Sentence structure: Māori uses Verb-Subject-Object order.
A basic sentence is:
Tense marker + Verb + Pronoun/Subject
e.g.
Kei te oma ahau → I am running
I waiata rātou → They (3+) sang
Kua tae ia → He/she has arrived
Ka hīkoi tāua → We (2, incl. you) will walk
I vs Kua: I = simple past (it happened).
Kua = perfect (it has happened, with present relevance).
au vs ahau: Both mean "I/me".
Ahau is the emphatic/full form, and
au is the short form. Both are correct.
Advanced sentence practice ·
Sentence quiz