Whakamātauria Tō Reo Māori LFE key terms

To listen attentively with understanding. In the listening paper you hear Māori spoken at natural speed, so practise catching the main idea first, then details such as names, numbers and places, without relying on replay.

An audio recording played during the listening assessment. You hear it a set number of times, so read the questions first and note key words while you listen rather than trying to write every word.

The key word or words in a question or passage that carry the main meaning. Finding them quickly tells you what to listen or look for and helps you avoid being distracted by minor detail.

The situation surrounding a word or statement: who is speaking, to whom, where and why. Context decides which sense of a multi-meaning word is intended and whether the register is formal or casual.

Spoken language, as opposed to written text. Listening tasks use real speech, which includes fillers, false starts, fast pronunciation and regional variation that written texts never show, so exposure to actual recordings matters.

A regional variety of Māori, differing in pronunciation, vocabulary and idiom. Recordings may feature speakers from different iwi, so knowing common regional differences stops you mistaking an unfamiliar form for an error.

Formal oratory delivered on a marae, traditionally by a man, following a recognised structure: tauparapara, acknowledgement of the house and the people, the main topic, then a supporting song. Examiners notice structure and appropriate vocabulary.

A short speech of greeting and acknowledgement given at the start of a gathering or as part of formal oratory. It usually names the land, mountain, river and ancestor, then greets hosts and visitors by name.

The high-pitched ceremonial call performed by women to welcome visitors onto the marae. It opens the formal welcome and follows a call-and-response pattern, so you should recognise its set phrases and its place in proceedings.

A short chant that opens formal speech, often archaic and allusive. It signals the speaker's intent and tribal connections, and a listener needs to recognise it as the opening rather than the substance of the speech.

A song sung by the speaker's group straight after a formal speech to support and close it. It echoes the speech's themes, and recognising this sequence helps you follow the order of events in a listening passage.

A short colloquial expression used in everyday speech, such as an exclamation of surprise or approval. These are informal and often cannot be translated word for word, so they are tested for meaning in context.

The way words are pronounced, including vowel length, stress and the ng and wh sounds. Pronunciation separates meanings, so an examiner listens for consistent long vowels and consonants rather than for speed or accent.

A vowel sound. Māori has five vowels, each with a short and a long form, and length changes meaning, as between 'keke' and 'kēkē', so vowels carry far more weight than they do in English.

A consonant sound. The Māori consonants include the digraphs ng and wh, each counting as a single sound, and getting them right matters because replacing one changes the word entirely.

The macron written above a vowel to mark it as long, as in ā, ē, ī, ō, ū. It changes both pronunciation and meaning, and leaving it out of written work or flattening it in speech counts as an error.

To read, and also a notice or written announcement. In the reading paper you work through written Māori texts and the questions on them, so skimming once for overall gist before close reading saves valuable time.

A written text of any kind, such as an article, letter, report or story. Questions often ask about the purpose and intended audience, not only the content, so identify the type of text first.

A proverb, often traditional, used to sum up a situation or drive home a point. Its meaning is figurative, and questions usually ask what the speaker intends by it rather than for a literal word-for-word gloss.

A set statement of identity naming one's mountain, river, marae, iwi and ancestors. It is formulaic and tightly compressed, so a reader must know the pattern to work out who is being identified in a text.

Knowledge and stories handed down through generations, including genealogy, history and customary narrative. Such texts often use older vocabulary and allusion, so read for overall meaning before chasing individual unfamiliar words.

A story told for entertainment or instruction, often fictional and featuring ancestors or supernatural beings. Recognising narrative shape, including setting, complication and resolution, helps you answer questions about sequence and character.

A sentence. Analysing one means locating the verb and its particles, such as ka, i, e or kei, because these mark tense, aspect and mood and therefore drive the meaning of the whole.

A noun, meaning a word that names a person, place, thing or idea. In Māori, nouns are commonly preceded by particles such as te, ngā, he or a, and spotting these shows what the sentence is about.

A verb, the word carrying the action or state in a sentence. Māori verbs work with tense and aspect markers, so identifying the verb is usually the quickest way into the meaning of an unfamiliar sentence.

A describing word, telling you what something or someone is like. Many Māori describing words behave like verbs, so check whether the sentence states a quality or simply names one as a noun.

Negation, the way a sentence is turned negative. Māori uses different negative words depending on tense and sentence type, such as kāore, kīhai and ehara, so missing one reverses the meaning of the whole statement.

To write, and writing as a skill. The writing paper asks you to produce connected Māori text for a stated purpose and audience, so grammatical accuracy, appropriate register and clear structure all earn marks.

An essay or extended piece of writing. It needs an introduction, body paragraphs each carrying one main idea, and a conclusion, with Māori sentence patterns used consistently instead of English word order.

A report: factual writing setting out what happened, what was found and what is recommended. It is usually organised under headings and written impersonally, and its purpose differs clearly from that of a story or letter.

A letter, whether formal or informal. Formal letters use set openings and closings and a respectful register, while informal letters allow colloquial language, and matching register to the reader is what earns marks.

A summary giving the main points of a text in fewer words. A strong summary keeps the writer's key ideas and their order, drops examples and repetition, and uses your own wording rather than copied sentences.

To translate something into Māori. It is a meaning-based process rather than word-for-word substitution, requiring you to choose vocabulary, sentence patterns and register that a fluent speaker would genuinely use.

A translation into Māori, or the act of translating. Assessors look for meaning carried across accurately, natural Māori grammar and consistent terminology, not a literal rendering that preserves English syntax underneath.

A newly coined or modern word, often created to name technology or ideas with no traditional term. Recognising how such words are built from Māori roots helps you infer meaning in unfamiliar texts and use them correctly.

The passive form of a verb, marked by endings such as -tia, -ngia, -hia, -a and -ria. Passive sentences are very common in formal Māori, so forming and recognising them is essential in both writing and reading.

The topic, theme or purpose of a speech, text or task. Identifying it early keeps your writing on track and stops you drifting into generalities when you answer an examination prompt.

A joining word, such as engari, nā te mea, ahakoa or otirā, that links ideas within and between sentences. Used well, these lift writing above a string of short, disconnected statements.