Title: First Lessons in Maori

Author: W. L. Williams

Publication details: Whitcombe and Tombs Limited, 1930, Auckland

Part of: New Zealand Texts Collection

This text is the subject of: Victoria University of Wellington Library Catalogue

License: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 New Zealand Licence

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§ 51. Passive Voice.

—The passive voice is formed generally by the addition of one of the following terminations to the active: -a, -ia, -hia, -kia, -mia, -ngia, -ria, -tia, -whia, -na, -nga, -ina, -hina, -kina, -rina, -whina, -hanga. Thus:—

poro	forms	poroa	tiki	forms	tikina
ki	forms	kiia	aroha	forms	arohaina
waru	forms	waruhia	roko*	forms	rokohina or rokohanga
moto	forms	motokia
aru	forms	arumia	tātā	forms	tātākina
rere	forms	rerengia	whakaatu	forms	whakaaturia or whakaaturina
mau	forms	mauria
awhi	forms	awhitia.
whawhao	forms	whaowhia or whaowhina	hapai	forms	hapainga

page 36

Of these terminations nga appears to be used only with verbs ending in ai^†, mia only with those ending in o or u, and ina only with those ending in a; but in all these cases other terminations also are used. For the rest it is questionable whether any rule can be formulated. Usage varies so much in different parts of the country that it appears to be a mere matter of custom, some regard being had to euphony. In a few cases the consonant of the termination represents the final consonant of the primitive root; but this fact is of no assistance to the beginner, and it will be advisable then, to learn the passive in each case with the active. Verbs which have the first syllable doubled in the active generally drop the repetition in the passive; thus pupuri becomes (not pupuritia, but) puritia. In a few of these cases the vowel is lengthened, as tāria from tatari.