Te Reo Māori Videos!

A conjunction joins two phrases together to make a longer sentence. In te reo Māori, two common conjunctions are ā (and) and engari (but) .

Possessive pronouns in the a category correspond to the 11 personal pronouns. The forms are tāku, tāu, tāna, tā tāua, tā māua, tā kōrua, tā rāua, tā tātou, tā mātou, tā koutou, tā rātou. They indicate possession of a-category items such as food, work, pets, or created things, matching the person or group involved.

Using 'a' as a personal article before a name.

ki a au, ki a koe, but not ki a ahau.

In Māori, kei te marks the present tense (action happening now). Verbs like oma (run) or waiata (sing) never change form—unlike English. The same structure forms questions (Kei te waiata koe?). Tense is shown by markers before the verb, not by altering the verb itself.

Simple sentences in the present tense with a verb and a noun as a subject.

Simple sentences with a noun and an adjective. Unlike in English, the adjective follows the noun (the house big, the cer red). For example: "Kei te oma te tāne nui" (the big man is running).

In Māori, i marks the object in active sentences, e.g., Kei te kai ahau i te keke (“I am eating the cake”). i is not used in commands or passive sentences. In passive sentences, the person performing the action (the agent) is marked with e, e.g., Kei te kainga te keke e au (“The cake is being eaten by me”).

Te reo Māori has four structures: active (subject acts, object with i/ki), passive (object as subject, verb suffix, agent with e), agent-emphatic (highlights doer with nā/mā), and stative (no suffix, agent with i, subject affected). Tenses apply across all. Key difference: passive uses e, stative uses i for the agent.

In Māori, pakaru (stative) takes the broken thing as subject, with the agent marked by i (e.g., Kua pakaru te matapihi i ngā tamariki). The active verb pākaru uses i for the object, while its passive form uses e and suffix -tia.

Kei te means "at the moment". It can be used with an adjective to say how you are now. "Kei te pai" means "at the moment, I am well", and "kei te ora koe" means "you are well now".

What an adjective is. Kei te ora ahau (I am well(. Kei te ngenge ahau (I am tired).

More adjectives. Using koe with an adjective. Kei te ātaahua koe. Personal pronouns: ahau, koe, koutou.

Simple sentences with a noun and an adjective. Unlike in English, the adjective follows the noun (the house big, the cer red). For example: "Kei te oma te tāne nui" (the big man is running).

In Māori, adjectives cannot precede a noun in a string. Instead, repeat the noun or use mea ("thing") to avoid repetition: He kurī pango, he mea nui (the black dog, the big thing). For a second adjective, add hoki ("also"): He tangata mōmona, māngere hoki ia (a fat, lazy man).

In te reo Māori, ahakoa means “although” and links two ideas where the second is true despite expectations created by the first. It introduces a surprising contrast. For example: Ahakoa e ua ana, ka haere tātou ki te tātahi — although it is raining, we will go to the beach. It can appear at the start or in the middle of a sentence.

Use of tino and ahua to mean "very" and "somewhat". "Kei te tino pai" means "I am very well and "Kei te āhua ora koe" means "you are somewhat well".

The particle ai can indicate habitual or regular action when it appears after the verb near the beginning of a sentence. It shows that something happens repeatedly or all the time, such as Kōrero ai tērā tāne (“That man is always talking”) or Hīkoi ai a Aroha ki te kura (“Aroha always walks to school”).

The particle ai can indicate habitual or regular action when it appears after the verb near the beginning of a sentence. It shows that something happens repeatedly or all the time, such as Kōrero ai tērā tāne (“That man is always talking”) or Hīkoi ai a Aroha ki te kura (“Aroha always walks to school”).

The Māori particle ai has two key uses: marking habitual actions (e.g., Kōrero ai ia – she always talks) and indicating purpose or reason (ki te hoko ai – in order to buy). It also forms why questions (He aha ai?) and negative why didn’t/won’t questions using i kore ai or e kore ai.

