Reo and rānei with the kids

I learnt how to say “or” in Te Reo Māori recently. Basically, you list the options and then put rānei at the end.

Rānei essentially tells the listening that the list of things are options, not

If you’ve done any computer programming or used advanced search functions, this might make sense

OR (Option A, Option B, Option 3) = Option 1 OR Option 2 OR Option 3 = Option 1, Option 2, Option 3 rānei

Anyway, the interesting bit is this:

When we learn new grammar structures, my kaiako (teacher) challenges us to come up with sentences/phrases that we can actually use in our context.

I have two young children and often use (the illusion of) choice to get them to do things.

Like the following:

Kei te pānui, kei te tākaro rānei? - (Would you like to) read or play?

Kei te matekai, kei te hōhā rānei? - (Are you) hungry or grumpy?

Kei te matekai, kei te pōuri rānei? - (Are you) hungry or sad?

He tōhi, he Ricies, he Weetbix rānei? - (Would you like) toast, Ricies or Weetbix?

The Reo Project | Day 205

Flashcards with my tamaiti

Yesterday a good friend dropped off a gift for my 3-year-old tamaiti. It’s a set of 50 flashcards with Te Reo on one side and English on the back.

It also has a set of suggested phrases that you can use with the kupu on the flashcards, so you can integrate the words into your day-to-day language.

My kid loves it! He’s learning Te Reo Māori (or Te Reo Maadi, as he says) with his dad. And he proudly tells everyone about it, and that “my dad’s really good at speaking Te Reo Maadi”.

I’m stoked he values Te Reo Māori and sees speaking it as something worth boasting about (even second hand). I'm super stoked he’s keen to learn himself. I love spending some time every day working with him on his Reo. And I look forward to the day when he can proudly speak it too.

The Reo Project | Day 196