Māori Grammar
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Te reo Māori has two categories for nouns called the a and o categories.
The o category includes:
water and medicine
parts of things
things associated with the body (including clothes)
one's home, land and iwi
parents, grandparents and siblings
people in a superior position (a boss, police, etc)
modes of transport (including horses)
A simple possessive can use o on its own:
Te whare o te whānau.
The family's house. (Literally: the house of the family)
Te waka o Rangi.
Rangi's car. (Literally: the car of Rangi)
T-class possessives in the o category include for singular items (eg "my pen"):
tōku - my
tōu - your
tōna - his/her
tō tāua - yours and mine
tō kōrua - belonging to you two
tō māua -belonging to us two but not you
tō rāua - belonging to those two
tō tātou - ours
tō koutou - yours (3+)
tō mātou - ours (but not yours)
tō rātou - theirs
T-class possessives in the o category include for plural items (eg "my pens"):
ōku - my
ōu - your
ōna - his/her
ō tāua - yours and mine
ō kōrua - belonging to you two
ō māua -belonging to us two but not you
ō rāua - belonging to those two
ō tātou - ours
ō koutou - yours (3+)
ō mātou - ours (but not yours)
ō rātou - theirs
Note the difference between the singular and plural of things possessed, and singular and plural of owners:
tōku whare
my house
ōku whare
my houses
tō tātou whare
our house
ō tātou whare
our houses
Hoake tātou ki tō rāua whare.
Let's go to their house.Ko Ani te hoa wahine o Nikau.
Ani is the wife of Nikau.Kei te haere tō māua hoa ki te whare o tō rāua whaea.
Our friend is going to their mother's house.Kei hea te kakau o te toki?
Where's the handle of the axe?Kua rere te wauria o Rua.
Rua's spirit has fled.Ko Whakatamacr;ne te kāinga o te tipuna tāne o te whānau.
The grandfather of the family lives in Whakatamacr;ne.Kua whakawātea tō mātou rangatira i tōna tūranga.
Our boss has returned from his position.Kāore tōna motokā e haere.
His car doesn't go.Haere mai ki te mihi ki tōku whanau!
Come and meet my family!Ko te whakaititianga te tohu o te mana nui.
Humility is the sign of greatness.Kua mate rawa ō tātou koroua katoa.
All our old men are dead.Ka mihi ahau ki tōku kara, arā te kara hui o te Kuini.
I greet my flag, the great flag of the Queen.He Pita ro kaiako o ā māua tamariki.
Our children's teacher is Pita.Ko Aorangi te tino maunga o Ngāi Tahu.
Aorangi is the foremost mountain of Ngāi Tahu.Kei hea ō koutou kamapūtu, tamariki mā?
Where are your gumboots, children?Ko Aria tōna matuakēkē.
Aria is his aunty.He rongonui te kōrero mo te patunga o Kae e Tinirau.
The story of Kae's being killed by Tinirau is famous.Ko Tūhawaiki te rangatira o Murihuku i tērā ray tau.
Tūhawaiki was the chief of Murihiku last century.He aha ngā whainga o tō koutou rōpū?
What are the objectives of your organisation?Hāpatia tōu ringaringa!
Raise your hand!Whakahokia tōku heru!
Give back my comb!I te taha o te awa te ana o taua ngārara.
The cave of the monster was beside the river.Ka mīharo rātou ki te ātaahua o te wahine patupaiarehe.
They were astonished at the beauty of the fairy woman.He hū ō ā māua tamariki.
Our children have shoes.Ko Amaru tōna matuakēkē.
Amaru is his uncle.Unumia tō rongoa!
Take your medicine!No Te Tai Tokerau ā koutou irāmutu.
Your nieces are from the Northland region.He aha ō rātou whakaaro e pā ana ki tēnā?
What do they think about that?He pai ki a koe tōku tūru hou?
Do you like my new chair?Whakapai tōu moenga, E Tame!
