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