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