Direction markers: ake (up), atu (away), iho (down) and mai (towards the speaker).

Comparatives use ake (up) for “more” (better/bigger) and iho (down) for “less/smaller/worse”. Use i to introduce the thing compared. Note: kino ake is common for “worse”, but strictly it’s kino iho—though this can sound ambiguous, so rephrasing is safer.

"Anake" means "alone" or "only" and directly follows the word it modifies. Moving it changes meaning (e.g., "only sang" vs. "only Rangi" vs. "only one song"). It contrasts with "katoa" (all), as shown in examples like "only the women worked" versus "all the women worked."

Anō means "again" and marks repeated actions, while tonu means "still" for ongoing states. Pea expresses uncertainty ("perhaps") and can follow nearly any word—verbs, nouns, adjectives, or agents. With numbers it means "approximately." Pea cannot start a sentence; use Tērā pea instead.

Āta marks that an action is done carefully or slowly, and it typically accompanies passive verb forms. The particle kei introduces a warning of a potential negative outcome. In passive commands with āta, the object follows directly without the preposition i, while the kei clause spells out the risk to avoid.

Direction markers: ake (up), atu (away), iho (down) and mai (towards the speaker).

Comparatives use ake (up) for “more” (better/bigger) and iho (down) for “less/smaller/worse”. Use i to introduce the thing compared. Note: kino ake is common for “worse”, but strictly it’s kino iho—though this can sound ambiguous, so rephrasing is safer.

Sentences that start with he are called "categorizing sentences" and put something into a class or category. For example "he pene tēnei" means "this is a pen", or, literally "in the category of pen this is".

Possession with groups uses the personal pronouns with tā (a-category) or tō (o-category). For example, tō tātou whare means “our house” (belonging to all of us), and tō rāua whare means “their house” (belonging to those two). If two people share something but not the listener, we use tō māua, as in tō māua waka (“our car, not yours”).

In te reo Māori, commands are often formed using the passive imperative, where a passive suffix such as -hia, -tia, or -a is added to the verb (e.g., Tapahia ngā huawhenua – “Chop the vegetables”). These instructions are common in recipes, classrooms, and homes. In command sentences, the object does not take i. This structure is widely used for everyday instructions.

A conjunction joins two phrases together to make a longer sentence. In te reo Māori, two common conjunctions are ā (and) and engari (but) .

Dual pronouncs: me, not you; you and me, those two, you two.

E … ana can appear in a subclause to describe an action connected to a noun. The clause adds extra information, similar to “who is…” or “that is…” in English. For example, te wahine e waiata ana means “the woman who is singing,” adding detail about the person or thing being described.

i hea? asks where something was (location in the past). E hia? asks how many things there are, while tokohia? asks how many people there are. The difference is subtle: i signals past location, whereas e relates to counting numbers. The similar sounds make them easy to confuse.

A conjunction joins two phrases together to make a longer sentence. In te reo Māori, two common conjunctions are ā (and) and engari (but) .

You can say hello to someone say "kia ora". "Kia" is a mild imperative or a command, encouraging someone to be a certain way. Ora is the world for healthy or well, and so "kia ora" means "may you be well!"

In Māori, e is a particle of address used when speaking directly to someone, so you say Kia ora e hoa! (Hello friend!), not Kia ora hoa. Particles like e are small but tricky words with multiple meanings depending on context, making them a key challenge in learning te reo.

Greeting more than one person using mā.

Use of tēnā koe as a more formal greeting than kia ora.

The plural personal pronoun koutou.

Saying goodbye - if you are leaving or staying.

Direction markers: ake (up), atu (away), iho (down) and mai (towards the speaker).

Sentences that start with he are called "categorizing sentences" and put something into a class or category. For example "he pene tēnei" means "this is a pen", or, literally "in the category of pen this is".

