A MINI MAORI COURSE

Kaea, Issue 4, 1 September 1980, Page 1

A MINI MAORI COURSE

John Foster

Here is the first of a three-part course for all of you wishing to learn to speak Maori. It does not claim to provide all the answers or any short cuts, and it’s not a dictionary. But it does outline the basic structures which you will need to be familiar with, and it offers examples and models from which you can form your own sentences.

The course is designed as a reference or “ready-reckoner” to help you to learn the vital sentence patterns of conversational Maori, and should prove useful to those who have perhaps lost what they learned and wish to brush up their ability. It is designed also to complement the best teaching programme of all — regular practice.

We can learn the Maori language for a long time and still not be able to converse in it. Only regular and concentrated practice in actually speaking it counts towards learning to speak Maori. These notes set out the most vital and useful patterns. Everything here is essential; you cannot speak Maori without a knowledge of all these points. On the other hand, if you can become really quick at using these sentence patterns you will already be past the most difficult stage and be in a much better position to try conversation with Maori speakers.

If you already know some Maori your first duty is to help your friends to get to your level. If you have other words and ways of expressing things please bear in mind that the ones in these notes are also correct and it will be a lot easier for a beginner to learn your words once they have mastered the basic patterns. The main requirement is imagination to make up additional examples. You must hear and say enough repetitions of the same pattern to fix it in your mind. Make up fresh sentences by introducing new words but without changing the form. Each step is only a little different from the one before, but it must be properly mastered before going on to the next.

Maori is a beautifully regular language and with determined and regular practice, at home or in the lunch hour, you should make good progress, and so help to preserve our fine New Zealand language.

A very important point in Maori is that you must always be prepared to meet the same “word” with more than one meaning.

1.1 Word order Maori order English order E waiata ana te wahine The woman is singing “Te wahine” is obviously the subject of the sentence and what is said about her comes first in the Maori sentence. This will apply in nearly all sentences.

1.2 Verbs and verb signs A verb indicates a particular action, and verb signs are used to show the state of the action, whether it happens in the past or future, is completed or is still going on, for example: E kai ana te tamaiti = the child is eating Gives a continuous tense (‘ing), usually present time. I oma nga tamariki = the children ran Gives past time. Kua hoki te kuri = the dog has returned (come back) Gives a completed tense. Ka rere nga manu = the birds will fly, the birds fly off Gives a future tense, or indicates what happens next irrespective of time. Me haere nga kotiro = the girls had better go Gives a strong suggestion, or mild order. Now re-combine the same words to make the Maori for “the child had better run’’, “the bird has flown”, “the girls ate”, “the dog is eating”, etc. When these have been practised until you use the correct verb sign every time the sentences can be modified:

(a) By adding describing words (adjectives)—pai, nui, whero, wera, momona, tere, ataahua, koi, etc. —directly

after the thing being described. The same rule applies with katoa = all, and anake = only. E oma ana te kuri nui = the big dog is running Me noho te tangata momona = the fat man had better sit down Ka moe te pepi pai = the good baby will sleep (b) By using the words tenei, enei = this, these; t ena, ena = that, those (by you); t era, era = that, those (over there). E kai ena heihei = those hens are eating I waiata tenei kotiro mohio = this clever girl sang Ka haere era pahi whero = those red buses will go Kua noho tera kuia = that old lady has sat down Taua, aua = that, those is a special form meaning “that has been mentioned before”. Ka tangi aua tamariki = those children cried

1.3 Nominal prefix If a person is mentioned as the subject of the sentence, their name is preceded by “a” (the nominal prefix). At first it is easy to forget to put this in, because there is no equivalent “word” in the English form. Also take note that this is one of several “a”s. E karanga ana a Hine = Hine is calling Me takoto a Hone = Hone had better lie down Ka tu a Wiremu = Wiremu stands up, or will stand “Ma” directly after the person’s name means “and others”. E mahi ana a Kuini ma = Kuini and the others are working E tama ma! = Boys!

1.4 Pronouns If we don’t want to keep on saying, for example, “the woman” or keep using the name “Hine”, we can use “she” (a pronoun). E oma ana ia = she is running Here are other pronouns in use: I mahi ahau = I worked Kua horoi ratou = they have washed Ka haere taua = we will set off E inu ana koe = you are drinking Note that these pronouns are in the same position in the sentence as the words they have replaced and that the nominal prefix “a” is not generally used when a pronoun is subject of the sentence. The full set: One person ahau, or au = I, me koe = you ia = he, him/she, her Two people taua = we, us (the person spoken to is one of the two people) maua = we, us (the person spoken to is not one of the two people) korua = you raua = they, them More than two people tatou = we, us (the person spoken to is one of the people) matou = we, us (the person spoken to is not one of the people) koutou = you ratou = they, them Note the dual pronouns used when two people are concerned; also the inclusive forms maua and matou. Referring to more than one person, “and” is expressed in this way:

Rangi raua ko Mona = Rangi and Mona Rangi ratou ko Mona ko Kiri = Rangi, Mona and Kiri If you are a beginner it will take a little while to become completely familiar with the pronouns, so you can move on to the next section when you are sure of half of them.

