Nouns, Pronouns, and Adjectives in Māori
Tūingoa, Tūpou, me ngā Tūāhua Year 11 Te Reo Māori Understanding the building blocks of Māori language
Tūingoa - Nouns in Māori
Main words that name objects, people, or living things Examples: tangata (person), whare (house), manu (bird) Foundation words for building sentences Two special types: personal nouns and proper nouns
Two Types of Special Nouns
{"left":"Tūingoa tangata (Personal nouns)\nWords for specific individual people\nExamples: Ashley, Mere, Hana\nUsed with specific grammar patterns","right":"Tūingoa Motuhake (Proper nouns)\nWords for specific, unique places or organizations\nExamples: Aotearoa, Kelston Girls College, West Auckland\nAlways refer to particular named entities"}
Practice: Identify the Tūingoa
Read these sentences and identify the nouns: Ko Ashley tōku ingoa Ko taku whaea tēnā He kaiako a Hiria Circle or underline each tūingoa you find
Tūpou - Pronouns Replace Nouns
Words used to replace nouns to avoid repetition Key pronouns: ahau (I/me), koe (you), ia (he/she/it) Demonstratives: tēnei (this), tēnā (that), tērā (that over there) Help make sentences flow more naturally
Quick Check: Pronoun Understanding
If I say 'Ko wai koe?' what am I asking? What pronoun would you use to talk about someone far away? How would you say 'I am...' in Māori?
Important Grammar Patterns
Ko + (name/noun) - for identification He + (noun) - for classification Ko wai...? - Who is...? He aha...? - What is...? These patterns help structure Māori sentences correctly
Tūāhua - Adjectives Describe Things
Words that describe objects, people, or living things Examples: atahua (beautiful), roa (long), pai (good) Follow specific grammar patterns in Māori Can describe appearance, size, quality, or characteristics
Adjective Grammar Patterns
{"left":"Positive statements:\nKo te (noun) + (adjective)\nHe + (noun) + (adjective)\nHe + (adjective) + tēnei/tēnā/tērā","right":"Negative statements:\nEhara + tēnei/tēnā/tērā + i te + (noun) + (adjective)\nEhara a + (name) + i te + (noun) + (adjective)\nUsed to correct assumptions or deny descriptions"}
Putting It All Together
Create sentences using nouns, pronouns, and adjectives: Describe someone in your whānau using 'Ko' or 'He' Use an adjective to describe something in the classroom Practice asking 'Ko wai?' and 'He aha?' questions Share your sentences with a partner
More Mori Grammar slide decks
Other ready-to-teach decks on mori grammar.
