Exercise Five

Verbal marker kua

Kua is used to show that an action has started and is either in progress or has finished. It is also used to indicate that a state has been reached. Kua can also be used in questions with a questioning intonation.

Hei tauira:

Kua whara a Mere.Mere has been hurt.
Kua wehe kē ngā tamariki.The children have left already.
Kua wehe kē ngā tamariki?Have the children left already?
Kua mutu te kēmu.The game has finished.
Kua toru karaka te tāima.The time is three o'clock.
Kua makariri te kapu tī.The cup of tea is cold.

Further explanations and exercises: Te Kākano p. 28; Te Kākano Pukapuka Tātaki p. 19.

Whiriwhirihia te rerenga kōrero Māori e tika ana mō ia rerenga kōrero Pākehā.
Choose the most appropriate Māori translation for each English sentence.

Don’t forget to use commas, question marks, and fullstops and macrons where appropriate (ā,ē,ī,ō, and ū).

The guests have arrived.

The time is ten o’clock.

Hēni’s cat is ill.

He has gone to sleep.

The food is cooked.

Tama has won the race.

Neihana has left school.

The time is quarter to six.

The netball game has finished.

Miria has cooked dinner.