'Ki' is used less often than 'i ', so it makes sense to learn the guidelines for 'ki' first.
We’ll start with general rules and then look at specific verbs.
There are always exceptions to any rule, so treat these as a guide only. We will have a look at some of the common exceptions as we go.
Use 'ki' when the VERB indicates motion toward the OBJECT
Ka haere rātou ki te marae
Ka
haere
rātou
ki
te
marae
(future)
go
they
to
the
marae
They will go to the marae
Kei te haere au ki te toa
Kei te
haere
au
ki
te
toa
(now)
going
I
to
the
shop
I am going to the shop
I hoki a Sarah ki tōna kāinga
I
hoki
a
Sarah
ki
tōna
kāinga
(past)
returned
Sarah
to
her
home
Sarah returned to her home
In English, there are lots of different words that come before the OBJECT of a sentence when movement is involved.
In the examples above, we've used the English word 'to'. In the next example, we use the word 'on'. We could have also used 'onto'
In Māori, we don’t have to learn lots of different words. When the VERB involves movement towards the OBJECT, that relationship is marked with 'ki' before the OBJECT.
Kua peke te ngeru ki te tūru
Kua
peke
te
ngeru
ki
te
tūru
('has')
jumped
the
cat
on
the
table
The cat has jumped on the table
'Ki' is also used in the same sense but without actual motion
There is often a sense that the action is directed ‘towards’ the OBJECT
I kōrero ia ki tōna hoa
I
kōrero
ia
ki
tōna
hoa
(past)
talked
she
to
her
friend
She talked to her friend
Ka titiro a Maia ki ngā wāhine
Ka
titiro
a
Maia
ki
ngā
wāhine
(future)
look
Maia
at
the
women
Maia will look at the women
In the last example ‘at’ is a better English translation that ‘to’
Use ‘ki’ when the OBJECT is used to perform the action
E tuhi ana koe ki te pene
E
tuhi
ana
koe
ki
te
pene
(now+
'ing')
writing
you
with
the
pen
You are writing with the pen
We're already mentioned EXPERIENCE VERBS (or TŪMAHI WHEAKO in Te Reo) and that they are used in the same way as ACTION VERBS in simple (active)VERB sentences.
EXPERIENCE VERBS name a mental state or perception, although the term 'Experience' is a bit too narrow to describe all the verbs in this category, so treat it as a guide rather than a description.
One of the things that nearly all EXPERIENCE VERBS have in common is that they use 'ki' before their object.
Nearly all EXPERIENCE VERBS use 'ki' before their OBJECT
Here are some common EXPERIENCE VERBS , all these use 'ki' before their OBJECT
to think about, consider
to remember
E aroha ana au ki tōku whaea
E
aroha
ana
au
ki
tōku
whaea
(now+
'ing')
love
I
my
mum
I love my mum
I pīrangi te kōtiro ki te ngeru
I
pīrangi
te
kōtiro
ki
te
ngeru
(past)
wanted
the
girl
the
cat
The girl wanted the cat
Kei te mōhio au ki tōna ingoa
Kei te
mōhio
au
ki
tōu
ingoa
(now)
know
I
your
name
I know your name
I te tatari rātou ki te pahi
I te
tatari
rātou
ki
te
pahi
(past
+'ing')
waiting
they
for
the
bus
They were waiting for the bus
In the last example, to make a good English translation, we put the word 'for' into the English sentence
I te moemoeā au ki te kurī
I te
moemoeā
au
ki
te
kurī
(past
+'ing')
dreaming
I
about
the
dog
I was dreaming about the dog
The action is directed toward the OBJECT, but 'about' is a better English translation that 'at', 'to' or 'toward'.
A small number of EXPERIENCE VERBS usually use 'i' before the OBJECT. We'll look at examples in the next section.
In the examples above, we've seen 'ki' used to mean several different things:
'to' / 'towards' - in the sense of 'motion towards', where the OBJECT is the goal of the VERB
'on' / 'onto' - in the sense of motion to ward the OBJECT, where the OBJECT is the goal of the VERB
''at' / 'for' / 'about' - in the sense that an action, effort, attention or focus is directed toward the OBJECT
''with' - in the sense that the action is done 'using' or 'by means of' the OBJECT
'Ki' also marks the OBECT of most EXPERIENCE VERBS.
In several of the EXPERIENCE VERBS examples, there is no direct translation of 'ki' in the English translation.
This is because of a major difference in the rules of the two languages, Māori always explicitly marks the relationship between the VERB and the OBJECT by placing 'i' or 'ki' before the OBJECT.
In all the EXPERIENCE VERBS examples , 'ki' is marking the fact that the OBJECT is the focus of the VERB.
A quick note about EXPERIENCE VERBS. They all have something in common in that they involve a mental state or a perception of some kind. But this isn't always obvious, so it is a good idea to keep a list of them and learn that list, rather than just relying on the meaning.