aha
1. (verb) (-tia) to do what? treated in what fashion? to do anything.
(Te Kākano Textbook (Ed. 2): 14, 28, 43-44, 99;)
E kui, me aha au? Me haere ki te whare wānanga, me āwhina i a Pāpā ki ngā mahi o te pāmu, me aha rānei? / Gran, what should I do? Should I go to university, help Dad with the work of the farm, or what?
I ahatia koe? / What happened to you?
See also tūpātai
2. Used with various particles for particular meanings.
Kua kaha te whiua o te pātai he aha tēnei mea te kaumātua me aha rawa rānei te tangata e kaumātua ai ki te titiro a te tangata? (HM 4/1998:2). / What a 'kaumātua' is, or what a person should do to be regarded by people as a 'kaumātua', are very popular questions.
See also he aha te aha, ehara i te mea he aha, hai aha!, hai aha?, hei aha, hei aha!, he aha?, kāore he aha, mā te aha, me te aha, me aha hoki, me aha koa, hei aha atu, hei aha koa, he aha hoki, ahakoa he aha, hei aha [tāu], he aha ... i ... ai, he aha ... e ... ai, tua-
3. (modifier) what sort?.
Tau: He hōiho aha tōna? Ira: He paipōro, he hōiho rata tonu - he pai mō ngā tamariki (HJ 2012:174). / Tau: What sort of horse does he have? Ira: A piebald, and quite a placid horse - good for the children.
4. (noun) what?.
5. (noun) anything whatsoever, and other, and others, et cetera.
(Te Pihinga Textbook (Ed. 2): 115;)
Ka kainga e rāua te poaka, te pikopiko, te aha, te aha. / They ate pork, fern shoots and other foods.
6. (noun) anything, nothing - especially after a negative.
Ehara i te aha. / It's nothing.
Ka pērā tonu ngā kōhine o tērā taipakeke - ka wheke mō te aha te take (HJ 2012:178). / Girls of that age are like that - they become angry for nothing.
Synonyms: kore noa iho, korekore, kāore kau, kore
he aha te aha
1. what is what, what's what, nothing changes, nothing changed, to no avail, it was a waste of time - an idiom also used at the end of a sentence to indicate that what is stated preceding the idiom was a waste of time or of no benefit.
Kua hia marama ia e ako ana ki te kauhoe, he aha te aha! / Although she has been learning to swim for many months, she still can't!
Ahakoa pēhea taku whakaatu atu me pēnei kē te tui noke, he aha te aha! (HKK 1999:69). / No matter how I showed her that threading worms should be done this way, it was a waste of time!
hai aha!
1. (interjection) don't take any notice, never mind - variation of hei aha!.
Nō taku kainga atu, kāore i pai ki a au, he kawa rawa. Hai aha, kai tonu au (HP 1991:156). / When I ate them I didn't like them, they were too sour. Despite that, I still ate them.
Synonyms: kia ahatia, hei aha koa, aua atu (rā)
hei aha!
1. (particle) don't take any notice! never mind! don't bother! it doesn't matter.
(Te Kākano Textbook (Ed. 2): 99; Te Pihinga Textbook (Ed. 2): 106; Te Pihinga Audio Tapes/CDs (Ed. 2): exercise 40; Te Kōhure Video Tapes (Ed. 1): 126, 235;)
See also hei aha (noa iho)
hei aha koa
1. nevertheless.
Hei aha koa, he mea nui ki te tangata whenua ōna kaha i whakapaua e ia, me tana whaiaro (TTR 1996:144). / Nevertheless, his efforts and personality were appreciated by the local people.
Synonyms: anō, me aha koa, ahakoa, he ahakoa, hei aha (koa/noa iho), aua atu (rā)
2. never mind, don't take any notice, don't bother, it doesn't matter, don't worry.
Ka mea mai tō mātau Haihana-Meiha, "Hai aha koa. Kāore e taea te pēhea, e Hēmi." (HP 1991:137). / Our Sergeant-Major said, "Don't worry. Nothing could be done, Hēmi."
