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