The singular is known by the singular articles te, and tetahi, or by one of the singular pronouns connected with the noun; e. g.
- Te whare o Hone, the house of John.
- Toku paraikete, my blanket.
The plural is known by (1) nga, e tahi, or (2) one of the plural or dual pronouns preceding the noun; e. g.
- nga wahine, the women.
- aku tupuna, my forefathers.
(3.) Sometimes the plural is designated by o, without te preceding the noun; e. g.
- kei o Hone matua pea, with John's uncles, perhaps.
(4.) In a few cases we meet with an alteration in the ground form; e. g.,
- Tamaiti, son; Tamariki, sons, or children.
(5.) In some trissyllables, the first syllable of the plural is pronounced long; as in matua, tupuna, wahine, tangata.
Note.—Examples of these two latter heads are not of frequent occurrence.