Māori Grammar
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The past tense uses i te for an action that was in progress and i for an action or event in the past:
I te haere ia.
He was going.
I haere ia.
He went.
These are negated by kāore... i te... and kāore... i...
Kāore ia i te haere.
He was not going.
Kāore ia i haere.
He did not go.
Note that sentences in the present, using kei te, are also negated with i te. This means that a sentence with kāore... i te... might be negating either a past or a present action.
Kāore ia i te haere.
He/she was not going.
He/she is not going.
The correct meaning is determined by context:
Inanahi, kāore au i te haere.
Yesterday, I was not going.
I tēnei rā, kāore au i te haere.
Today, I am not going.
The word order changes in the negative sentence, with the subject coming after kāore and before the verb:
| Affirmative | Negative | |
|---|---|---|
| Past | I + verb + subject | Kāore + subject + i + verb |
| Past progressive | I te + verb + subject | Kāore + subject + i te + verb |
The subject of the sentence can be a name, a personal pronoun or a noun phrase:
Kāore a Rangi i haere.
Rangi did not go.
Kāore rātou i haere.
They did not go.
Kāore ngā tamariki i haere.
The children did not go.
The negation structure does not change in the singular or plural:
Kāore te kaiako i te waiata.
The teacher was not singing.
Kāore ngā kaiako i te waiata.
The teachers were not singing.
Additional information can be added to the sentence:
Kāore au i te haere ki te toa.
I was not going to the shop.
Kāore ngā tamariki i tākaro i te kēmu.
The children did not play the game.
Kāore te wahine i aroha ki te tāne.
The woman did not love the man.
Past-tense passive sentences are negated in the same way:
Kāore te keke i kainga e ngā tamariki.
The cake was not eaten by the children.
Kāore te kupu i kōrerotia e te tāne.
The word was not spoken by the man.
Kāore te tama i oma ki te kura.
The boy did not run to school.Did you go to the shop?
Did you not go to the shop?Did they sing at the gathering?
Did they not sing at the gathering?Kāore au i maumahara ki te haora o te pahi tuatahi.
I can't remember the time of the first bus.Kāore a Hemi i haere ki te whare pikitia.
Hemi did not go to the cinema.Did you see the policeman?
Did you not see the policeman?Kāore māua i whakatā i te whare.
We did not rest at the house.Kāore a Aria i hīkoi ki te kura.
Aria didn't walk to school.Kāore au i hōhā i a koe.
I wasn't upset with you.Kāore a Rangi i hoko i te waka.
Rangi did not buy the car.Kāore ngā tamariki i kai i te parāoa.
The children did not eat the bread.Kāore ia i tunu i te kai.
He didn't cook the food.Kāore ia i oma.
She didn't run.Kāore ia i pānui i tāna mahi-ā-kāinga.
He didn't read his homework.Kāore ngā wāhine i noho ki te marae.
The women did not stay at the marae.Kāore au i kite i te kurī i te pāmu.
I did not see the dog at the farm.Kāore ahau i haere me Taika.
I did not go with Taika.Kāore ngā kōtiro i whakaaro he hangarau, engari i kata he tama.
None of the girls thought it was funny, but a boy laughed.