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First Lessons in Maori

§ 60. Interrogative Verbs

§ 60. Interrogative Verbs.

—The interrogatives aha, what, and pehea, of what nature, may be used as verbs; aha, to ask what a person is doing, or what is being done; and pehea, to ask how a person is acting, or in what way a thing is being done. In rendering into English another word will often be needed to complete the sense.

For other interrogative sentences see § 41.

page 42
Examples.
  • E aha ana ia? what is he doing?

  • I ahatia te kuri? what was done to the dog?

  • I peheatia e ia te waka i mānu ai? How was the canoe [treated] by him that it floated? or, How did he get the canoe afloat?

  • Ka pehea koe a tona taenga mai? How shall you [act] on his arrival?

  • I pehea mai ia ki tau ki? How did he [answer] what you said?

  • Me pehea tenei? How is this to be [treated]?