Directions

1. Kei hea ...?

   kei he-a

   Where is ...?

   Usage

   The most basic phrase to ask where something is

   Grammar Note

   Kei hea is a locative question expression

2. Haere tōtika

   hae-re tō-ti-ka

   Go straight ahead

   Usage

   Telling someone to go straight when giving directions

   Grammar Note

   haere is the imperative form of "to go"

3. Huri ki te katau

   hu-ri ki te ka-tau

   Turn to the right

   Usage

   Directing someone to turn right

   Grammar Note

   ki is a directional preposition meaning "to / toward"

4. Huri ki te mauī

   hu-ri ki te mau-ī

   Turn to the left

   Usage

   Directing someone to turn left

   Grammar Note

   mauī (left) looks like the demigod's name Māui but is a different word (the macron falls on a different vowel). "Huri ki te …" = "turn to …"

5. He tawhiti?

   he ta-whi-ti

   Is it far?

   Usage

   Checking if the destination is far away

   Grammar Note

   he + adjective forms a yes/no question "is it ...?"

6. Kei tata

   kei ta-ta

   It is nearby

   Usage

   Saying that something is close by

   Grammar Note

   kei is a locative preposition indicating location

7. E hia ngā meneti?

   e hi-a ngā me-ne-ti

   How many minutes does it take?

   Usage

   Asking how many minutes it takes to get somewhere

   Grammar Note

   e hia is a question expression asking about quantity

8. Heke

   he-ke

   Descend / Go down

   Usage

   Indicating downward movement

   Grammar Note

   heke is the verb "to descend / go down"; it can stand alone as an instruction

9. Kei te taha o te rori

   kei te ta-ha o te ro-ri

   It is beside the road

   Usage

   Explaining that something is located beside the road

   Grammar Note

   o is a possessive preposition expressing relationship

10. Hokia

    ho-ki-a

    Turn back / Return

    Usage

    Telling someone going the wrong way to turn back

    Grammar Note

    The -a suffix adds passive or imperative meaning to verbs

11. Katau

    Right

    Usage

    To signal right in a taxi or on foot

12. Mauī

    Left

    Usage

    To signal left in a taxi or on foot

13. Tōtika

    Straight ahead

    Usage

    To signal "keep going straight"

14. Hoki

    Go back

    Usage

    To ask the driver to turn back

15. Tū

    Stop

    Usage

    To ask someone to stop where they are

16. Te raki

    North

    Usage

    For compass directions on a map

17. Te tonga

    South

    Usage

    For compass directions on a map

18. Te rāwhiti

    East

    Usage

    For compass directions on a map

19. Te hauāuru

    West

    Usage

    For compass directions on a map

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