| Previous | Back | Next |
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 ia ki te tāone.
She went to town.I whakatā māua i te whare.
We (me and one other) rested at the house.I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.I kite au i te kurī i te pāmu.
I saw the dog at the farm.I pīrangi a Tau ki te haere hei mema pāremata.
Tau wanted to become an MP.I haere au ki te whare horoi kākahu.
I went to the laundry.I kai au tahi me...
I ate with...I tono ahau kia mutu te tetū.
I ordered that the rowdy behaviour should stop.I Kohitātea ka whakatā tonu mātou.
We always take our holidays in January.I pēnei anō te tītere o te moana inanahi nei i tēnei rā.
The sea yesterday was as rough as it is today.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 āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.I āwhina mai ia. He atawhai nōna.
She helped me, She is very kind.I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.I waiata rāua i te hui?
Kāore rāua i waiata i te hui?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 toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.I hoatu a Mere i te keke ki tana tama.
Mary gave the cake to her son.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 tihewa ia i te pō roa nei.
She sneezed all night.I pou māua i ētahi rākau māori: he tōtara, he tarata, he kōwhai hoki.
We planted some native trees: tōtara, tarata and kōwhai.I oma mai te katipō nō raro mai i te takapau.
The spider ran out from under the mat.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 haere au ki te pāka hei te hikoi.
I went to the park in order to walk.I tū tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.I tiki au i ngā tamariki.
I got the kids.I ngā rā o mua, mā te hōiho kē te moua e tō.
In former times, a horse pulled the mower instead.I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.I tupu hoki ahau i reira.
I also grew up there.I haere koutou ki te aha?
What did you go for?I whakaakona māua ki te raranga harakeke e tō māua kaiako.
We (2 exclusive) were taught to weave flax by our teacher.I tāraia te waka ki te toki pounamu.
The canoe was carved with a jade adze.I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.I kite au i a rātou e hī ika ana.
I saw them fishing.I tākaro mātou i te kōti tuarua.
We played on the second court.I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.I rongo a Amaru i te kurī.
Amaru heard the dog.I hoko a Rangi i te waka.
Rangi bought the car.I tērā pō, ka tae mai ētahi manuhiri.
Last night, some visitors arrived.I aha koe i te mutunga wiki?
What did you do in the weekend?I haere au ki te pāka ki te hikoi.
I went to the park to walk.I pēwhea tō moe, tungāne?
How was your sleep, brother?I rapu haere ia i ana kī.
He went around looking for his keys.I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.I kite a Hera i te katipō.
Hera saw a katipō.I tae mai ia mā raro.
He arrived on foot.I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.I haere rātou ki te ngahere inānahi.
They went to the forest yesterday.I hīkoi au me te kurī.
I walked the dog.I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.I taku whare te hui.
The meeting was at my place.I haere rāua i te tahataha awa.
They walked beside the river.I tapahi a Marama i a ia.
Marama cut herself, or, Marama cut him.I waiho ahau i te koti ki tō whare.
I left the coat at your house.I haere ā tāua tamariki ki tō rātou wharekura.
Our children went to their school.I noho au ki te mahi.
I stayed and worked.I tae atu rātou ki reira me ā rātou pū.
They arrived there with their guns.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 whānau au i Poihākena, i Ahitereiria.
I was born in Sydney, Australia.I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.I pahure atu au i te whare.
I walked past the house.I hīkoi ia ki te kura.
She walked to school.I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.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 noho au i reira i tērā tau.
I stayed there last year.I noho rātou ki te kāinga o Nikau.
They stayed at Nikau's home.I tino pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.I haere koe ki te toa?
Kāore koe i haere ki te toa?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 kite au i tērā tamaiti tāne.
I saw that boy.I kōrero a Tīmoti ki te whakaminenga.
Tīmoti addressed the assembled people.I kauhoe atu ia ki te motu.
He swam to the island.I tae tōmuri mai ia i te pō rā.
He arrived late last night.I pātōtō tonu ia i runga i te tēpu.
She kept knocking on the table.I aha koe inapō?
What did you do last night?I pekepeke te tamaiti i te taiapa.
The child jumped backwards and forwards over the fence.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 pakeke ake ia i Te Waipounamu.
He grew up in the South Island.I haere a Hori ki te kanikani ki te kimi hoa wahine.
Hori went to the dance to look for a girlfriend.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 kai koe i te aha i nāpo?
What did you eat last night?I pātōtō ia i runga i te tēpu.
She knocked on the table.I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.I whānau mai au i Te Tai Tokerau.
I was born in the Northland region.I pai. I au taku moe.
It was good. I slept well.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 uru ia ki te kura.
She entered the school.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 titiro atu ia ki te rā, ka tihewa.
He look at the sun and sneezed.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 haere mātou ki Tāmaki-makau-rau inanahi.
We went to town yesterday.I oma te tama ki te kura.
The boy ran to school.I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.I mutu tōmua tātou i tēnei rā.
We finished early today.I pai taku moe, tuahine.
My sleep was good, sister.I haere rāua ki te whare pikitia inanahi.
Those two went to the movies yesterday.I noho ngā wāhine ki te marae.
The women stayed at the marae.I tatari mātou i te kēti.
We walked by the gate.I rangona e koe tērā haruru?
Did you hear/feel that rumble?I haere au ki te kauhoe.
I went for a swim.I kite a Tame i a ia anō.
Tame saw himself.I tipu au i Ahitereiria.
I grew up in Australia.I tauomaoma rātou e rua maero i te one.
They had a race for two miles along the beach.I mahi kai mātou i mua i te hui.
We prepared food before the meeting.I āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.I aha koe i tēnei ata?
What did you do this morning?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.