Tense and Verbal Particles In Te Reo Māori

My apologies but for some strange reason, the plugin for these flashcards does not recognize apostrophes or macrons.    For that reason apostrophes are missing in the English and I have just had to double the vowels the should have a macron (tūhoto) in Te Reo Māori.

 

Rather than conjugating verbs as we do in English, Te Reo Māori introduces verbs with a verbal particles and the interesting thing is that rather than being specific time markers they are often timeless (not restricted to one tense, present, past, future etc).  I hope that these flashcards will help you get your head around how to use the Te Reo Māori verbal particles.

  • Kei te - Present Continuous
    Equivalent of -ing words
  • Jade is standing.
    Kei te tuu a Jade.
  • The children are talking.
    Kei te koorero ngaa tamariki.
  • He is talking.
    Kei te koorero ia.
  • Negative Present Continuous
    Kaaore .... i te + verb
  • Jade is not standing.
    Kaaore a Jade i te tuu.
  • The children arent talking.
    Kaaore nga tamariki i te koorero.
  • He isnt talking.
    Kaaore a ia i te koorero.
  • Evan is fetching the cows.
    Kei te tiki a Evan i nga kau.
  • Tiff is hitting Evan.
    Kei te patu a Tiff i a Evan.
  • Im going to the meeting.
    Kei te haere au ki te hui.
  • He is working.
    Kei te mahi ia.
  • Evan is not fetching the cows.
    Kaaore a Evan i te tiki i nga kau.
  • Tiff is not hitting Evan.
    Kaaore a Tiff i te patu i a Evan
  • Im not going to the meeting.
    Kaaore a au i te haere ki te hui.
  • He is not working.
    Kaaore a ia i te mahi.
  • Kei te - Future Continuous
    Equivalent of -ing words
  • You will be going to Whakatane tomorrow.
    Kei te haere koutou ki Whakatane aapoopoo.
  • Negative Future Continuous
    Kaaore .... i te + verb
  • You will not be going to Whakatane tomorrow.
    Kaaore a koutou i te haere ki Whakatane aapoopoo.
  • I te
    Past Continuous -ing
  • He was standing.
    I te tuu ia.
  • The children were playing.
    I te taakara nga tamariki.
  • I was gathering pipi yesterday.
    I te kohi pipi aa inanahi.
  • Negative Past Continuous
    Kaaori ... i te + verb
  • He wasn't standing.
    Kaaori a ia i te tuu.
  • The children were not playing.
    Kaaori ngaa tamariki i te taakara.
  • I was not gathering pipi yesterday.
    Kaaori a au i te kohi pipi inanahi
  • E + verb + ana
    "Continuous (past, present or future)"
  • George is/was/will be standing.
    E tuu ana a George.
  • We are going to town.
    E haaere ana taaua ki te taaone.
  • He knows that the earth is round.
    E moohio ana ia he porotaka te ao.
  • Negative Continuous
    Kaaore .... E + verb + ana
  • George isnt/wasnt/wont be standing.
    Kaaore a George e tuu ana.
  • We are not going to town.
    Kaaore taaua e haere ana ki te taaone.
  • He doesnt know that the earth is round.
    Kaaore e moohio ana ia he porotaka te ao.
  • I
    Past
  • The children ate..
    I kai ngaa tamariki.
  • We met Sam in town.
    I tuutake maatou ki a Sam i te taaone.
  • They ran away.
    I oma atu raatou.
  • Negative Past
    Kaaore ... I + verb
  • The children didn't eat.
    Kaaore ngaa tamariki i kai.
  • We didnt meet sam in town.
    Kaaore i tuutake maatou ki a Sam i te taaone.
  • They didnt run away.
    Kaaore i oma atu raatou.
  • Kua
    "Perfect (has, have, had)"
  • The children have eaten.
    Kua kai ngaa tamariki.
  • You have been beaten by me.
    Ku mate koe i a au.
  • The guests have arrived here.
    Kua tae mai nga manuhiri ki konei.
  • Negative perfect
    Kaaore anoo ... Kia + verb
  • The children havent eaten yet.
    Kaaore anoo ngaa tamariki kia kai.
  • You havent been beaten by me yet
    Kaaore ano koe kia mate i a au.
  • The guests havent arrived here yet.
    Kaaore ano ngaa manuhiri kia tae mae ki konei.
  • Ka
    Present tense general/habitual action.
  • We go to Oopootiki on Mondays.
    Ka haere maatou ki Oopootiki i ngaa Raahina.
  • He drinks
    Ka inu ia.
  • Frankie lay down and slept.
    Ka takoto a Frankie ka moe.
  • Negative present tense general/habitual action.
    Kaaore .... e + verb + ana
  • We dont go to Oopootiki on Mondays.
    Kaaore maatou e haere ki Oopootiki i ngaa raahina.
  • He doesn't drink.
    Kaaore e inu ana ia.
  • Frankie laid down and didn't sleep.
    Ka takoto a Frankie kaaore e moe ana ia.
  • Ka
    New action (and then this happened)
  • "When yesterdays work was finished, we went to town."
    "Ka mutu te mahi inanahi, ka haere maatou ki te taaone."
  • When the meal was over the people gathered.
    Ka mutu te kai ka hui te iwi.
  • He went and found the child and let it into the house.
    "Ka haere ia, ka kite i te tamaiti, ka arahi mai ki roto ki te whare."
  • Negative new action
    Kaaore ... i + verb
  • We didn't go to town.
    Kaaore maatou i haere ki te taaone.
  • When the meal was over the people didn't gather.
    Kaaore te iwi i hui ka mutu te kai.
  • He didnt go and find the child.
    Kaaore a ia i haere i kite i te tamaiti.
  • Ka
    New action (future - will)
  • Tomorrow we will go to Auckland.
    Aapoopoo ka haere maatou ki Taamaki Makaurau
  • After milking the cows the children will go fishing.
    Ka mutu te miraka kau ka haere ngaa tamariki ki te hii ika.
  • We will come tomorrow.
    Ka haere mai maatou aapoopoo.
  • Negative new action (future)
    Kaaore ... e + verb
  • We wont go to Auckland tomorrow.
    Kaaore maatou e haere ki Taamaki Makaurau aapoopoo.
  • After milking the cows the children will not go fishing.
    Ka mutu te miraka kau kaaore ngaa tamariki e haere ki te hii ika.
  • We wont come tomorrow.
    Kaaore maatou e haere mai aapoopoo.

 

GRAMMAR NOTES:   Verbal markers or particles

Ka is often used to refer to the future but a more correct way to view this verbal particle is that it indicates the beginning of some new action.

I is pretty much the only verbal particle that truly indicates a time – the past.

Kua is the ‘perfect’ verbal particle.  Not meaning that it’s the best one but ‘perfect’ because the action it refers to is completed.   Just like the ‘perfect’ tense in English, it is used to connect the (usually recent) past with the present.  (eg. has, have, had)

Kia is the verbal particle that indicates that something is desired to happen or exist or if you use kia in a subordinate clause it indicates purpose.

Me expresses ‘should’ or ‘must’.

E is one of those really flexible verbal particles it can express actions or states in the present or the future.

E … ana  – adding ‘ana’ to the verbal particle ‘e’ indicates ongoing or incomplete actions or states in the present, past or future as shown by the context.  If there’s no context given it usually refers to the present.

 

Pseudo verbal markers ‘kei te’ and ‘i te’ may be used with verbs as well as nouns.

‘Kei te’ continuous present and future equivalent of the English -ing tense.  It refers to the present unless the context shows that it refers to the future.

‘I te’ continuous past only, equivalent of the English -ing tense.

 

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