In te reo Māori, He X ahau means “I am X,” not “I have X.” To say “I have,” you must use possessives like tāku (one thing) and āku (more than one). Some people and family words also change in the plural by lengthening the vowel, like tuakana → tuākana.

Ko emphasises the noun that follows it. It works like bold or vocal stress in English, highlighting the key identity of something. For example, Ko kuri tēnei stresses that it is a dog, not something else. The emphasis falls on the word that follows ko.

Statements identifying something must begin with he or ko. He classifies something within a category (e.g., He pukapuka tēnei – this is a book). Ko emphasises or identifies a specific item (e.g., Ko tāku pukapuka tēnei – this is my book). The ko construction highlights or singles out the item being referred to.

To ask why, different structures mark tense. He aha … i … ai? asks why something happened (past) or what caused something happening now. He aha … e … ai? asks why something will happen (future). The particles i and e signal past and future causes within these “why” questions.

Several structures ask why. He aha ai? is a general “why?”. He aha … i … ai? asks why something happened, referring to a past cause. He aha … e … ai? asks why something will happen. For present situations, He aha … e … nei? asks what is happening right now to cause the action.

"Hei" marks the future locative (where someone/something will be), contrasting with present kei and past i. Used with a for personal possession (hei a Jude = will be with Jude). It indicates future location, not purpose—distinct from mā (for the benefit/consumption of).

Hei indicates purpose ("in order to") or role/function ("as"). It follows the main verb, requires the same subject in both clauses, and cannot be used with passive verbs.

In te reo Māori, conjunctions connect clauses to form longer sentences. Common conjunctions include ā (“and”), engari (“but”), and heoi anō (“however” or “on the other hand”). These link positive and negative statements, contrast ideas, or add additional information. Heoi anō often introduces a contrasting point similar to “however.”

When hoki means "also" or "and," it always comes immediately after the word or phrase it adds to the statement. It can follow nouns to include an additional person or thing, verbs to add an extra action, adjectives to add another quality, or even entire clauses to connect related ideas. In every case, hoki simply attaches to whatever is being included, making it a versatile way to say "too" or "as well" across all parts of speech.

Direction markers: ake (up), atu (away), iho (down) and mai (towards the speaker).

Comparatives use ake (up) for “more” (better/bigger) and iho (down) for “less/smaller/worse”. Use i to introduce the thing compared. Note: kino ake is common for “worse”, but strictly it’s kino iho—though this can sound ambiguous, so rephrasing is safer.

Indicating direction from using i.

We can have both i and ki in the same sentence. (I am reading the book to the children, the woman is singing the song to the people.)

The object of a sentence (a book being read, a cake being eaten) is marked by "i" in a sentence.

In Māori, prefix whaka adds 'cause to be/do' or 'turn into' to adjectives, statives, verbs, and nouns (whakaora = heal; whakakōwhatu = petrify). Prefix kai marks a doer (kaiako = teacher). Combined kaiwhaka- means 'one who causes' (kaiwhakahaere = manager; kaiwhakawhānau = midwife).

Kāore + possessive expresses not having or owning something. Use kāore + ā/ō + pronoun + noun, depending on the a/ō category. The ā/ō is required before pronouns, and the noun is typically plural. For example: kāore ā rāua kurī — those two don’t have any dogs.

More adjectives. Using koe with an adjective. Kei te ātaahua koe. Personal pronouns: ahau, koe, koutou.

"Anake" means "alone" or "only" and directly follows the word it modifies. Moving it changes meaning (e.g., "only sang" vs. "only Rangi" vs. "only one song"). It contrasts with "katoa" (all), as shown in examples like "only the women worked" versus "all the women worked."

The Māori particle "kē" marks deviation from expectations in four ways: unexpected timing ("already"), contrary action ("instead"), surprising categorization (e.g., unusual strength), or departure from the norm (strange/extraordinary). Its translation depends on context—ranging from neutral surprise to compliment or mild criticism.

