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Idioms

Phrases

Proverbs

Loan words

Historical loan words

āhau

1. (particle) (determiner) your (one person when referring to more than one thing), of yours (one person when referring to more than one thing), you have (pertaining to one person and more than one thing) - plural of tāhau and variation of āu.

See also āu

ahau

1. (pronoun) I, me - unlike other pronouns and personals, does not take a when following ki, i, kei and hei. Does not take a when used as the subject of the sentence. Never occurs after he, te and ngā and is not used after the prepositions a, o, mā, mō, nā, nō or with and .

(Te Kākano Textbook (Ed. 2): 13, 15;)

Nāna ahau i whakahoki mai. / She brought me back.

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Synonyms: au, awau, wau

a

1. (particle) Used before people's - names, wai, mea and personified objects when they stand as the subject of the sentence and when they follow i, ki, hei and kei.

(Te Kākano Textbook (Ed. 2): 13, 57, 83, 102; Te Kākano Study Guide (Ed. 1): 25;)

Kua riro te paoro i a Māia. / Māia has taken the ball.

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2. (particle) Used before personal pronouns (except ahau) when they follow i, ki, hei and kei. NB a is pronounced long before koe and ia.

(Te Kākano Textbook (Ed. 2): 57, 83, 102;)

Kua mau te tuna i a ia. / She has caught the eel.

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3. (particle) Used before place names and location words when they stand as subject of the sentence.

(Te Pihinga Textbook (Ed. 2): 24-25;)

He wera a waho. / It's hot outside.

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4. (particle) Sometimes used as a literary device before words that would normally be used as nouns or verbs.

Kāti, kua huri te ihu o tōu ake waka ki Waitematā i runga anō i te āki a rūrūtake, a wheori (HM 2/1992:1). / Well, the prow of your canoe has turned towards Waitematā because of the urging of shaking and quivering of old age.

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awau

1. (personal noun) I, me - variation of au and ahau.

Nō te tau 1873, ka tae mai awau ki tēnei kura, ki te Kāreti o Te Aute (TW 20/7/1878:365). / In 1873 I arrived at this school, Te Aute College.

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Synonyms: ahau, au, wau

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