Kia ora! This week I touch on the many uses of Ki. Specifically comments following adjectives. Ray Harlow has this to say [A Maori Reference Grammar, pg 138]:

Many adjectives take comments beginning with ki. These are usually adjectives which decscribe the attitude or ability of a person with respect to some activity or object, and include mohio (knowledgeable), kaha (strong, able, energetic), whakahihi (proud), pai (good, but when followed by a comment in ki it can mean 'like').

He mohio ia ki te tarai waka - He is knowledgeable in canoe making.

He whakahihi ia ki tona mohio ki te reo Maori - She is proud of her knowledge of Maori.

He pai ia ki tana mahi - He likes his work

He tino kaha ratou ki te whai i ta ratou e hiahia nei - The are vere energetic at pursuing their own goals.

Tena koutou katoa!

Due to the influence of the English language, English sentence patterns have entered into te reo.

I briefly look into some specific sentence patterns that have been affected. An asterisks means the sentence is wrong.

*Tatari moku. - Wait for me.

*He tuatahi tenei moku - This is a first for me.

Ray Harlow has this to say [A Maori Reference Grammar, pg 147]

A handful of transitive verbs prefer ki as the object marker:

"E tatari ana nga tamariki ki te pahi. - The children are waiting for the bus."

Following after Ray Harlow's example, the correct form for *He tuatahi tenei moku are below:

He tuatahi tenei ki ahau. - This is a first for me.

Kia ora ano!

This week we take a look the many uses of Pewhea/Pehea. Harlow says: [page 206, A Maori Reference Grammar]

Kei te pehea koe? - How are you?

I pehea te pēne? - What was the band like?

I titiro pehea atu ia ki a koe? - How did he look at you? (skeptically, suspiciously, in a friendly way, etc)

I peheatia nga tangata mau herehere e nga hoia? - How were the prisoners treated by the soldiers?

Me pehea e pai ake ai te ahua o ta tatou noho i Aotearoa nei? - How can our living conditions in New Zealand be improved?

Me pehea ta tatou whakatika i te whakahuatanga o nga kupu Maori? - How are we to correct the pronunciation of Maori word?

I pehea te tunu kai i nga wa o mua atu i te hiko? - How did people cook their food before there was electricity?

Kaore i taea te pehea? - Nothing could be done, there was no alternative.

Kia ora!