Māori Grammar
| Previous | Back | Next |
Ordinal numbers are words like first, second, third, etc
There are two ways to form the ordinal numbers - firstly, with tua- as a prefix.
- tuatahi - first
- tuarua - second
- tuatoru - third
- tuawhā - fourth
- tuarima - fifth
- tuaono - sixth
- tuawhitu - seventh
- tuawaru - either
- tuaiwa - ninth
- tekau (or te tekau when definite)
The second way is the te ... o construction (meaning "the ... of")
- te tuatahi o - the first of...
- te rua o - the second of...
- te toru o - the third of...
- te whā o - the fourth of...
- te rima o - the fifth of...
- te ono o - the sixth of...
- te whitu o - the seventh of...
- te waru o - the eighth of...
- te iwa o - the ninth of...
- te tekau o - the tenth of...
Tuatahi me mihi ki te hunga mate. Tuarua me mihi ki te hunga ora.
Firstly you should acknowledge the dead (group of dead people). Secondly you should acknowledge the living (group of living people)Tuatahi.
First.Tuarua, whakamarokehia ngā perēti.
Secondly, dry the plates.Tuatahi, horoia oū ringaringa.
First, wash your hands.Huri ki te whārangi tuatoru.
Turn to page three.Tuatahi, whakakāngia te umu.
First, turn on the oven.He aha tōu ā te wāhanga tuarua?
What do you have period two?Ko koe te tuatahi ki te kōrero i roto i tēnei karaihe.
You are the first to speak in this class.A te wiki tuatahi o Tīhema mutu ai te kura.
School will finish in the first week of December.Kei te papa tākaro tuatahi taku kēmu.
My game is on the first field.Tuawhā.
Fourth.Hei te papa tuatoru te hui ā te ahiahi nei.
The meeting will be held on the third floor this afternoon.Kātahi anō au ka tae mai ki runga i tēnei marae.
This is my first time on this marae.Tuatahi, horoia ngā kākahu, tuarua whakamarokehia ngā perēti.
First wash the clothes, second dry the plates.Tuatoru.
Third.He pai ake te wāhanga tuatahi o te pukapuka nei i te wāhanga tuarua.
The first chapter is better than the second chapter of this book.A te wiki tuatahi o Tīhema, mutu ai te kura.
School will finish in the first week of December.Te rārangi tuarua.
The second line.Pānuihia mai te whārangi tuarua.
Read me the second page.I tākaro mātou i te kōti tuarua.
We played on the second court.Hei te papa tuatoru te hui ā te ahiahi nei.
The meeting will be held on the third floor this afternoon.Ka tīmata taku tama i te kura ā te wāhanga tuarua o te tau.
My son will start school in the second part of the year.Ko te tuatahi hei te Rāhoroi.
The first will be on Sunday.Ko te rā tuatahi o te hararei āpōpō.
It's the first day of the holiday tomorrow.