1.5 Active and Passive The Maori verb has two forms; the active form is used when the subject (*) of the sentence is carrying out some action, and the passive form is used when the subject is having the action done to it. Active and passive relate to the viewpoint from which a particular action is regarded. Do not confuse with “past” time. The verb sign indicates the time; the ending indicates active or passive. (a) Active E kai ana tera taitama * = that young man is eating I patu te tangata * = the man hit Ka waiata tenei kotiro * = this girl will sing Kua horoi ahau * = I have washed (b) Passive E kainga ana nga aporo * = the apples are being eaten I patua tera kuri* kino = that bad dog was hit Ka waiatatia te himene* = the hymn will be sung Kua horoia nga pereti* = the plates have been washed The importance of understanding the principle of active and passive cannot be stressed too strongly. When you learn a new verb, learn both forms. In dictionaries the passive ending is shown like this: “waiata-tia”, “mahi-a”. Once this section is mastered the whole subject will become easier to follow.

1.6 The natural development from 1.5 a is: E kai ana tera kotiro i nga aporo = that girl is eating the apples I patu te tangata i tera kuri kino = the man hit that bad dog Ka waiata tenei tamaiti i te himene = this child will sing the hymn Kua horoi ahau i nga pereti = / have washed the plates Note that this “i” (the transitive preposition) is not represented by any word in English. We must remember to put it in. The verbs “aroha”, “mohio”, “tatari”, “wareware”, and “mahara” use “ki” as the transitive preposition but, unlike the “ki”s we will deal with next, it does not translate. Two important rules emerge at this stage: (a) If a person’s name or a pronoun follow “i” (or “ki”, “Kei/i”) it is preceeded by “a” (nominal prefix). I awhina te kui i a Hera = the old lady helped Hera

I awhina te kuia i a ia = the old lady helped her (b) “He = a, some’’ is never used after “i” (or after “ki”, kei/I”, “na/no”, “ma/mo”). “Tetahi” (often abbreviated to “te”) and “etahi = some” are used instead. E tuhituhi ana ia i te(tahi) reta = he is writing a letter E korero ana a Henare ki (2.3) te kotiro ataahua = Henare is talking to a beautiful girl The natural development of 1.5 b is: Kua kainga nga aporo e tera tama = the apples have been eaten by that boy E patua ana te kuri kino e te tangata = the bad dog is being hit by the man Ka waiatatia te waiata e tenei kotiro = the song will be sung by this girl Kua horoia nga pereti e au = the plates have been washed by me It is much more common in Maori for things to be expressed in the passive, which is considered to stress the action. English usually prefers to use the active form. Note again, there are several other “e”s.

1.7 Giving orders A direct order is given by using the active form of a verb (if the verb has only two or three letters it is preceded by ‘E’). Waiata! = sing! E kai! = eat! Haere ki (2.2) te kura! = go to school! Hoki (mai)! = come back (to me)!

A more useful form of order or instruction is when the passive form of the verb is used to ask someone else to act in a certain way. Mauria nga turn = bring the chairs. Kainga enei panana = eat these bananas. Kimihia nga mati = look for the matches. Hokona he paraoa = buy some bread. Horoia enei kakahu = wash these clothes. Homai nga pukapuka e rua (e toru, e wha) = give me the two (three, four) books please. Note that “homai” and “hoatu” are exceptions that do not have passive endings.

1.8 Adverbs Extra description of an action is obtained by using adverbs, placed directly after the verb. E mahi pai ana ratou = they are working well E waiata reka ana nga tamariki = the children are singing sweetly Kua haere ke a Mere = Mere has already gone, or has gone elsewhere Ka korero tonu au = I will keep talking (talk continually) Ka tu ano te rangatira = the chief stands (will stand) again

E karanga mai ana te kuia = the old lady is calling (Mai indicates towards us, or towards the person telling the story) E whakarongo atu ana tatou = we are listening (.Atu indicates away from us, or towards the person telling the story)

These two are very common “adverbs of direction”. Although frequently put into the Maori form they do not usually require to be represented in English. Sometimes “to me” is implied by the use of “mai”. Aroha mai = love me. The adverbs are not quite as vital to know and practise as some sections that follow but are included here because if you are not aware that they exist they can cause confusion.

2. Prepositions 2.1 / = from; direction of movement Kua tae mai ratou i Taupo = they have arrived from Taupo E hoki ana nga tangata katoa i te whare karakia = all the people are returning from church Note that ‘from church’ must be ‘i te whare karakia’, ‘from town’ must be ‘i te taone’, ‘from school’ must be ‘i te (whare) kura’. 2.2 ki = to; direction of movement. E oma tika ana nga tamariki ki te whare kai = the children are running straight to the dining room Ka haere nga wahine tokorua ki Whakatane = the two women will go to Whakatane Note: if reference is to people, “toko” is used with numbers between 2 and 9.