"Kē" in te reo Māori signals contrast or unexpectedness. It means "instead," "actually," or "contrary to expectations." It can indicate a different location, an unexpected preference (like vegetables over lollies), a surprising action, or doing something in place of another activity.

Kei hea is used to ask where someone or something is. The reply keeps kei and replaces hea with the location, such as Kei te hokomaha ahau. The phrase kei te is locative in origin, meaning someone is located at a place or activity, which explains forms like kei te kōrero ia (I am located at the talking.)

Kei hea asks where something is. Simple answers give a location, but more precise descriptions use locatives such as runga (on), raro (under), mua (in front of), muri (behind), or mauī/matau (left/right). These sentences identify the object and then specify its position relative to something else.

Questions follow a pattern where the question word is replaced by the answer. Ko wai asks who, he aha asks what, and kei hea asks where. The answer keeps the same structure: kei for present location and i for past location. Possessives or place names can specify the location.

Kei te means "at the moment". It can be used with an adjective to say how you are now. "Kei te pai" means "at the moment, I am well", and "kei te ora koe" means "you are well now".

In Māori, kei te marks the present tense (action happening now). Verbs like oma (run) or waiata (sing) never change form—unlike English. The same structure forms questions (Kei te waiata koe?). Tense is shown by markers before the verb, not by altering the verb itself.

Direction markers: ake (up), atu (away), iho (down) and mai (towards the speaker).

Simple sentences in the present tense with a verb and a noun as a subject.

Simple sentences with a noun and an adjective. Unlike in English, the adjective follows the noun (the house big, the cer red). For example: "Kei te oma te tāne nui" (the big man is running).

The object of a sentence (a book being read, a cake being eaten) is marked by "i" in a sentence.

In te reo Māori there are three common ways to talk about speaking: kōrero, mea, and kī. Kōrero describes the act of speaking without stating what was said. Mea reports what someone said indirectly. Kī is used to quote a person’s exact words. The word kī (with a macron) differs from ki (without one). The phrase e ai ki means “according to” and introduces reported sources, opinions, or traditional sayings.

Using ki to indicate direction.

We can have both i and ki in the same sentence. (I am reading the book to the children, the woman is singing the song to the people.)

Some verbs, such as arohoa, take "ki".

Ko emphasises the noun that follows it. It works like bold or vocal stress in English, highlighting the key identity of something. For example, Ko kuri tēnei stresses that it is a dog, not something else. The emphasis falls on the word that follows ko.

Statements identifying something must begin with he or ko. He classifies something within a category (e.g., He pukapuka tēnei – this is a book). Ko emphasises or identifies a specific item (e.g., Ko tāku pukapuka tēnei – this is my book). The ko construction highlights or singles out the item being referred to.

Te reo Māori has two distinct sets: tēnei/tēnā/tērā (and plurals ēnei/ēnā/ērā) for things near me, you, or over there. The second set—konei, konā, and korā—refers specifically to places, meaning "here where I am," "there where you are," and "over there," and these have no plural forms. When talking about movement to a place, add ki (as in ki konei), while i indicates position or movement from a place.

Ko tēhea? asks “which one?” and ko ēhea? asks “which ones?”. These forms follow the pattern where singular words beginning with t lose the t in the plural. They are used to select from a group, and answers replace tēhea/ēhea with the correct item.

Ko wai is used to ask who someone is. Answers keep ko and replace wai with the person’s name, emphasizing identity (e.g., Ko Rangi te rangatira). This pattern can also include clauses and different tenses, allowing questions like who is speaking, who came, or who ate something, with answers highlighting the person involved.

In Māori, m-class possessives (mā, mō) indicate future or unrealised possession—something not yet owned. They also show who will perform an action (e.g., māku = for me to do). Unlike t-class, plurals retain the initial letter (māku, not āku). Mō can also mark future time.

