Exercise Three
Asking and saying who has/have something
Three different uses of kei have already been encountered, including its use to indicate present location. A related use of this particle is to indicate who has something. Kei is used for present possession of something but it does not indicate actual ownership.
Hei tauira:
| Kei a wai taku pene? | Who has my pen? |
| Kei a Mīria tāu pene. | Mīria has your pen. |
| Kei a wai te kapu a Eruera? | Who has Edward's cup? |
| Kei a Tarati. Kei a ia te kapu a Eruera. | Tarati has it. She has Edward's cup. |
Note that people’s names, the interrogative wai? (who?) and personal pronouns all need to be proceeded by a when following kei. A noun must have a possessive determiner or a word such as te, ngā, tēnei, etc. to precede it when following kei.
For further explanations and exercises: Te Kākano pp. 82-83; Te Kākano Pukapuka Tātaki pp. 51-52; Te Kākano CDs Mahi 70 & 71.
Whakamāoritia ēnei rerenga kōrero.
Whiriwhiria te whakapākehātanga e tika ana mō ia rerenga kōrero.
Don’t forget to use commas, question marks, and fullstops and macrons where appropriate (ā,ē,ī,ō, and ū).
Who has my pants?
Mīria has my t-shirt.
Who has Atareta’s book?
Matarena has it. She has Atareta’s book.
Who has Matiu’s keys?
I have your son’s cell phone.
My father has our (4incl) book of traditional tales.
Kei a wai ōku hū?
Kei a Wiremu ōu hū.
Kei a wai te pēke a Manihera?
Kei āna tamāhine tāna pēke
Kei a koe ngā mōhiti o Te Wharerarauwhe?
Kāo. Kei a Winiata kē. Kei a ia ngā mōhiti o Te Wharerarauwhe.
Kei te tumuaki o te kura aku hikareti.