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