

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

I pai koe.
You were good.

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

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

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

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