Simon and Chirpy in Skyline
📷 Peter Baxter
Kapeka tūmahi (verbal clauses – VSO)
Structures that initiate active or stative verbal sentences, following the Verb-Subject-Object pattern.
- kei te
- present continuous aspect; an action currently happening
- e … ana
- continuous aspect; an ongoing action in the past, present, or future depending on context
- kua
- perfect aspect; an action that has already been completed or a state that has been reached
- ka
- inceptive aspect; the beginning of a new action, commonly used for future events or narrative sequences
- i
- past tense marker; a completed action in the past
- i te
- past continuous aspect; an ongoing action that was happening in the past
Hanganga taurite (equational clauses – identification and classification)
Non-verbal clauses used to specify identity, ownership, or classification.
- ko
- specifies identity, naming, or highlighting a subject
- he
- classifying particle used to state "a" or "some", or to describe a quality or attribute
Ngā tohu tautohu (determiners and articles)
Used to specify number, definiteness, or selection within noun phrases.
- te; ngā
- singular and plural definite articles meaning "the"
- tētahi; ētahi
- singular and plural determiners meaning "a", "a certain", "one of"; "some", "certain", "others"
- tētahi atu; ētahi atu
- singular and plural determiners meaning "another", "an additional one"; "some others", "additional ones"
Ngā tohu wakaatu (demonstratives)
Used to indicate location relative to the speaker or listener.
- tēnei; ēnei
- singular and plural demonstratives; "this"; "these" (near speaker)
- tēnā; ēnā
- singular and plural demonstratives; "that"; "those" (near listener)
- tērā; ērā
- singular and plural demonstratives; "that yonder"; "those yonder" (distant from both)
Hanganga taurite whakakāhore (equative negation)
Used to negate equative clauses formed with "ko" or "he".
- ehara
- equative negator meaning "is not" or "are not" (cf. ko, he)
- 'ehara i te mea
- proposition negator meaning "it is not the case that"
Hanganga whakakāhore motuhake
- kore e [tūkapi] e [tūmahi]
- subordinate or relative negation (cf. e … ana)
- e kore [tūkapi] e [tūmahi]
- future active negation (cf. ka)
- kāore [tūkapi] i [tūmahi]
- past or completed active negation (cf. i, kua)
- kāore [tūkapi] e [tūmahi] ana
- present or continuous active negation (cf. e … ana)
- kāore anō [tūkapi] kia [tūmahi]
- perfect active negation (cf. kua)
- kaua [tūkapi] e [tūmahi]
- negative command or prohibition (cf. kia, me)
- kei [tūkapi] e [tūmahi]
- precautionary warning (cf. kei te)
Hanganga whakakāhore hāngū motuhake
- e kore [kaupapa] e [tūmahi hāngū]
- future passive negation (cf. ka + tūmahi hāngū)
- kāore [kaupapa] i [tūmahi hāngū]
- past or completed passive negation (cf. i + tūmahi hāngū, kua + tūmahi hāngū)
- kāore [kaupapa] e [tūmahi hāngū] ana
- present or continuous passive negation (cf. kei te + tūmahi hāngū, e … ana)
- kāore anō [kaupapa] kia [tūmahi hāngū]
- perfect passive negation (cf. kua + tūmahi hāngū)
- kaua [kaupapa] e [tūmahi hāngū]
- passive prohibition (cf. kia + tūmahi hāngū)
Hanganga wāhi (locative clauses)
Structures indicating the physical or temporal location of a subject.
- kei
- present-time locative; indicates where someone or something is right now
- i
- past-time locative; indicates where someone or something was
- ki
- directional locative; indicates movement toward a place, object, or person
- mā
- locative particle meaning "via", "by way of", or "through"
Hanganga tohutohu me te hiahia (commands, purpose, and desire)
Particles used to express commands, desires, purposes, or obligations.
- kia
- used to express a wish, desire, purpose ("so that", "in order to"), or to form mild commands or requests
- me
- imperative; indicates "should", "must", or "had better"
- hei
- used to express purpose, intended role, or future function
- kia … ai
- purpose construction meaning "so that" or "in order that"
Hanganga whai take (reason and cause clauses)
Connectives used to introduce a reason, cause, or justification for an action.
- nō te mea
- conjunction meaning "because", "from the fact that"
- i te mea
- conjunction meaning "because", "when"
Hanganga āhuatanga (condition and concession)
Structures used to introduce a hypothetical condition, a future possibility, or a concession.
- ki te
- used before a verb to mean "if" or "in order to"
- mēnā
- conjunction meaning "if"
- mehemea
- conjunction meaning "if" (often counterfactual)
- ina
- conjunction meaning "when", "whenever", or "if and when"
- ahakoa
- conjunction meaning "although", "even though", or "despite"
- heoi
- conjunction meaning "however", "but", or "thereupon"; used to pivot the flow of narrative
- heoi anō
- conjunction meaning "however", "furthermore", or "it's just that"
Hanganga rerenga piri (relative clauses)
Subordinate clauses or markers that link actions together or clarify the relationship between clauses.
- ana
- particle used at the end of a subordinate clause to mean "when", "as soon as", or "upon"
- ''ai
- habitual or relative particle used to link a subordinate clause to a main clause
- nei; nā; rā
- deictic particles used post-verbally to anchor relative clauses in space or time ("who or which is here, there, yonder")
Hanganga rerenga kōrero tuku (reported and indirect speech)
Verbs of saying, thinking, or perceiving that introduce indirect statements or reported speech.
- kī
- to say or state
- kōrero
- to speak, talk, tell, or converse
- mea
- to say, indicate, or think
- whakamārama
- to explain or clarify
- whakaaro
- to think, consider, or plan
