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