On-line Te Reo Māori Dictionary

Ko Āwhina te mataamua. Ko Aroha te pōtiki.
Āwhina is the oldest. Aroha the youngest.
Identity sentences - ko...

Ko Aidan te mātāmua o Kayte.
Aidan is the oldest child of Kayte.
Identity sentences - ko...

Ko Ngāti Hāmua tōku hapū.
Ngāti Hāmua is my sub-tribe.
Identity sentences - ko...

Ko wai te mātāmua o tō whānau?
Who is the eldest in your family?
Asking who - Ko wai...?

Ko wai te mātāmua?
Who is the oldest?
Asking who - Ko wai...?

E tū ana ia ki mua i Te Rōpū Whakamana i te Tiriti o Waitangi.
He is standing in front of the Treaty of Waitangi.
Simple sentences: present tense - e... ana

E whakarongo ana māua ko Paora ki te tumuaki.
Paora and I are listening to the head-master.
Simple sentences: present tense - e... ana

I mutu tōmua tātou i tēnei rā.
We finished early today.
Simple sentences: past tense - i

I ngā rā o mua, mā te hōiho kē te moua e tō.
In former times, a horse pulled the mower instead.
Simple sentences: past tense - i

I mahi kai mātou i mua i te hui.
We prepared food before the meeting.
Simple sentences: past tense - i

Kua haere kē i mua tata o taku taenga atu.
He left just before I arrived.
Simple sentences: past completed tense - kua

Me haere ngā wāhine ki mua.
The women should go to the front.
Simple sentences: you should - me

Kei mua rātou i te whare e tū ana.
They are standing in front of the house.
-

Kei mua te kuia e karanga ana.
The kuia is calling in front.
-

Kei mua i te whare e tipu ana.
Growing in front of the house.
-

Tēnā tahia te mahau mua me te mahau muri?
Could you please sweep the front and back porch.
Could you please make me... - Tēnā mahia mai he... māku.

Nō mua atu i tērā te hū o Tarawera - nō te tau 1886.
The Tarawera eruption happened before that - in 1886.
Belonging to the past - nō

Nō mua tata atu i tōna matenga, ka puta tana ōhākī ki tana whānau.
Shortly before his passing, he made his dying speech to his whānau.
Belonging to the past - nō

Nō mua noa atu te walkman i te ipod.
The Walkman came long before the ipod.
Belonging to the past - nō

Nō mua tata atu.
Shortly before.
Belonging to the past - nō

Nō mua i te piringa ki a Rangi, ka moe a Papa rāua ko Tangaroa.
Before the union with Rangi, Papa was in a relationship with Tangaroa.
Belonging to the past - nō

Whakapaingia te whare i mua i te taenga mai o ngā manuhiri.
Clean the house before the guests arrive.
Commands using the passive - Tāpirihia, Tīkina...

Hoatu koutou ki mua, kei te pai au i konei.
You guys go up the front, I'm fine here.
You go on ahead - hoatu koe

Hoatu koe ki mua o te rārangi.
You go to the front of the queue.
You go on ahead - hoatu koe

Wehe atu ana a Kawa me te amuamu anō.
Kawa left complaining as she went.
While at the same time/and in addition - me te... anō

Kua hōha noa ia ki ngā harihari kōrero me te amuamu anō a ngā kiritata.
He was annoyed at the gossip and also the complaining from his neighbours.
While at the same time/and in addition - me te... anō

Wehe atu ana a Manu me to amuamu anō.
Manu left complaining as he went.
While at the same time/and in addition - me te... anō

I whakairotia a mua o te whare.
The front of the house was carved.
Passive sentences - tikina...

Mahia ai tēnei mahi i ngā rā omua.
This work was carried out in former times.
Passive sentences - tikina...

I ngā rā o mua, kāore tēnei mahi e mahia ana e ngā Māori o Te Kaha.
Formerly, this activity was not performed by the Māori people of Te Kaha.
Passive sentences - tikina...

