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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I aha koe?
What did you do?

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

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

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

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

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

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

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

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

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

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

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

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

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

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

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 Whakatamacr;ne.
I was born in Whakatamacr;ne.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

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

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

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

I tainahi.
Yesterday.

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

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

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

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

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

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

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

I oma au.
I ran.

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

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

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

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

I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

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

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

I taraiwa māua.
We drove.

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

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

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

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

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

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.

I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

I pai koe.
You were good.

I tērā tau.
Last year.

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

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

I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

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

I hīkoi au.
I walked.

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

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

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

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

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

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

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

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

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

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

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

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

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

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

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

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

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

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

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

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

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

I a Huria.
Huria did.

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

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

I tae mai ia raro.
He arrived on foot.

I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

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

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

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

I tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.

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 ora ahau.
I was well.

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

I tēnei wiki.
This week.

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

I okioki au.
I relaxed.