Ngā Tohutohu
He combined with tā and tō combine to say that someone has or owns something. Dependant upon what is owned, the a and o categories are used to show this relationship. This is shown by the use of tā or tō. Remember that if tā or tō is used then only one thing is owned, however if there is more than one thing owned then the ‘t’ is omitted and ā or ō is used. Look carefully at the following examples:
| He pātai tā Mereana. |
Mereana has a question. |
| He raruraru tō Wahineata. |
Wahineata has a problem. |
| He kurī tā te kōtiro. |
The girl has a dog. |
| He motokā hou tō Tawhiti rāua ko Merenia. |
Tawhiti and Merenia have a new car. |
| He kākahu paruparu ō Kararaina. |
Kararaina has dirty clothes. |
| He tēina ō tāua. |
We have younger siblings. |
| He hipi ā mātou. |
We have some sheep. |
| He pāmu nui tā te whānau Hura. |
The Hura family has a big farm. |
In the above examples either names or nouns have been used. If names are used they will follow tā, tō, ā or ō immediately, whereas a noun will need te ngā a possessive or some other such word, to precede it. The dual and plural pronouns combine with tā, tō, ā and ō in the same way.
| He ngeru tā rāua. |
They have a cat. |
| He whare tō mātou. |
We have a house. |
| He tuākana ō kōrua? |
Do you two have any older brothers? |
| He kākahu paruparu ō rātou. |
The have dirty clothes. |
However, when only one person owns the object or objects then tāku, tōku, tāu, tōu, tāna, tōna, or their plural forms are used.
| He pātai tāku. |
I have a question. |
| He tēina ōku. |
I have younger siblings. |
| He tamariki āu? |
Do you have children? |
| He kurī tāu? |
Do you have a dog? |
When using singular personal pronouns the neutral versions should never be used as there are no nouns following them. Singular possessive pronouns are often used in a question form and therefore require a questioning intonation. The answer will often include the word anō for emphasis.
| He tamariki āna? |
Does she have any children? |
| Āe, he tamariki anō āna. |
Yes. She does indeed have children. |
| He teina tōu? |
Do you have a younger sibling? |
| Ā, he teina anō tōku. |
Yes, I do indeed have a younger sibling. |
Whakamāoritia ēnei rerenga kōrero.
Te wāhanga 2
Whakamāoritia ēnei rerenga kōrero.
