Using te reo Māori with the play activities

Children learn language incidentally – we don’t have to drill or teach them. Like everyone, they learn by repetition. Repetition makes and strengthens brain connections. Also, learning happens easily when we are stress-free and enjoying ourselves. 

In many of the play activities in the Activities section of this website, we have created a pūtea Play pūtea Funding Māori | Noun of kupu Play kupu Word, vocabulary, saying, talk, message, statement, utterance, lyric Māori | Noun Māori. This helps whānau to regularly include te reo Māori in their play with their tamariki. It’s not a programme for learning te reo Māori, but it encourages the use of te reo Māori in an enjoyable and natural way. 

Here are some words and phrases that might be useful to help the vocabulary lists in the play activities come to life.

Kia ora – Hello, thanks

Ka pai – That’s good

Tino pai – Very good

Mīharo Play mīharo Marvellous, amazing Māori | Modifier – Wonderful, amazing

Haere mai ki konei – Come over here

Ko wai? – Who?

He aha? – What?

He aha tēnei? – What’s this?

He … – It’s a …

Kei hea? – Where?

Me tākaro Play tākaro Play, game Māori | Noun tāua Play tāua You (one person) and I, we two, us Māori | Noun – Let’s (us two) play

Me tākaro Play tākaro Play, game Māori | Noun tātou – Let’s (all of us) play

Me tīmata Play tīmata To begin, start, kick off, commence Māori | Verb tāua Play tāua You (one person) and I, we two, us Māori | Noun ? – Shall we (you and me) start?

Me tīmata tātou? – Shall we all start?

Anei te … – Here’s the …

Homai Play homai To give (towards the speaker), contribute, grant, provide - does not take a passive ending when used as a command and traditionally never took one. A passive suffix is often used in passive sentences, other than commands, in modern Māori. Māori | Verb te … – Give me the …

Iti Play iti Be small, unimportant, little, minute, tiny, diminutive, petite, trivial, insignificant Māori | Stative – Small

Nui Play nui To be large, big, many, plentiful, numerous, great, abundant, ample, superior, of high rank, important Māori | Verb – big

Whakarongo Play whakarongo (whakarangona) to listen, hear, obey Māori | Verb mai – Listen here

Kōrero mai – Talk to me

Titiro Play titiro To look at, inspect, examine, observe, survey, view Māori | Verb mai – Look this way

E noho – Sit down

Kia tau – Settle down

Kimihia Play kimihia To look for, seek, search, hunt for Māori | Verb – Look for it

Taihoa Play taihoa Wait, don't ... yet. Māori | Interjection – Wait

Ka taea Play taea To be able, accomplished, possible - although this word derives from tae and its passive ending -a, it has developed a feature distinct from the normal passive construction, in that the action of which someone is said to be capable is preceded by te and no preposition. Unlike other verbs in the passive which do not take a passive ending when following me, taea may occur after me. If taea is modified by a base and/or a particle, which would normally take a passive ending after a verb in the passive, then that base or particle also has a passive ending (usually -tia) Māori | Verb e koe – You can do it

Kua Play kua Has, had, have, will have - a particle used before ordinary verbs and statives denoting that an action is under way or completed, or a state established. It relates to something that has changed from one state to another. Māori | mārama Play mārama To be clear, light (not dark), easy to understand, lucid, bright, transparent Māori | Experience verb koe? – Do you understand?

Kua Play kua Has, had, have, will have - a particle used before ordinary verbs and statives denoting that an action is under way or completed, or a state established. It relates to something that has changed from one state to another. Māori | mutu Play mutu Be ended, brought to an end, cut short, finished Māori | Stative ? – Are you finished?

Aroha mai – I’m sorry

Kei te pēhea koe? – How are you?

Māku e āwhina Play āwhina To assist, help, support, benefit Māori | Verb – I will help

He aha māu? – What would you like?

Horoia Play horoia To wash, clean, wipe, cleanse Māori | Verb ō ringaringa Play ringaringa Hand, arm Māori | Noun – Wash your hands

Me kai tāua Play tāua You (one person) and I, we two, us Māori | Noun – Let’s (us two) eat

Me kai tātou – Let’s (all of us) eat