A and O possession is really important in Te Reo Māori.

Got it. Still need to learn it, but I get it’s important.

But I haven’t had the foggiest clue on how to deal with the m/n mā/mō and nā/nō!

Until now.

Here’s what I’ve got.

Nā/nō/na/no is use to indicate the origin of something. Where it has come from.
Mā/mō/ma/mo is use to indicate the ultimate/eventual ‘having’ of something. Where is will end up.

Here’s the sentence that makes the most sense for me:

He mīti nā te toa mā te whānau - Some meat from the shop for the whānau

Mā and nā in once sentence with the same item!

He mīti nā te toa - Some meat from the shop

He mīti mā te whānau - Some meat for the whānau

Hope that helps you as much as it did for me.

If not, try this instead.

The Reo Project | Day 204

Welcome to my little corner of the internet.

I believe that place matters.

Our connection to whatever little corner of the planet we find ourselves in, or choose to place ourselves on, matters.

I'm relentlessly curious and continually learning.

My interests are scattered across topics including property, strategy, acoustics, psychology, theology, systems theory, quantum physics and leadership. I read, listen, watch, and learn about whatever grabs my attention in the moment.

This is a learning experiment.

I come here to try to make sense of something I’ve come across, by writing about it.

I’m immersing myself in a new language.

I’m learning to speak Te Reo Māori, the language of the indigenous people of Aotearoa New Zealand and one of our official languages. After spending 2020 studying, I’m figuring out how to keep the journey going outside the classroom.

You’re welcome to follow along.