Exercise Three
Asking and saying when something will happen
Ā hea ... ai? is a used to ask or state when something will happen in the future. Ā is used to indicate future time just as i and nō are used to indicate past time. The ai must follow the verb of the sentence. Look at the following examples that demonstrate how this sentence structure is used in both the questions and the answers.
| Ā hea te Super 14 tīmata ai? | When does the Super 14 start? |
| Ā te Rāhoroi te Super 14 tīmata ai. | The Super 14 will begin on Saturday. |
| OR SIMPLY | |
| Ā te Rāhoroi. | On Saturday. |
| Ā hea a Hēmi tīmata ai i te kura tuarua? | When will James begin Secondary School? |
| Ā te tau 2007 a Hēmi tīmata ai i te kura tuarua. | In 2007, James will begin Secondary School. |
| OR SIMPLY | |
| Ā te tau 2007. | In 2007. |
This sentence structure is not limited to responding to questions. You can use the same structure to make a statement without the question.
| Ā te tau 2011 te whakataetae mō ngā tīma whutupaoro ā-whenua o te Ao tū ai ki Aotearoa. | In 2011, the Rugby World Cup will be held in New Zealand. |
| Ā tērā Mane te kura tīmata ai. | Next Monday school starts. |
Below are some of the words that indicate future time. Some are similar to those learnt in previous exercises or in Te Kākano. However, the i or nō for past time is replaced with ā.
| ā tērā wiki | next week |
| ā te ahiahi nei | this evening (in the future) |
| ā tērā tau | next year |
| ā te pō nei | tonight (in the future) |
| ā tērā Rātapu | next Sunday |
| ā te Ākuhata, ā te Here -turi-kōkā | next August |
| ākuanei | soon, today |
| ā tōna wā | at some time in the future |
Further explanations and examples: Te Kākano p. 46; Te Kākano CDs Mahi 41.
Whiriwhiria te whakamāoritanga e tika ana mō te reo Pākehā.
Select the correct translation for the English.
Don’t forget to use commas, question marks, and fullstops and macrons where appropriate (ā,ē,ī,ō, and ū).
Next year, Rāwiri will go to Australia.
Next week, Tīmoti will start playing football.
The competition will be held tonight.
Soon the children will play tennis.
We will return home this evening.
On Sunday, we will all go to church.
Neihana’s question: Ā hea koe haere ai ki te kura?
English answer: On Monday.
Correct Answer:
Tarati’s question: Ā hea koe haere ai ki Heretaunga?
English answer: Next month.
Correct Answer:
Wiremu’s question: Ā hea te kēmu tū ai mō te whutupōro?
English answer: On Saturday.
Correct Answer:
Eruera’s question: Ā hea koe tīmata ai i te mahi?
English answer: Tonight.
Correct Answer:
Te Hererīpene’s question: Ā hea te pēpi a Hana rāua ko Ārana whānau ai?
English answer: In July.
Correct Answer:
Mīria’s question: Ā hea koe whakaoti ai i tēnei mahi?
English answer: Soon.
Correct Answer: