Exercise Three

Answering negative questions

When addressed with a negative question, ehara or engari is used to contradict the negative while kāore, kāo, kāhore or kāre kau are used to agree with the negative question.

Hei tauira:

Kāore āu kai?Don't you have any food.
Ehara! Kei te kāinga kē.On the contrary. It's at home.


Notice how ehara is used to contradict the negative question.

Kāore ā rāua tamariki?Don't they have any children?
Kāhore! Kāore ā rāua tamariki.No! They don't have any children.

Notice how kāhore and kāore are used to agree with the negative question.

For further explanations, examples and exercises: Te Kākano p. 110; Te Kākano Pukapuka Tātaki p. 66.

Whakamāoritia ngā whakautu.

Whakatikaina ngā kupu kia tika ai te rere o ngā rerenga kōrero.

Kei wareware ki te whakamahi i ngā piko, ngā tohu pātai, ngā kopi me ngā tohutō i ngā wāhi e tika ana.

Kāore ō koutou hū?

No. We don’t have any shoes.

Whakamāoritia:

Kāore anō tō pūrākau kia oti te tuhi?

On the contrary! I finished writing it yesterday.

Whakamāoritia:

Kāore anō tō tuakana kia tae mai?

No! My older brother/sister has not yet arrived

Whakamāoritia:

Kāore ā rāua kararehe?

On the contrary! They have a cat.

Whakamāoritia:

Kāore he toa i tēnei tāone?

On the contrary! There is one shop in this town.

Whakamāoritia:

anō kia Kāore whiti mai rā te?

Kua Ehara! kē whiti.

ō Kāore motokā kōrua?

motokā He anō Engari! tō māua.

koe atu anō Kāore ki kia Kirikiriroa tae?

au Kāhore! Kirikiriroa tae ki atu kia anō Kāore.