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Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

kia

1. (particle) when, until - used for future time.

(Te Kākano Textbook (Ed. 2): 77;)

Kia oti ngā mahi, ka whakatā tātou. / When the jobs are completed we'll rest.

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2. (particle) to, that - to indicate a purpose, wish, or effect. Used in this way if the second verb is passive or a stative, or if the subject of the subordinate clause is different from that of the main clause, i.e. the person, people, thing or things doing the actions in the two parts of the sentence are different.  Kia may be used if the person, people, thing or things doing the action in the two parts of the sentence are the same, or is part of a group,  if an appropriate personal pronoun is used, e.g. as in the second example sentence.

(Te Kākano Textbook (Ed. 2): 98;)

I tonoa rātou kia waiata. / They were asked to sing.
E hiahia ana a Wī kia haere ia ki te wānanga reo (HJ 2017:179). / Wī wanted to go to the Māori language live-in school.

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3. (particle) be, let be - indicates that it is desirable for something to occur. Used this way in giving commands involving adjectives (statives) and experience verbs.

(Te Kākano Textbook (Ed. 2): 27, 58;)

Kia tūpato! / Be careful!

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See also kia kaha


4. (particle) Used to ask and say how many things are needed.

(Te Kākano Textbook (Ed. 2): 63;)

Kia hia ngā tīkiti māu? Kia rua. / How many tickets do you need? Two, please.

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5. (particle) not yet.

(Te Kākano Textbook (Ed. 2): 56-57;)

See also kāore anō ... kia

Synonyms: kīanō


6. (particle) so that, in order that.


7. (particle) should not.

(Te Māhuri Textbook (Ed. 2): 64-65;)


8. (particle) so that ... will not/would not.

(Te Māhuri Textbook (Ed. 2): 31-32;)

-kia

1. (particle) A passive ending.

(Te Kākano Textbook (Ed. 2): 65-67, 84-85;)

Hopukia te kīore nā! / Catch that rat!

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kia ... ana

1. (particle) kia followed by ana denotes continuous action, usually when also following waiho or tuku.

(Te Māhuri Textbook (Ed. 2): 151;)

Ka whakatauria me tuku rātou kia haere ana. / It was decided that they should be allowed to go.

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kia ora

1. Hello (literal translation - be well) (to any number of people). Kia ora can mean hello, good morning, good afternoon and thank you.

kia tapawhā!

1. square it up!.

kia kaha

1. go for it then - sometime used idiomatically to suggest that there are risks involved.

Pare: I kī mai taku kuia kia kaua e parea taku tuarā ki ngā ngaru o te moana. Rangi: Kāore au e whakarongo ki a ia. Pare: Ā kāti, kia kaha (HKK 1999:60). / Pare: My grandmother told me not to turn my back to the waves. Rangi: I wouldn't listen to her. Pare: Oh well, go for it then.

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2. be strong, get stuck in, keep going.

Kei te hāparangi tonu te waha o taku hoa, "Kia tere te haere o tō tāua waka, e Hēmi. Kia kaha te takahi atu!" (HP 1991;145). / My companion shouted out, "We'd better speed up, Hēmi. Put your foot down!"

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Synonyms: oke

Kia tau!

1. settle down! chill out!.

Kia ora!

1. (interjection) hello! cheers! good luck! best wishes!.

(Te Kākano Textbook (Ed. 2): 1;)

kia tina

1. keep going, keep at it, don’t give up - an expression of encouragement.

Kaua e ngawhere, kia tina. / Don’t give up, keep going.

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kia ahatia

1. what can be done, so what, what business is it of yours, what's it got to do with you, what does it matter, never mind - an idiom used to indicate a lack of interest by the speaker for the comments of another person because they are of little importance.

(Te Kōhure Textbook (Ed. 2): 115;)

I kī taurangi koe ka whakaaetia au kia haere ki te pikitia. Kia ahatia! Me noho koe ki te whakaoti i ō mahi mō te kura. / You promised that I would be allowed to go to the film. So what! You must stay and finish your homework.

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Synonyms: hai aha!, hei aha koa, aua atu (rā)

kia ... ai

1. so that, in order that.

(Te Kākano Textbook (Ed. 2): 99;)

Huakina te wini kia rere atu ai te rango. / Open the window so that the blowfly can fly away.

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See also kia, ai

waiho kia tārewa

1. adjourned sine die.

kāore anō ... kia

1. (negative) has not yet, have not yet - the usual negative for affirmative sentences that begin with kua. While anō is usually present it is sometimes omitted. Kia may be replaced by i. There is usually a change in word order from the affirmative sentence, although this is not essential.

(Te Kākano Textbook (Ed. 2): 56;)

Kāore anō te wai kia hū. / The water hasn't boiled yet.

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See also kia

kia tika rā!

1. you reckon! is that right! you are joking!.

kia kaua ... e ...

1. (particle) that ... should not ... - used in indirect commands.

(Te Māhuri Textbook (Ed. 2): 64-65;)

I reira ētahi tāngata e whakahē ana ki tēnei, kia kaua tātou e haere ki Hawai‘i. / There were some people there who objected to this, that we should not go to Hawai‘i.

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See also kia

kia kore atu

1. it's not possible.

kia ... (mai) (hoki) ...

1. what a - an idiom to emphasise a characteristic of a person or quality of something, both good and bad.

Kia ātaahua hoki te rangi nei. / What a beautiful day.

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See also kia [pai] mai (hoki)

kia rite tonu

1. so that it's just like - usually followed by ki.

kia kore ai ... e ...

1. (particle) so that ... will not/would not.

(Te Māhuri Textbook (Ed. 2): 31-32;)

I kumea mai e rātou a 'Tākitimu' ki uta rawa, kia kore ai e riro i te tai. / They pulled Tākitimu right up the beach so that it would not be carried away by the tide.

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See also kia

kia hāngai te kōrero

1. don't beat around the bush, tell it like it is.

Tame: E te tau, he take tāku. Te Rina: Kia hāngai te kōrero, he aha? / Tame: My dear, I have something to tell you. Te Rina: Don’t beat around the bush, what is it?

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