Make your bed, Tame!Me piri koe ki tōu ope.
You must stick to your party.Ka roa tō tātou haerenga.
Our journey is long.Ko Tame tōna hoa tane.
Tame is her husband.Kua whati te waewae o te tūru.
The leg of the chair is broken.Kāore tō tāua matua i haere ki tāna hui.
Our father did not go to his meeting.E rua ōu whatu, kotahi tōu ihu.
You have two eyes and one nose.Kua ngaro ōku whenua katoa.
All my lands are lost.Ko Ataahua te whaea o Tawa.
Ataahua is the mother of Tawa.He whāiti, he kōtiti ngā ara ki tōna takiwā.
The roads to her district are narrow and winding.Ka roa noa atu tōku rerenga i roto i tōku rererangi.
I can go for miles in my airplane.Ko to iwi Māori ngā tāngata whenua o Aotearoa.
The Māori people are the tāngata whenua of Aotearoa.Kōrero ki tērā wahine e whakamau ana i tōku pōtae.
Speak to that woman wearing my hat.Ka koa tōku ngākau ki āna kupu.
My heart raced at her words.No Te Wai Pounamu tōu tipuna wahine.
Your grandmother is from the South Island.Kāore anō ngā tamariki tāne kia paraihe i ō rātou makawe.
The boys have not brushed their hear yet.Manaakitia ōu kaumātua!
Respect your elders!Ko tēnei tōku hoa pai rawa.
This is my best friend.Ko Ingarangi pea te kīnga tūturu o te nuinga o te iwi Pākehā.
The original home of most Pākehā people is probably England.Ka nui te aroha o ngā tāngata ki te take nei.
The people feel very sympathetic to this cause.Ko ia tōku teina.
She is my younger sister.Kua oma ato ō tātou hōiho.
Our horses have escaped.He tāokete ia no tāku wāhine.
He is a brother-in-law of my wife.He Pākehā te nuinga o ngā tauira i reira.
Most of the students there are Pākehā.E titiro ana ngā tauhou ki te nui o tērā rākau, o Tāne Mahuta.
The strangers gazed at the size of that tree, Tane Mahuta.Ko Ataahua rāua ko Kauri ō tātou tumuaki.
Ataahua and Kauri are our leaders.Ko Ngāti Hāmuti Wera to ingoa o tērā iwi.
The name of that tribe is Ngāti Hāmuti Wera.Ko Kauri te tāokete o Moana.
Kauri is Moana's sister-in-law.Kei hea ngā uri o Te Rangihiroa? Kāore ōna uri.
Where are the descendants of Te Rangihiroa? He had none.Ko Ari te pāpā o Koa.
Ari is Koa's father.Kua hinga te totara o te wao nui o Tāne.
The totara of Tāne's great forest has fallen.He tatau tō te whare.
The house has a door.Ko Rangi tō rāua tungāne.
Rangi is their cousin.Ko Mere te tuahine o Mārama rāua ko Tamahae.
Mere is Marama's and Tamahae's cousin.Kaua e tū ki runga i tō rātou whāriki hou!
Do not stand on their new carpet!I tupu tōna pukurir i roto i a ia.
His anger grew within him.Kua whati te waewae o tāku tamāhine.
My daughter has a broken leg.He toa ngā kuia o Waikato ki te kanikani.
The old ladies of Waikato are great dancers.Ko tēnei te kōrero o te matenga o Kae.
This is the story of the death of Kae.Ko Hēmi rāua ko Mia ōku hungarei.
Hēmi and Mia are my inlaws.He tatou tō tō rātou whare.
Their house has a door.Ko ēnei ngā mahi o te hui.
These things are the work of the meeting.He kaumātua a Niko rāua ko Rangi no tērā marae.
Niko and Rangi are elders of that marae.Ko ngā iwi katoa o te ao kua huihui mai i tēnei rā.
All the peoples of the world have gathered here today.