E ai ki taku koroua, he whare miraka kau e tū ana i korā i ngā rā o mua.
According to my koroua, there was a milking shed over there in the old days.
According to... - E ai ki.../E ai ki tā... /Ki tā

E ai ki tā Pita, i nui te inanga i ēnei kōawa i mua.
According to Pita, there used to be heaps of whitebait in these streams.
According to... - E ai ki.../E ai ki tā... /Ki tā

Kei mua te kuri i te waka.
The dog is in front of the car.
Above, underneath, outside of - runga ake, raro iho, waho atu, roto atu

I mua te kuri i te waka.
The dog was in front of the car.
Above, underneath, outside of - runga ake, raro iho, waho atu, roto atu

Kaua e waiho kia pau rawa te haurehu, kātahi ka amuamu ai.
Don't leave it until the gas is all used up, then complain.
And then... - ...ka/kātahi... ai...

Engari i mua i te haere ki te mahi, i hoki au ki te kāinga tīni kākahu ai.
But before going to work, I returned home to change clothes.
The reason for an action - ...ai.

I mua i te kuaha ngā tamariki.
The children were in front of the door.
Locatives - past (something was somewhere) - i te

Ka whakatika te kōtiro rā, ka mua ki te kīaka.
The girl got up and took a calabash.
Ka used to indicate the past - ka

Ka haere te ope o Ngāti-Kahukoka i mua o ēnei.
The Ngāti-Kahukoka group went in front of them.
Ka used to indicate the past - ka

Ka kite a Tū i te mamaha e puta ake ana i mua o te tereina.
Tū saw the steam rising from the front of the train.
Ka used to indicate the past - ka

Ka tū mai te tumuaki ki te mihi ki a rātou.
The headmaster stood up to greet them.
Ka used to indicate the past - ka

Engari i mua i te haere ki tāwāhi, i hoki au ki taku ūkaipō ki te kite i te whānau.
But before going overseas, I returned home to see my family.
Using 'ki' to indicate direction towards something - ki

Engari i mua i te haere ki te marae, i hoki au ki te kāinga ki te kohikohi i aku taputapu.
But before going to the marae, I returned home to pack my gears.
Using 'ki' to indicate direction towards something - ki

Kawea atu ahau ki tō tumuaki!
Take me to your leader!
Using 'i' to indicate direction away from something - i - i

I te tuatahi, kāore te wahine i mahara ki tāna mātāmua.
AT first, the woman did not recognise her first-born.
Possessives - 'a' class - ā, tāku...

Ko Kauri rāua ko Aria ō tātou tumuaki.
Kauri and Aria are our leaders.
Possessives - 'o' class - ō, tōku...

Ā tērā tau piki ai taku mātāmua ki te wharekura.
My oldest moves up to wharekura next year.
Last week, last month, last year - tērā

Kei mua a Miriama rāua ko Rehutai i te pahi.
Miriama and Rehutai are in front of the bus.
Talking about more than one person - ...rāua ko..., rātou ko...

Kahore ia i whakawātea mai mua o te haka.
He didn't move away from the front of the haka.
Towards - mai

Hei mua te kurī i te kuaha.
The dog will be in front of the door.
Future locative - hei

Hei mua te waka i te whare.
The car will be in front of the house.
Future locative - hei

Kaua e whakapaingia te whare i mua i te taenga mai o ngā manuhiri.
Don't clean the house before the guests arrive.
Negative passive commands (Don't be...) - Kaua... e...

Kāore ngā tamariki i mua i te kuaha.
The children weren’t in front of the door.
Negation of locatives - kāore...

Kāore te kuri i mua i te waka.
The dog isn’t in front of the car.
Negating locatives - kāore... i runga...

Kāore te kuri i mua i te waka.
The dog was not in front of the car.
Negating locatives - kāore... i runga...

Kāore te waka hei mua i te whare.
The car will not be in front of the house.
Negating locatives - kāore... i runga...

Kāore te kurī hei mua i te kuaha.
The dog will not be in front of the door.
Negating future locatives - Kāore... hei...

Kua oti a mua te peita.
The front has been painted.

