Sentence structures

Question 1

He aha …?

Answer 1

What is / what are?

E.g.
He aha tēnā?
He kuri tēnā.

Question 2

I / Kei te / Ka aha + pronoun?

Answer 2

What was/is someone doing / what will someone do?

E.g.
Kei te aha koe?
Kei te hīkoi au.

I aha koe?
I haere au ki te kura.

Question 3

He aha te wā?

Answer 3

What is the time?

Ko te + number + karaka te wā.

E.g.
He aha te wā?
Ko te toru karaka te wā.

OR the short form: Ko te toru karaka.

Question 4

I / Kei te / Ka … i hea?

I / Kei te / Ka / Kua + verb + pronoun + activity.

Answer 4

Where was / is / will someone be?

E.g.
Ka rāua i hea?
Ka haere māua ki Tāmaki Makaurau apōpo.

Kei te haere a Valerie ki hea? Kei te haere a Valerie ki Wharekāhika.

Question 5

Kia hia…?

Kia hia ngā + item + pronoun?
Kia + number + ngā item + pronoun.

Answer 5

Asking how many items are required.

E.g.
Kia hia ngā hēki māu?
Kia rua ngā hēki māku.

Question 6

Hōmai kia …

Hōmai kia + amount + ngā / te + item.

Answer 6

Another way of stating how many you will have of something.

Hōmai kia ono ngā panana.
Hōmai kia tekau ngā koko.

Question 7

E hia te utu mō item?

E amount tāra te cents amount hēneti te utu mō te item.

Answer 7

Asking how much something costs.

E.g.
E hia te utu mō ngā poukena?
E tekau mā tahi tāra te utu mō ngā poukena.

E hia te utu mō tēnei?
E rima tekau tāra me te rima tekau hēneti te utu mō tēnā.

Question 8

E hia ngā item?
E amount ngā item.

Answer 8

Asking how many things there are. Only used for objects.

E hia ngā merengi?
E tekau mā rima ngā merengi.

Question 9

Tokohia ngā category of people?

Answer 9

Asking how many people there are.
For 2-9 people, the answer begins with ‘toko’. For 10+, the answer begins with ‘E’.

Tokohia ngā tamariki?
Toko waru ngā tamariki.

Tokohia ngā kaimahi?
E waru tekau mā ono ngā kaimahi.

Question 10

Kei hea + pronoun + thing?

Kei hea + location + pronoun + thing.

Answer 10

Where is something / someone?

E.g.
Kei hea tāna poraka?
Kei te moenga tāna poraka.

Question 11

Kei a wai + pronoun + thing?

Kei + a name + pronoun + thing.

Answer 11

Kei a wai tāku pukapuka?
Kei a Valerie tō pukapuka.

Kei a wai te wāti a Sophia?
Kei a Rob te wāti a Sophia.

Question 12

Nā wai + pronoun + thing + action?
Nā + name + thing + action.

Answer 12

Who has done something?
- use Nāna for he/she

Nā wai tōna motokā i taraiwa?

Nā Rob tōna motokā i taraiwa. OR
Nāna tōna motokā i taraiwa.

Question 13

How is ‘He’ used?

Answer 13

1. to start a question.
   E.g. He pene ā Mere? (Has Mere got a pen?)
   He whare tō rāua? (Have those two got a house?)
2. to start a statement.
   E.g. He rangi pai i tēnei rā. (Today is a good day.)
   He pōrangi ia. (He is silly.)
   He makariri ki wahō. (It is cold outside).

Question 14

He + object + pronoun

NEGATING

Kāore + plural pronoun + object.

(Note, a negative possession sentence will always use the plural form)

Answer 14

He whare tōku

E.g.

Kāore ōku whare.

Kāore āna kurī.

Question 15

NEGATING TENSES - what’s the sentence structure to negate the following tenses?

I..

Kei te…

Ka…

Answer 15

I.. = Kāore + pronoun + i + verb
E.g.
I hiakai ngā tamariki.
Kāore ngā tamariki i hiakai.

Kei te… / E ana… = Kāore +pronoun + i te + verb
E.g.
Kei te haere ia ki te toa.
Kāore ia i te haere ki te toa.

Ka… = Kāore + pronoun + e + verb.
E.g.
Ka kōrero au.
Kāore au e kōrero.

Kua… = Kāora anō pronoun + kia + verb.
E.g.
Kua karanga te kuia.
Kāore ano te kuia kia karanga.