Māori Grammar

Locatives (at the moment, something is somewhere) - kei te

Kei te means that something is happening at the moment. However, kei can also indicate that something is located somewhere at the moment.

Kei te hokomaha ahau.
At the moment, I am located at the supermarket.
I'm at the supermarket.

Kei te wharepaku ia.
At the moment, she's located in the toilet.
She's in the toilet.

This might seem a little confusing, because you might think that kei te hokomaha ahau means "I am supermaketing" in the same way that kei te oma ahau means "I am running". But, in fact, this is more or less what it means. 

In English, sentences with verbs like "run" and "sing" are different from sentences where we say where we are. But in te reo Māori, they are very closely related. In Māori, a sentence with a verb actually tells someone where a person is located:

Kei te hikoi ahau.
At the moment, I am located at the walking.
I'm walking.

Kei te waiata ia.
At the moment, she is located at the singing.
She is singing.

Of course, in English, no one would ever say "I am located at the walking" to indicate that they were going for a walk, but in te reo, kei te is a kind of locative.

I te whakarongo mātou ki te waiata i te rā whānau.
We were listening to the song at the birthday.

I te hīkoi rātou i nanahi.
They were walking yesterday.

I te piki au i te rākau.
I was climbing the tree.

I te haere au ki te toa ki te hoko kai.
I was going to the shop to buy food.

I te haere rātou.
They were going.

Ka waiata te kapa haka i te hui.
The haka group will sing at the gathering.

I te whakawhitinga o te katipō i te matapihi, mea oma.
The spider ran across the window.

I te pupuhi te hau.
The wind was blowing.

I te tunu a Hana i te keke mō te hui.
Hana was baking the cake for the meeting.

I te mutunga wiki i haere au ki te awa,te kura, te toa hoki.
On the weekend I went to the river, to the school and also to the shop.

I te hanga te kaiako i ngā mahi mō te akomanga.
The teacher was preparing the work for the class.

I te pānui au.
I was reading.

Ka tuhituhi a Pita i te reta mō tōna hoa.
Pita will write the letter for his friend.

I te kōrero a Ari.
Ari was talking.

I te moe ngā pēpi.
The baby was sleeping.

I te hari katoa hāunga anō a Aria.
Everyone was happy except Aria.

I te pupuhi te hau inanahi.
The wind was blowing yesterday.

I te tākaro ngā tamariki i te pāmu i te rā wera
The children were playing at the farm on the hot day.

I te matapihi tata tonu, ka haere ia ki te kūaha.
She walked from near the window to the door.

Ka rere te waka rererangi ki Tāmaki Makaurau ā te ahiahi.
The plane will fly to Auckland in the afternoon.

I te hoki mai a Rewi i te mahi i te ahiahi.
Rewi was returning from work in the evening.

I te mutunga o te hui, ka tū he arotakenga.
At the end of the hui, an evaluation was done.

I te hīkoi a Koa ki te kura.
Koa was walking to school.

Ka haere rātou ki te moana ki te kaukau.
They will go to the beach to swim.

I te pīrangi koe ki te kaputī?
Did you want a tea?

I te kai te kōtero i te āporo.
The girl was eating the apple.

Ka horoi koe i ngā rīhi i muri i te kai.
You will wash the dishes after the meal.

I te kai te kōtiro.
The girl was eating.

I te kaha o te rā ki to whiti, ka pōngia iho ahau.
The sun was so bright I had to close my eyes.

I te Mane ka haere ahau ki Taupō.
I went to Taupo on Monday.

I te mātakitaki au i te kiriata me ōku hoa.
I was watching the movie with my friends.

I te haere rātou ki te moana ki te kauhoe.
They were going to the beach to swim.

I te ako a Pita i te reo Māori i te kura.
Pita was learning te reo Māori at school.

Ka whakatika a Hine i te whare ā te ata.
Hine will clean the house in the morning.

Ka haere au ki te toa āpōpō ki te hoko kai.
I will go to the shop tomorrow to buy food.

I te matekai ngā tamariki.
The children were hungry.

I te inumanga o te pia, ka hauranga rātou.
On drinking the beer, they got drunk.

I te tū ia.
He was standing.

I te whana te tama i te pōro.
The boy was kicking the ball.

Ka haere mātou ki te whare pikitia hei te Rāmere.
We will go to the cinema on Friday.

I te kōrero ngā wahine.
The women were talking.

I te moe a Rangi.
Rangi was asleep.

I te whakarongo koutou?
Were you listening?

Ka tunu a Mere i te kai mō te whānau ā te pō.
Mere will cook dinner for the family tonight.

I te topenga o te rākau, ka riri te iwi.
When the tree was cut, the people were angry.

I te hanga rātou i te whare.
They were building the house.

Ka kōrero a Rewi ki te kaiako hei te Rātū.
Rewi will speak to the teacher on Tuesday.

I te mutunga o te pōwhiri, ka tū te hākari.
At the end of the welcome, a feast was held.

I te raka tonu te hōro.
The hall was still locked.

I te whakareri a Mere mō te haerenga ki Tāhuna.
Mere was preparing for the trip to Queenstown.

I te kōrero au ki a ia.
I was speaking to her.