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In te reo Māori, ki can mean "to" and i can mean "from". However, these two small words are also used often to undicate the object of a sentence. This is the thing that a person does something to or a person that has something done to them. For example, in the sentence "I am reading a book", the subject of the sentence is "I" - I am the one doig the action. The verb is "reading". But the object of the sentence is "a book". This is the thing being read.
In English we do not say "I am reading to to the book" - this would make no sense - but this is what we need to say in te reo. The object of a sentence (the book being read, or the song being sung, or the tree being planted, or the baby being fed) must always have an i or a ki. Very often, people miss this out because there is no English equivalent for this.
For example we do not say: "kei te pānui au te pukapuka" but:
Kei te pānui au i te pukapuka.
I am reading the book.
The i is a "particle" (a small word) that indicates the thing that is being read, and without it the sentence makes no sense.
Similarly, we do not say: "kei te waiata ia te waiata" but:
Kei te waiata ia i te waiata.
She is singing the song.
Again, the i is an essential part of the sentence and must be included to indicate the thing being sung - the song, which is the object of the sentence.
Te whakamau atu i te kope mā.
Putting on a fresh nappyWhakaorangia mātou i te kino.
Deliver us from evil.Kei te whakatokopā au i a koe.
I am burping you.Ka hopu a Poti i te manu.
Pussy catches the bird.Ka hoe atu ngā tāngata i uta ki tai.
The people will paddle from the shore towards the sea.Ka hoatu ahau i te pukapuka ki a koe.
I will give you the book.Kua whakareri tāku tāne i te parakuihi.
My husband has prepared breakfast.Ka haere au ki te tiki miraka i te pouaka makariri.
I will go and fetch the milk from the fridge.Kei te rapu tā mātou ngeru i tāna kai.
Our cat is searching for his food.Kua whakarite tāku tāne i te parakuihi.
My husband has prepared breakfast.Kei te pānui te tama i te pukapuka.
The boy is reading the book.Inapō au i whakaoti ai i taku mahi.
Yesterday I finished my work.Ko mataku māua i a ia.
We were frightened by him.Āe, kua kai au i te tītī.
Yes I have eaten mutton bird.Kei te waruwaru rātou i ngā rīwai.
They are peeling the spuds.Kei te moe ia i tōna moenga.
He's sleeping on his bed.Ka tīmata rāua ki te horoi i te whare.
They have started to wash the house.Me kau hoki ki hea i te tawhiti ki waho o te moana nui?
Where could he swim to, from such a distance out in the ocean?Kei te āwhina rāua i a Rangi.
They (2) are helping Rangi.I kaukau ngā tamariki i te whanga.
The children swam in the bay.Ka haere i te ara i runga i te rangitoto, ke ahu ki Onehunga.
[They] went along the path over the scoria and headed to Onehunga.I pakaru te wini i a Taika.
The window was broken by Taika.Ki te tiki i tō tungane i te pahi.
To pick up your brother from the bus.E kihi ana a Amaru i a Rina.
Amaru is kissing Rina.I aha koe i te mutunga wiki.
What did you do in the weekend?Kei te pata au i te tōhi mā te parakuihi.
I'm buttering the toast for breakfast.Ka hanga a Mia i tōku whare.
Mia will build my house.Oma atu i a ia!
Run away from her!Kei te mau hū au pērā i ō Michael Jordan.
I am wearing shoes like Michael Jordan's.Ka kai tātou i tētahi ika nui.
We will eat a big fish.Kua mākū katoa ngā tamariki i te ua.
The children are all wet from the rain.I rārāina ngā tuna i runga ake i te mānuka poa.
The eels were smoked over smouldering mānuka.Ka tunu au i te parāoa ā tēnei pō.
I'll bake the bread tonight.I tupu au i Te Tonga.
I grew up down South.E moe ana au i tētahi rākau kākāriki.
I am sleeping in a green tree.I tākaro netipōro mātou i te ata o te Rāhoroi.
We played netball on Saturday morning.Ka kohi au i te kaimoana.
I will collect sea food.Kei roto ngā putiputi i te ipu.
The flowers are in the vase.Ka āwhina aua manu i te tīwaiwaka.
Those birds help the fantail.E kore au e ngaki i te māra.
I won't weed the garden.Kua pau i a ia te paraoa te kai.
He has eaten up the bread.E taupoki ana ia i te māra.
She's digging the garden.Kuhu atu ki roto i tō moenga.
Get in your bed.He maha ngā moni kua pau i a ia i te toa.
She has spent lots of money at the shop.Kei te whakaoti rātou i ā rātou taumahi.
They are competing their assignments.Kei te mau ia i tētahi pōtae, i tētahi poraka, i tētahi tīhate, me tētahi hāte hoki.
She is wearing a hat, a jersey, a t-shirt and a shirt.