Māori Grammar

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I am going, I was going, I went.

past tense: i te

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 whakaakona māua ki te raranga harakeke e tō māua kaiako.
We (2 exclusive) were taught to weave flax by our teacher.

I pai taku moe, tuahine.
My sleep was good, sister.

I aha koe i te mutunga wiki?
What did you do in the weekend?

I kite au i te kurī i te pāmu.
I saw the dog at the farm.

I rangona e koe tērā haruru?
Did you hear/feel that rumble?

I tiki au i ngā tamariki.
I got the kids.

I kōrero a Tīmoti ki te whakaminenga.
Tīmoti addressed the assembled people.

I taku whare te hui.
The meeting was at my place.

I pēwhea hoki tō moe, e Mā?
How was your sleep, Mum?

I a Huria.
Huria did.

I waruwaru rīwai au.
I peeled spuds.

I kite koe i te pirihimana?
Kāore koe i kite i te pirihimana?

I pakeke ake ia i Te Waipounamu.
He grew up in the South Island.

I aha koe i tēnei ata?
What did you do this morning?

I āhua makariri a Hēmi.
Hēmi was somewhat cold.

I pai. I au taku moe.
It was good. I slept well.

I tāraia te waka ki te toki pounamu.
The canoe was carved with a jade adze.

I uru ia ki te kura.
She entered the school.

I Kohitātea ka whakatā tonu mātou.
We always take our holidays in January.

I hīkoi au me te kurī.
I walked the dog.

I noho au i reira i tērā tau.
I stayed there last year.

I pou māua i ētahi rākau māori: he tōtara, he tarata, he kōwhai hoki.
We planted some native trees: tōtara, tarata and kōwhai.

I taraiwa au.
I drove.

I mutu tōmua tātou i tēnei rā.
We finished early today.

I tērā tau.
Last year.

I pīrangi a Tau ki te haere hei mema pāremata.
Tau wanted to become an MP.

I pātōtō ia i runga i te tēpu.
She knocked on the table.

I tauomaoma rātou e rua maero i te one.
They had a race for two miles along the beach.

I tiaki tamariki au.
I looked after kids.

I haere āno ia.
He went again.

I haere a Hemi ki te whare pikitia.
Hemi went to the cinema.

I karanga atu ki ngā manuhiri au.
I called to the guests.

I whakatō i ētehi kai māori pērā i te kūmara me te kōkihi.
We planted native food like kūmara and native spinach.

I whānau mai au i Te Whanganui-a-Tara.
I was born in Wellington.

I haere au ki te kauhoe.
I went for a swim.

I haere rāua i te tahataha awa.
They walked beside the river.

I ngā rā o mua, mā te hōiho kē te moua e tō.
In former times, a horse pulled the mower instead.

I aha koe?
What did you do?

I haere a Hori ki te kanikani ki te kimi hoa wahine.
Hori went to the dance to look for a girlfriend.

I tino hiamoe ahau.
I was very sleepy.

I pai koe.
You were good.

I whiwhi paetae au.
I got achieved.

I hoko a Rangi i te waka.
Rangi bought the car.

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 tatari mātou i te kēti.
We walked by the gate.

I haere au ki te whare horoi kākahu.
I went to the laundry.

I tae atu rātou ki reira me ā rātou pū.
They arrived there with their guns.

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 pekepeke te tamaiti i te taiapa.
The child jumped backwards and forwards over the fence.

I tū tētahi tamaiti tāne.
A certain boy stood.

I kite a Amaru i te katipō.
Amaru saw a katipō.

I waiata rāua i te hui?
Kāore rāua i waiata i te hui?

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.
We drove.

I tupu hoki ahau i reira.
I also grew up there.

I haere rāua ki te whare pikitia inanahi.
Those two went to the movies yesterday.

I haere au ki te pāka hei te hikoi.
I went to the park in order to walk.

I tākaro mātou i te kōti tuarua.
We played on the second court.

I noho rātou ki te kāinga o Nikau.
They stayed at Nikau's home.

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 pai a Rangi.
Rangi was very good.

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 tēnei wiki.
This week.

I noho au ki te mahi.
I stayed and worked.

I tae mai ia mā raro.
He arrived on foot.

I pahure atu au i te whare.
I walked past the house.

I kauhoe atu ia ki te motu.
He swam to the island.

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 tipu au i Ahitereiria.
I grew up in Australia.

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 ngā tamariki i te parāoa.
The children ate the bread.

I haere rātou ki te ngahere inānahi.
They went to the forest yesterday.

I ora ahau.
I was well.

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 tainahi.
Yesterday.

I pai ia.
He or she was good.

I aha koe inapō?
What did you do last night?

I waiho ahau i te koti ki tō whare.
I left the coat at your house.

I whānau au i Poihākena, i Ahitereiria.
I was born in Sydney, Australia.

I titiro atu ia ki te rā, ka tihewa.
He look at the sun and sneezed.

I haere ia ki te tāone.
She went to town.

I pai tāna waita.
His singing was good.

I hoatu a Mere i te keke ki tana tama.
Mary gave the cake to her son.

I kaha taku kai.
I had lots to eat.

I haere koe ki te toa?
Kāore koe i haere ki te toa?

I toro au ki ngā hoa.
I visited friends.

I whara au taku waewae.
I hurt my leg.

I tākaro teihana tākaro au.
I played Play Station.

I rapu haere ia i ana kī.
He went around looking for his keys.

I horoi pēpi au.
I washed baby.

I okioki au.
I relaxed.

I hīkoi au.
I walked.

I ngenge koe.
You were tired.

I oma te tama ki te kura.
The boy ran to school.

I pātōtō tonu ia i runga i te tēpu.
She kept knocking on the table.

I konei rāua i nanahi.
They were here yesterday.

I kai au tahi me...
I ate with...

I mahi kai mātou i mua i te hui.
We prepared food before the meeting.

I tākaro poitūkohu au.
I played basketball.

I tērā pō, ka tae mai ētahi manuhiri.
Last night, some visitors arrived.

I kite au i a rātou e hī ika ana.
I saw them fishing.

I haere koutou ki te aha?
What did you go for?

I oma mai te katipō nō raro mai i te takapau.
The spider ran out from under the mat.

I haere ā tāua tamariki ki tō rātou wharekura.
Our children went to their school.

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 pēwhea tō moe, tungāne?
How was your sleep, brother?

I rongo a Niko i te kurī.
Niko heard the dog.

I noho ngā wāhine ki te marae.
The women stayed at the marae.

I hiainu koe.
You were thirsty.

I kai koe i te aha i nāpo?
What did you eat last night?

I tono ahau kia mutu te tetū.
I ordered that the rowdy behaviour should stop.

I kite au i tērā tamaiti tāne.
I saw that boy.

I kai au i taku parakuihi.
I ate breakfast.

I oma au.
I ran.

I pānui a Toa i tērā pukapuka.
Toa read that book.

I hiakai ia.
He or she was hungry.

I kite a Manu i a ia anō.
Manu saw himself.

I haere au ki te pāka ki te hikoi.
I went to the park to walk.

I tapahi a Marama i a ia.
Marama cut herself, or, Marama cut him.

I haere mātou ki Kāpiti inanahi.
We went to town yesterday.

I whakatā māua i te whare.
We (me and one other) rested at the house.

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 hīkoi ia ki te kura.
She walked to school.

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 āwhina mai ia. He atawhai nōna.
She helped me, She is very kind.

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 āhua wera koe.
You were somewhat hot.

I tae tōmuri mai ia i te pō rā.
He arrived late last night.

I tērā wiki.
Last week.

I mania a Pani.
Pani slipped.