See also hei aha!, hei aha (koa/noa iho), koa
Synonyms: kia ahatia, hai aha!, aua atu (rā)
kāore he aha
1. absolutely nothing.
Kāore he raruraru, kāore he aha. / There were no problems, absolutely none.
Synonyms: he paku aha nei, pākorehā, korekore ana (nei)
he aha ai?
1. why? - if there is a verb in the sentence, then the ai follows the verb.
(Te Pihinga Textbook (Ed. 2): 23;)
He nui ngā tapepetanga e rangona ana, ā, ahakoa pēhea te whakatika atu ka hē tonu mai. He aha ai? He kore tonu nō ngā kaiwhakaako e whakarongo; arā, kei te rongo engari tē whakarongo! (HM 4/1997:3). / Many errors are heard and no matter how often they are corrected they persist. Why? Because the teachers won't listen, that is they hear but do not listen!
He aha i mahue atu ai i a Hohepa te whenua o Īhipa i haere mai ai ia? (KO 15/5/1883:4). / Why did Joseph leave the land of Egypt that he came from?
See also he aha ... e ... ai, he aha ... i ... ai, he aha ... i kore ai e ...?
he aha hoki
1. no way! not a chance! says who! not on your nelly! that will be the day! doubt it! it was not! whatever! yeah right! hell no! - an idiom used to disagree with another's comment, sometimes with an element of scorn.
(Te Kōhure Textbook (Ed. 2): 181;)
Māu tā tātou rēwena e pokepoke, nē? He aha hoki! Kāore aku take mō taua mahi. / You'll knead our rēwena bread, won't you? No way! I'm useless at that job.
Pare: I toa anō rātou i te pō rā? Rangi: He aha hoki! Me pēhea hoki e toa ai mehemea arā kē ngā turi o te nuinga, kei muri i ngā taringa! (HKK 1999:61). / Pare: Did they actually win last night? Rangi: No way! How could they possibly win when they are so old!
Synonyms: tēnā pōhēhē tēnā, auare ake, auare, nōwhea, nōhea, e hawa (e hawa), weta, i neki, tōu ene, e
he aha rā ...
1. and what happens, unbelievably, unexpectedly - a phrase used idiomatically sometimes to question why something was sanctioned when the speaker does not believe it will happen or be successful.
I mārena rāua i te tau 1984. He aha rā, ka wehe rāua, ā, ko te tama kua noho atu ki te pāpā, ko te tamāhine, e noho mai ana ki te māmā (HKK 1999:190). / They were married in 1984, and what happens, they separate and the son stays with the father, the daughter lives with the mother.
hei aha [tāu]
1. I don't care what you say, never mind that - used to emphasise that the speaker will take no notice of a suggestion because it has no value.
(Te Pihinga Teachers' Manual (Ed. 2): 126;)
Kāore au e pai ki a Timi, he pākira rawa nō tōna rae. Hei aha tāu, he tangata hūmārie ia. / I don't like Tim. He's too bald. I don't care, he's a handsome man.
ahakoa he aha
1. (particle) anyhow, no matter what.
Synonyms: ahakoa te aha
mā te aha
1. well it was alright, better than nothing, at least that's something - an idiom used to express the opinion that something isn't as good as is being claimed.
He rawe te tuhinga a Hohepa? Mā te aha - me mihi ki tana kaha. / Is Joe's essay excellent? Well, it's alright - ten points for effort.
ahakoa te aha
1. no matter what.
Ki te kōrero a Pene Kaute, ahakoa te aha, ka whai tonu ia i te tangata rā (TTR 2000:48). / According to what Ben Couch said, he would always follow that man, no matter what.
Synonyms: ahakoa he aha
me aha koa
1. be that as it may, nevertheless, what for? what does it matter? so what? anyway, no matter.
Ka kī ētahi he mea uaua tonu te ako i te reo Māori. Me aha koa. He aha te hē o te whakamātau? / Some say it's very difficult to learn Māori. Be that as it may, what's wrong with trying?
Synonyms: anō, ahakoa, hei aha koa, he ahakoa, hei aha (koa/noa iho), aua atu (rā)