I mua atu i tōku hokinga mai ki konei.
Before I returned here.

I mua mai i tōku hokinga mai.
Before I return.

Haere ki mua.
Go to the front.

Mā muri ka tika a mua.
The front will be OK because of the back.

Kei mua te kotiro i ana mātua.
The girl is in front of her parents.

Kei mua māua i ngā motokā.
We are in front of the cars.

Kei mua au i aku hoa.
I am in front of my friends.

Ko koe te mātāmua?
Are you the eldest?

Kei te hoki ōku whakaaro ki ngā wā o mua.
My thoughts are going back to the past.

Te tino putanga o Ponga ki mua o te kapa.
When Ponga appeared at the front of the ranks.

I mua o tōna taenga mai, me whakapaipai tātou i te whare.
Before their arrival, we should tidy up the house.

He mōmona ia i mua.
She was fat previously.

mua
in front of

Hāunga ia te tumuaki, ka tino hari katoa.
Except for the principal, everyone was happy.

Kia tere te kārohirohi i mua i tō huarahi.
May the shimmer of light guide you on your way.

Ko Harnah tāku mātāmua.
Harnah is my eldest child.

Ko Andrew te mātāmua o Beverley.
Andrew is the oldest child of Beverley.

Ko Joseph te mātāmua o Phill.
Joseph is the oldest child of Phill.

Ko Angie te mātāmua o Richard.
Angie is the oldest child of Richard.

Āwhea te tumuaki tū ai ki te kōrero?
When will the principal stand to speak?

Āwhea tū ai te tumuaki ki te kōrero?
When will the principal stand to speak?

E hoa e, titiro! Kei mua i a koe!
Jees mate, look! It's right in front of you!

mātāmua
eldest child

Kei mua a Tu-whakairi-ora i ngā mātua rā.
Tu-whakairi-ora is at the front of those battalions.

Ko ngā waka i mua rā, mate katoa ngā tāngata o runga.
As for the canoes in front there, all the people on board were killed.

Akuanei ka tata ngā waka o mua ki te wāhi i noho ai te nanakia rā.
Presently the canoes in front drew near to the place where the monster lived.

Ka whakaeke ngā tāngata ki mua o Mahinārangi.
The people gathered in front of Mahinārangi.

Ko Nikau te mātāmua.
Nikau is the eldest.

Kei mua i a koe!
In front of you!

Nō mua noa atu.
A long time before.

Ko Hone te mātāmua.
Hone is the eldest sibling.

Ko Joseph te mātāmua o āku tamariki.
Joseph is the eldest of my children.

I mua rā, ko tana mahi hoki he puhipuhi pūkeko.
He used to shoot pūkeko.

I mua i whakapono ngā tāngata ki ngā taniwha.
People used to believe in taniwha.

Kei mua koe i ahau.
You are in front of me.

Kei mua koe i a au.
You are in front of me.

I mua ia i te toa.
He was in front of the shop.

Ko te tikanga nui ka karakia ia i mua i āna mahi i te māra.
The main one is that she does karakia before working in the garden.

Kia tika a muri, kia tika a mua.
If things out the back are going well, things out the front will go well.

Hoki mai koutou ngā kaihoe o mua, eke mai koutou ngā kaihoe hou!
Come back you past paddlers, welcome aboard you new paddlers!

Ā, Kāti kōrua! Me mutu te amuamu.
Look here, you two! You should stop complaining.

Kei mua rātou i te kura.
They are in front of the school.

Ā, ko koe te mātāmua?
Ah, you're the oldest?

Āe, ko au te mātāmua.
Yeah, I'm the oldest.

Kei mua te pōro i a koe.
The ball is in front of you.

E tūmanako ana a Brosnan, ka mātāmua ake te reo i ngā whakatakotoranga mahere anamata o ngā rāngai maha, mai i te ao pāpāho ki te hauora.
Brosnan hoped the language could take precedence in future planning within different sectors from broadcasting to health.

Kei mua te koroua i te wharenui.
The elderly man is in front of the carved meeting house.