When building Māori sentences using this pattern:
Tense
marker
+
Verb
+
Agent
+
'i' or
'ki'
+
Object
You always put 'i' or 'ki' before the OBJECT
The choice between 'i' and 'ki' can be surprisingly subtle.
Our teachers have told us that choosing between them can lead to a lot of discussion between speakers – sometimes quite lively discussion!
Fortunately for us newbies, there are some useful rules and patterns that can help. We'll look at those in more detail in the next sections, but when I was starting out, I found this very simple guide helpful:
1. Use ‘i’ when the object gets ‘verbed’
Kei te inu au i te tī
I am drinking the tea
'The tea' is the OBJECT, and it is getting 'drunk'
Ka patu a Maia i te pōro
Maia has kicked the ball
'The ball' is the OBJECT, and has been 'kicked'
I hoko ia i ngā āporo
She bought the apples
'The apples' is the OBJECT and they got 'bought'
Note:
English doesn’t use a word before the OBJECT in these types of sentences, but Māori uses 'i'.
You don't need to remember these terms, but VERBS that act directly on an OBJECT are called ‘TRANSITIVE VERBS (TŪMAHI WHITI in Te Reo), and their OBJECTS are called ‘DIRECT OBJECTS’.
In our examples, te tī, te pōro, and ngā āporo are DIRECT OBJECTS – the people or things that get 'VERBED'.
2. Use ‘ki’ when the verb implies a direction 'to' or 'towards' the object.
Use ki when:
the OBJECT is where the action is heading
the OBJECT is the focus of the VERB
the OBJECT receives something
I haere a William ki ngā toa
William went to the shops
The shops are the goal, William is moving toward them
Kua hoatu au te pukapuka ki a Mere
I have given the book to Mary
Mere is the recipient. The book moved to her
Kei te whakarongo au ki te waiata
I’m listening to the song
The song is the focus the verb (listening). The listening is directed toward the song
I te tatari rātou ki te pahi
They were waiting for the bus
This one is a little less clear, but it follows the same principle; the focus of their action (waiting) is on / towards the bus