In Māori, "for" is expressed using mā (a category) or mō (o category), depending on possession. Examples: mā te tina (for dinner), mō te whare. SlMamy speakers use mō universally, which is also acceptable.

Direction markers: ake (up), atu (away), iho (down) and mai (towards the speaker).

Plural personal pronouns, including "us but not you".

Plural personal pronouns, including "us but not you".

Dual pronouncs: me, not you; you and me, those two, you two.

In te reo Māori there are three common ways to talk about speaking: kōrero, mea, and kī. Kōrero describes the act of speaking without stating what was said. Mea reports what someone said indirectly. Kī is used to quote a person’s exact words. The word kī (with a macron) differs from ki (without one). The phrase e ai ki means “according to” and introduces reported sources, opinions, or traditional sayings.

In Māori, "for" is expressed using mā (a category) or mō (o category), depending on possession. Examples: mā te tina (for dinner), mō te whare. SlMamy speakers use mō universally, which is also acceptable.

The agent emphatic in te reo Māori emphasizes who did an action, using nā for past and mā for future. For example, Nā Rangi te pānui i te pukapuka means “It was Rangi who read the book.” Pronouns like nāku (“it was me”) are also used.

Kāore + possessive expresses not having or owning something. Use kāore + ā/ō + pronoun + noun, depending on the a/ō category. The ā/ō is required before pronouns, and the noun is typically plural. For example: kāore ā rāua kurī — those two don’t have any dogs.

Simple sentences in the present tense with a verb and a noun as a subject.

In Māori, numbers 2–9 take e when counting things (e.g., E whā ngā pukapuka) and toko when counting people (e.g., Tokorima ngā tamariki). Kotahi is used for one. After nine, tekau is used without these prefixes. Larger numbers combine digits with mā (“and”), rau (hundred), and mano (thousand).

Using ki to indicate direction.

The object of a sentence (a book being read, a cake being eaten) is marked by "i" in a sentence.

Some verbs, such as arohoa, take "ki".

The tense marker kua is translated with "has" or "have".

Anō means "again" and marks repeated actions, while tonu means "still" for ongoing states. Pea expresses uncertainty ("perhaps") and can follow nearly any word—verbs, nouns, adjectives, or agents. With numbers it means "approximately." Pea cannot start a sentence; use Tērā pea instead.

Here is a grammar outline based on the examples provided: The particles **pēnei** (near me), **pēnā** (near you), and **pērā** (over there) are demonstrative adverbs meaning "like this/that." They indicate proximity and are used with verbs to describe how an action is performed. When comparing, they are often followed by i ("like" + noun).

The plural personal pronoun koutou.

Plural personal pronouns, including "us but not you".

Usually, nouns don't change in the plural.

A handful of words change their forms in Māori by lengthening the vowel: wahine becomes wāhine.

A handful of words change slightly in the plural (eg, wahine becomes wāhine). The exception to the rule that words in Māori don't change in the plural is the word for child (tamaiti) which because tamariki is plural.

How to say "my", "your" and "his/her".

In te reo Māori, He X ahau means “I am X,” not “I have X.” To say “I have,” you must use possessives like tāku (one thing) and āku (more than one). Some people and family words also change in the plural by lengthening the vowel, like tuakana → tuākana.

In Māori, neutral possessives are "taku" (my), "tō" (your), "tana" (his/her). Using the "a" and "o" categories: "tāku" (my, a), "tōku" (my, o). Transport falls into the "o" category, as do body-related items, like a hat.

Possession with groups uses the personal pronouns with tā (a-category) or tō (o-category). For example, tō tātou whare means “our house” (belonging to all of us), and tō rāua whare means “their house” (belonging to those two). If two people share something but not the listener, we use tō māua, as in tō māua waka (“our car, not yours”).

Possessive pronouns in the a category correspond to the 11 personal pronouns. The forms are tāku, tāu, tāna, tā tāua, tā māua, tā kōrua, tā rāua, tā tātou, tā mātou, tā koutou, tā rātou. They indicate possession of a-category items such as food, work, pets, or created things, matching the person or group involved.