2.3 Ki = at/to; direction of attention or speech. Kua titiro au ki nga heihei = I have looked at the hens Ka korero a Paki ki a Monika = Paki will talk to Monika E whakarongo ana ia ki a ia = she/he is listening to Him/her These are not all the ‘i’s and ‘ki’s.

3 Ki te = to carry out some activity. Ka timata ratou kite mahi = they will start to work Me haere korua kite motoka kite tiki i nga mea katoa = you had better go to the car to fetch all the things Kua noho te koroheke kite korero nupepa = the old chap has sat down to read the papers Note: “korero nupepa” (a compound verb) is short for “korero i nga nupepa”; “horoi kakahu = horio i nga kakahu”; “hoko kai = hoko i nga kai”.

4.1 Some statements in Maori can be formed without using any verb. There is no verb “to be” in Maori. The same meaning is conveyed by bringing two elements or ideas together to establish a relationship so that, for example “he pukapuka tenei” means literally “a book this” giving us “this is a book”. He wati hou tena = that is a new watch He manu era = those are birds He pene rakau enei = these are pencils He kaiwhakaako tera wahine = that woman is a school teacher He kotiro pai ratou = they are good girls He rangatira a Rewi = Rewi is/was a chief Note nominal prefix before a person’s name, and that “he” can indicate one thing or several things.

4.2 Stating some quality: He whero enei hu hou = these new shoes are red He nui tera whare = that house is big He tino koi tena naihi = that knife is very sharp

4.3 “Ko te = is the”; “ko” is used to be specific. Never put “Ko he”. Ko te whare-runanga tera = that is the meeting house Ko te kaiwhakahaere a Henare = Henare is the organiser Ko nga tauera ma enei = these are the clean towels Ko Rewi te rangatira = Rewi is/was the chief There can be differences in word order; whatever directly follows “ko” is stressed the most. Ko enei nga tauera ma = these are the clean towels Note that if a person’s name follows “ko” it is not preceded by “a”.

5.1 Kei/I =at some location; Kei Kei Rotorua ahau = lam at Rotorua I te whare a Hone = Hone was at the house

5.2 Kei a/I a = located with ( has with them, but not necessarily owns) Kei a Mere nga kete = Mere has the kits I a ia te naihi = she had the knife Kei nga taitamariki nga kuri = the boys have the dogs Ite kura mahita te kamera = the schoolmaster (teacher) had the camera There is no verb “to have” in Maori, and this is one way in which “having” can be expressed. Examples given later are used to denote actual ownership. Refer again to 1.6 a for use of the nominal prefix “a”.

5.2 In English we can say either “he is working” or ”he is at work ”, “she is resting” or “ she is at rest ”, “they are playing” or “ they are at play ” but it is not extended to “he is at sing”, etc. In Maori it is, however, and the two forms can be considered as being equivalent. E waiata ana ia = he is singing Kei te waiata ia = he is singing E moe ana te pepi = the baby was sleeping I te moe te pepi = the baby was sleeping Note the “e ana” form is not fixed to any time but is past or present according to context. “Kei te” is always present; “I te” is always past. 6.1 Complex prepositions “in”, “on”, “under” are not single words, as in English.

Kei roto ia i te whare = she is in the house Kei raro a Mere i tera rakau nui = Mere is under that big tree I runga nga kapu i te tepu = the cups were on the table Note ‘Kei’ is used for present; ‘l’ for past. These are direct statements saying where a person or thing is located. The word order “Kei roto i te kapata nga pereti = the plates are in the cupboard” is equally correct. 6.1 Stating what is in a certain location, use “kei (roto) i”. He manu kei runga i te rakau = there is a bird on the tree He wahine kei roto i te kihini = there are some women in the kitchen The same form (“he”) is used for one or several things. 6.3 To describe particular items by reference to their location use only “/ (roto) i”. Nga kapu i roto i tenei kapata = the cups (that are) in this cupboard Te rihi nui i runga i te tepu = the big dish (that is) on the table Nga hu i raro i te turn = the shoes (that are) under the chair

6.4 Where motion “into” or “onto” is involved use “ ki (roto) i”. Me haere tatou ki roto i te whare-karakia = we had better go into the church E piki ana te puihi ki runga i tera rakau = the cat is climbing onto that tree

7.1 Possession; important and widely used form Te toki a Ropata = Ropata’s axe (the axe of Ropata) Te whare o Ropata = Ropata’s house (the house of Ropata) He toki na Ropata = an axe of Ropata’s (belonging to Ropata) He whare no Ropata = a house of Ropata’s (belonging to Ropata) In this brief outline it can only be said that things over which we have control, authority, or influence take ‘a = of’, and things which have control, authority or influence over us take ‘o = of’. (The underlying principle is one of active and passive relationship.) The only sure way is to note which category a word is in the first time you hear it. It will be consistent in all the others (te a, taku, naku, maku, etc.)

Continued next issue.