Whakamātauria Tō Reo Māori LFE flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Māori vowel length

Te reo Māori has five vowels, a e i o u, each of which can be short or long. Length is phonemic, so a long vowel can change a word's meaning.

Macron

A macron is the horizontal mark over a vowel - ā, ē, ī, ō, ū - showing that the vowel is long. Some texts instead double the vowel.

ng and wh sounds

In te reo Māori, ng represents a single velar nasal sound /ŋ/, and wh is commonly pronounced /f/ or /ɸ/, though pronunciation varies by dialect.

Māori stress rule

Stress in te reo Māori usually falls on a long vowel. If a word has no long vowel, stress tends to fall on its first syllable.

mai and atu

Mai indicates movement or direction toward the speaker, while atu indicates movement or direction away. Both follow verbs and can reverse the direction heard.

Tense-aspect particles

Particles such as ka, i, kua, and e ... ana signal future or sequential, past, perfect, and ongoing events. Listening for them reveals when an action occurs.

Counting people with toko-

Use toko- before numbers when counting people: tokorua (two people), tokotoru (three people). Plain numbers such as rua and toru are used for objects.

tuakana and tēina

Tuakana means an older same-sex sibling; tēina means a younger same-sex sibling. The terms depend on the speaker's gender and relative age.

Inclusive and exclusive pronouns

Māua and mātou exclude the person addressed; tāua and tātou include them. The distinction applies to dual and plural first-person pronouns.

a-category and o-category

Māori possessives fall into a- and o-categories. A-category forms include tāku and aku; o-category forms include tōku and ōku. The choice depends on the relationship between possessor and possessed.

VSO clause order

In a simple verbal clause, the verb phrase comes first, then the subject, then the object: Kei te inu a Hine i te wai.

kei te and i te

Kei te marks a present progressive action, while i te marks a past progressive action. Both are followed by the verb and then the subject.

Direct object marker i

The particle i commonly marks the direct object after a transitive verb. Before a proper noun it combines with a: Ka kite au i a Mere.

Passive suffixes

Passive verbs take endings such as -a, -ia, -tia, -ngia, -hia, -kia, -mia, -na, -nga, and -ria. The passive form shows the subject is affected by the action.

Negation with kāore

Kāore negates verbal clauses: kāore au i te kai (I am not eating), kāore au i kai (I did not eat), kāore au e kai (I will not eat).

Question words

Common question words include he aha (what), ko wai (who), kei hea (where), āhea (when), pēhea (how), and e hia (how many).

Definite articles te and ngā

Te marks a singular definite noun, and ngā marks a plural definite noun. He is used instead when the noun is indefinite.

Ko in nominal predicates

Ko introduces a proper noun or a nominal predicate, often at the start of a clause: Ko Tāne te kaiako (Tāne is the teacher).

Reduplication

Reduplication repeats all or part of a word. It often marks repeated action, plurality, or intensity, as in paki → pakipaki and kōrero → kōrerorero.

Nominalizing suffixes

Suffixes such as -nga, -tanga, and -ranga turn verbs into nouns: kite → kitenga (sighting), hui → huinga (gathering).

Numbers above ten

Tekau is ten, and rua tekau is twenty. Numbers are built by combining units with tekau, as in toru tekau mā rua (thirty-two).

Ordinal prefixes

Ordinal numbers use tua- plus the numeral: tuatahi (first), tuarua (second), tuatoru (third). These forms identify order or sequence in a text.

Particle ai

The particle ai follows a verb phrase and often links it to a reason, place, or time. Its exact meaning depends on the preceding verb and context.

Demonstrative nei, nā, rā

Nei points to something near the speaker, nā to something near the addressee, and rā to something away from both. They attach to words such as tēnei, tēnā, tērā.

Macron consistency

When writing te reo Māori, mark long vowels consistently with macrons or with doubled vowels. Do not mix the two systems in the same text except in quotations.

Spacing particles

Particles such as kei, te, a, ki, and i are written as separate words: kei te haere a Mere ki te kura.

He for indefinite nouns

The particle he introduces an indefinite noun or predicate: He pukapuka tēnei (this is a book). It contrasts with the definite articles te and ngā.

Ehara nominal negation

Ehara negates nominal predicates and is followed by i: Ehara ia i te kaiako (she is not a teacher). It does not negate verbal clauses.

Passive formation tuhi

To form a passive, add the appropriate suffix to the verb stem: tuhi → tuhia (written), inu → inumia (drunk), kai → kainga (eaten).

Ko with proper nouns

Ko precedes a proper noun in a nominal predicate or emphasized phrase: Ko Mere te kaiwhakahaere (Mere is the manager). It is not used before common nouns.

Conjunctions ā engari rānei

The conjunction ā can link clauses in sequence; engari means but; rānei means or; nō te mea means because.

Days of the week

The Māori days are Rāhina, Rātū, Rāapa, Rāpare, Rāmere, Rāhoroi, and Rātapu. Dates often use te ... o ... as in te 5 o Hune.