Kāore + possessive expresses not having or owning something. Use kāore + ā/ō + pronoun + noun, depending on the a/ō category. The ā/ō is required before pronouns, and the noun is typically plural. For example: kāore ā rāua kurī — those two don’t have any dogs.

Māori has preposed particles (before head words: āta, tino, āhua, mātua, tense markers, determiners) and postposed particles (after: atu, tonu, hoki, kē, ana). Some structures use both (e…ana). Mātua implies "first and foremost" (priority), unlike tuatahi ("firstly").

Māori pronunciation.

The question "how are you? Kei te pēhea koe?" And you? Me koe? Āe, kao, auē!

Rānei means "or", but unlike in English,it is placed after the final listed option. It handles multiple choices and, with a single option, turns statements into emphatic yes/no questions (implying "or not"). It works in negative forms too. Its core role is marking direct, choice-focused questions.

In Māori, rānei forms questions; its placement shifts emphasis (action, subject, or object). Kāore rānei means "or not". Ehara rānei asks negative questions. Crucially, answering "yes" agrees with the negative statement ("I have not"), while "no" contradicts it ("I have").

Dual pronouncs: me, not you; you and me, those two, you two.

Use tino before an adjective for "very"; rawa after for "too/excessively". Combine tino...rawa for "very exceedingly". Comparatives use ake...i ("than"). Superlatives use rawa atu ("the most"). Adding tino before rawa atu intensifies to "absolutely amazing".

Simple sentences in the present tense with a verb and a noun as a subject.

Simple sentences with a noun and an adjective. Unlike in English, the adjective follows the noun (the house big, the cer red). For example: "Kei te oma te tāne nui" (the big man is running).

How to say "my", "your" and "his/her".

Dual pronouncs: me, not you; you and me, those two, you two.

In Māori, nouns require a determiner before them to indicate which, how many, or whose item is meant. Common determiners include te (the, singular), ngā (the, plural), he (a/some), tētahi (a), and ētahi (some), as well as possessive and demonstrative forms like tēnei, tēnā, tērā. The determiner taua refers to something previously mentioned (“that aforementioned thing”), with plural aua.

Instead of using "the" or "a", we can use words like "this" or "those". In te reo Māori we have tēnei (this near me), tēnā (that near you) and tērā (that over there) amd the plurals ēnei, ēnā and ērā.

Māori demonstratives—tēnei (near me), tēnā (near you), tērā (over there)—can be single words or split as te...nei/nā/rā around a noun. For agent emphatic, past uses nā + agent + i + verb (object takes no i), future uses mā + agent + e + verb. The demonstrative may precede or follow the noun.

"a" and "some"

Use of tino and ahua to mean "very" and "somewhat". "Kei te tino pai" means "I am very well and "Kei te āhua ora koe" means "you are somewhat well".

In Māori, neutral possessives are "taku" (my), "tō" (your), "tana" (his/her). Using the "a" and "o" categories: "tāku" (my, a), "tōku" (my, o). Transport falls into the "o" category, as do body-related items, like a hat.

Tonu means 'still/continuously' with tense markers like kei te (kei te mahi tonu – still working). Without a tense marker in past narratives, it means 'immediately' (haere tonu – immediately went). Paired as rite tonu... ki, it means 'just like' for comparisons (rite tonu ki te tia – like a deer).

In Māori, m-class possessives (mā, mō) indicate future or unrealised possession—something not yet owned. They also show who will perform an action (e.g., māku = for me to do). Unlike t-class, plurals retain the initial letter (māku, not āku). Mō can also mark future time.

In Māori, "for" is expressed using mā (a category) or mō (o category), depending on possession. Examples: mā te tina (for dinner), mō te whare. SlMamy speakers use mō universally, which is also acceptable.