Telling the time in te reo Māori
HOW TO ASK WHAT THE TIME IS AND HOW TO ANSWER:
He aha te taima? What’s the time?
He aha te wā? What’s the time?
Kua aha te taima? What’s the time?
Ko te aha te taima? What’s the time?
There’s lot of ways to ask what the time is, the trick is to answer in the same way that you are asked:
Kua aha te taima? What’s the time? Kua waru te karaka. It’s 7 o’clock.
Ko te aha te wā? What’s the time? Ko te waru te karaka. It’s 7 o’clock.
VOCABULARY AND PHRASES TO DO WITH TELLING THE TIME:
Wā: time
Karaka: clock, o’clock
Matawā: watch.
Wati tumu: stop watch
Hāora: hour
Meneti, miniti, mineti: minute
Hēkona, hēkena: second
Hau – fraction
Hauwhā – a quarter
i te ata: in the morning
i te ahiahi: in the afternoon.
i te ahiahipō: in the early evening (still light)
i te pō: in the evening (night/dark)
Kai o te ata: morning tea
Rā tū / Poupoutanga (o te rā): noon, midday
Kai tina: lunch time
Kai o te ahiahi: afternoon tea
Ko te wā paramanawa. It’s morning tea time.
Paramanawa: refreshments, snacks, morning or afternoon tea
Weherua pō / Waipō / I waenganui pō: midnight
He wā whakapai tōu rūma. Time to tidy your room.
HOW TO SAY WHAT TIME IT IS:
Kua rima karaka. It’s 5 o’clock.
Ko te rima karaka. It’s 5 o’clock.
Kua tekau mā tahi karaka. It’s 11 o’clock.
Hauwhā i te toru karaka i te pō. Quarter past 3 in the evening.
Haurua i te tekau mā ruai te ata. Half past 12 in the morning.
Kotahi karaka. 1 o’clock.
Kua tahi karaka. It’s 1 o’clock.
Hāwhe pāhi i te toru karaka. Half past three.
Rima meneti pāhi i te tekau mā tahi karaka. Five minutes past 11 o’clock.
Rua tekau mā whā miniti i te whitu karaka i te ahiahipō. 24 minutes past 7 in the evening.
Ko te poupoutanga o te rā. It’s midday.
E ono miniti ki te toru karaka i te ata. Six minutes to 3 in the morning.
Tekau miniti ki te toru karaka i te ahiahi. 10 minutes to 3 in the afternoon.
Tata ki te waenganui pō. It’s close to midnight.
Tekau mā toru meneti pāhi i te waru karaka. 13 minutes past 8.
Koata ki te waru karaka i te ahiahi. Quarter to 8 in the afternoon.
E rima karaka. It’s 5 o’clock.
Tekau karaka i te ata. 10 o’clock in the morning.
Koata ki te whā karaka i te ahiahi. 4 o’clock in the afternoon.
Kōata ki te waru karaka. Quarter to eight o’clock.
Huawhā ki te waru karaka. Quarter to eight o’clock.
HOW TO SAY WHAT TIME SOMETHING DID OR WILL HAPPEN:
(I for past, Ā for future + other constructions)
I taraiwa māua ko taku hoa ki te whare pikitia i te whitu karaka. My friend and I drove to the movies at 7 o’clock.
I te whitu karaka i te ahiahi, ka tae mai ia. At seven o’clock in the evening, he arrived.
Ka hoki atu māua ā te whitu karaka. We will come back at 7 o’clock.
Ka taea au te whakaoho e koe ā te ono karaka? Can you able to wake me at 6 o’clock?
Hei te tekau karaka i te ata. See you at ten o’clock in the morning.
I te whā karaka i te ahiahi, kua tae atu rātou ki Ōpōtiki . By four o’clock in the aftrnoon they had got to Ōpōtiki.
E tekau meneti e toe ana. There are 10 minutes to go (remaining).
Ka kai tātou ā te whitu karaka. We’ll eat at seven o’clock.
Hei te ata tāua haere ai. We will go in the morning.
Waru karaka te wā. It’s 8 o’clock.
Hei te waru karaka. See you at eight o’clock.
He aha te wā ka tīmata te kiriata? What time does the movie start?
Ka tūtaki tātou ki te toa ā te 3 karaka. We will meet at the shop at 3 o’clock.
Me haere māua ki te hui hei te haurua mai i te ono karaka ā te pō nei. We should go to the meeting at half past six tonight.
Hei te haurua mai i te tekau ā te ata āpōpō mātou tae atu ai. We will arrive at half-past ten tomorrow morning.
Oho ai au i te rima karaka i te ata. I usually wake up at five o’clock in the morning.
I te whitu karaka, kua haere mai a Mere. Mere will have left at seven o’clock.
Ā te iwa karaka ka haere tātou ki te kura. We will go the school at 9 o’clock.
Te hui ā te rua karaka, hei te Hōro Tāone. The 2 o’clock meeting will be at the Town Hall
Kaua koe e haere ā te rua karaka i te ata. You shouldn’t go at 2’o clock in the morning.
He aha te wā me hoki a Ian ki te mahi? What time should Ian get back to work?