– courtesy of www.kupu.maori.nz
A pronoun is a word we use for a person instead of using their name.
Here are some examples of pronouns in English: I, me, he, him, she, her, they, them, we etc.
In Māori we use pronouns in a slightly different manner. We use the same pronoun for male and female when referring to him or her / he or she (ia). We also specify which ‘we’ we are talking about; whether it includes the listener or not – inclusive (of listener) or – exclusive (of listener). For example; māua = we (2 people) exclusive of listener tāua = we (2 people) inclusive of listener.
Singular Pronouns
| SINGULAR PRONOUNS | Māori | English | Example |
| First person | au, ahau | I | Kei te hiainu au. I’m thirsty. |
| Second person | koe | you | Kei te kāinga koe? Are you at home? |
| Third person | ia | she, he | I titiro ia ki te kurī. He looked at the dog. |
Plural and Dual Pronouns
| PLURAL & DUAL PRONOUNS | Māori two | Māori three or more | English | Examples |
| First person plural(inclusive of listener) | tāua | tātou | we, us | Kāore tāua e mokemoke. We (the two of us) will not be lonely. Mā tātou katoa tēnei mahi. This work is for all of us. |
| First person plural(exclusive of listener) | māua | mātou | we, us | I homai te koroua i te moni ki a māua. The old man gave the money to us (two, but not to you the listener) I haere mātou ki te whare pikitia. We (three or more) are going to the picture theatre (but not you the listener). |
| Second person plural | kōrua | koutou | you | Me haere atu kōrua. You (two) had better go. Tēnā koutou. Greetings to you (three or more). |
| Third person plural | rāua | rātou | they, them | E tākaro tēnehi ana rāua. They (two) are playing tennis. He tamariki noa iho rātou.They (three or more) are only children. |