Māori Grammar

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Are you a man or a mouse?

rānei

When talking about two or more options, English uses the word "or". The te reo Māori equivalent is rānei.

A difference between English and Māori usage is where the word is positioned. In English, "or" appears between the various options:

Red or blue or green or yellow.

In Māori, rānei generally follows the last option:

He whero, he kahurangi, he kākāriki, he kōwhai rānei.

The use of rānei does not automatically make the sentence a question:

Ka hoko au i te motokā kahurangi, i te motokā whero rānei.
I will buy the blue car or the red car.

However, rānei is often used when asking questions:

Ka hoko koe i te motokā kahurangi, i te motokā whero rānei?
Will you buy the blue car or the red car?

Rānei can also be used when only one of the alternatives is stated, giving a meaning such as “will you or won't you?”

Ka hoko rānei koe i te motokā whero?
Will you (or will you not) buy the red car?

This can be used in a sentence where a translation might not include "or":

He pai rānei tēnei pukapuka?
Is this book good?
(implying: is this book good, or isn't it?)

We can make the “or not” alternative explicit by adding kāore rānei:

Ka hoko koe i te motokā whero, kāore rānei?
Will you buy the red car or not?

Kāore rānei does not necessarily come at the end of the sentence:

Ka hoko koe i te motokā whero, kāore rānei, ina haere koe ki Te Whanganui-a-Tara?
Will you buy the red car or not when you go to Wellington?

Where a statement would be negated with ehara (such as sentences with he and ko), ehara rānei can be used for “or not”:

He pukapuka pai tēnei, ehara rānei?
Is this a good book, or isn't it?

Changing the position of rānei can change which part of the sentence is being questioned or presented as an alternative.

Ka hīkoi koe rānei ki te marae i te taha o Rangi ā te Tūrei?
Will you (or someone else) walk to the marae with Rangi on Tuesday?

Ka hīkoi rānei koe ki te marae i te taha o Rangi ā te Tūrei?
Will you walk (or get there some other way) to the marae with Rangi on Tuesday?

Ka hīkoi koe ki te marae rānei i te taha o Rangi ā te Tūrei?
Will you walk to the marae (or somewhere else) with Rangi on Tuesday?

Ka hīkoi koe ki te marae i te taha o Rangi rānei ā te Tūrei?
Will you walk to the marae with Rangi (or someone else) on Tuesday?

Ka hīkoi koe ki te marae i te taha o Rangi ā te Tūrei rānei?
Will you walk to the marae with Rangi on Tuesday (or some other day)?