Today I learnt about negative sentence structures for different tohu o te wā (tenses).
This only applies for some type of sentence but I’m not sure what those types are is, other than I know we didn’t cover passives.
Basically, to construct a negative sentence:
Start the sentence with kāore
Move the subject of the sentence (e.g. au, koe, tāua, rātou) from the “end” of the sentence to immediately after kāore (with one exception).
Include the correct verb construction for the tense.
I learnt about six different tohu o te wā today. For normal (non-negative) sentences, there are different kupu which begin the sentence that tell you when the action is situated.
These six are:
E … ana
Kua …
I …
Kei te …
Ka …
I te …
For negative sentences, three are the same and three are different. (Spot which three are different. Hint: They’re in bold).
… e … ana
… anō … kia …
… i …
… i te … *
… e …
… i te … *
*note that the negative is the same for present tense /Kei te… and past continuing action / I te … .
Confused? So was I.
Here’s an example using haere and au/ahau.
Te wā - Tohu o te wā | Whakakahōre
E haere ana au | Kāore au e haere ana
I am going (continually). I am not going (continually)**
Kua haere au | Kāore anō au kia haere
I had gone. I had not gone**
I haere au | Kāore au i haere
I went. I did not go**
Kei te haere au | Kāore au i haere ana
I am going (right now). I am not going (right now)**
Ka haere au | Kāore au e haere
I will go. I will not go**
I te haere au | Kāore au i te haere
I was going. I was not going**
Check out the kupu o te rā summary page for more information on negatives,
The Reo Project | Day 173
**The English translations are especially loose. Like many things on The Reo Project, they’re not necessarily correct, they’re my best guess at what I think they mean. Like everything I post, don’t take it for granted, use it as inspiration to go on your own journey!