Frequently, in consequence of the elliptical character of the language, it is found in various other uses, which it is difficult to reduce to rule. The following are a few examples:
- E noho ana koe ki te kai mau? are you staying from food?
- Te tatau ki a au, the door to me; i. e., open the door for or to me.
- Ka riro te waka ki a koe, the canoe for you will be gone; i. e., the canoe that is to take you will, &c.
- Heoi ano ki a tame ko te whare, let the tent be the only thing for the bull (to carry).
- Taria e hoe ki a au, delay your pulling (or paddling) for me; i. e., wait for me.
- Tikina atu tetahi kete, ki te kete nui, ki te kete hou, fetch a basket, let it be a large basket, let it be a new basket.
- I riri ahau ki reira, thereupon, or at that thing, was I angry.
- I haere mai ahau ki a koe ki te waka ki a au, I have come to you for the canoe for me; i. e., to get a loan of your canoe.
From the above sentence the student will form an idea of how much the business of language is performed in Maori by prepositions.
KEI, at.—It denotes chiefly present time; e. g.
- Keihea? Kei te kainga. Where is it? At the settlement.
2. At. (future time.) It is not unfrequently found in such constructions as the following:
- Kei te mane ka haere mai, on Monday he will come here.
3. Sometimes, in animated language, it is used instead of ko before the nominative case; e. g.,
- Kei te ringaringa o Ngakete, aroarohaki kau ana, the hand of Ngakete, it was all a quiver.
4. Occasionally, in Waikato, it is used in the following construction: kua riro kei te hoe mai, he is gone to fetch it (the canoe). We are aware that it has been said that there should be a stop at riro, and that properly the above may be said to consist of two sentences, as follows: he is gone, he is fetching it. We are, however, certain that many sentences will be heard, in which no stop can be detected in the native pronunciation.