ngā tau
/ˈŋaː ˈtau/word by word
In Māori, the phrase for "years" is ngā tau.
What does it mean word for word?
The phrase is composed of the plural article ngā (the) and the noun tau (year/years), literally meaning "the years".
How does it change in a sentence?
The noun tau does not change its form to indicate plurality. Instead, plurality is indicated by the preceding article ngā.
How do you pronounce it?
/ˈŋaː ˈtau/
Did you know?
- The word tau is a linguistic relative of the Malay word 'tahun', meaning 'year'. This connection stretches back thousands of years to a common ancestor in the Malayo-Polynesian language family.
- In Māori culture, the concept of tau is often tied to the lunar calendar, where months and years were traditionally calculated by the moon's phases rather than a solar calendar.
- The word tau can also mean 'pleasant' or 'good' in certain contexts, showing how a single sound can carry very different semantic weights in Māori.
Examples in context
- Kua tino rerekē te papa kāinga i ngā tau tekau kua taha atu.That village has changed a lot from how it was 10 years ago.This sentence is useful for seeing how ngā tau is used when referring to a period of time that has passed.Tatoeba #4462452 by iarere91, translation #384718 by CS
- ngā tekau tau whituThe seventies
- Kua noho mātou i konei i ngā tau maha.We have lived here for many years.
- He pai te huarere i ngā tau kua taha atu.The weather was good in the years that have passed.
Example conversation
Kahu and Tane are talking about their childhood.
- KahuKei hea koe i noho i ngā tau tūmataiti?Where did you live in the early years?
- TaneI noho ahau ki Kirikiriroa.I lived in Hamilton.
- KahuKua roa tonu tēnā.That was a long time ago.
- TaneAe, he maha ngā tau kua taha.Yes, many years have passed.
Sources
- IPA marked “word by word” joins the Wiktionary pronunciations of each word (ngā, tau) and can differ in connected speech.
- Word origins: Wiktionary entries tau, CC BY-SA 4.0.
- Example sentences: Tatoeba CC BY 2.0 FR.
