Like many other people on the planet, I was amazed and intrigued by chatGPT when it was launched into the world last year.
I played around with, getting it to write a funny poem in the style of Doctor Suess, a joke letter to my son telling him I didn’t love him any more, and a university level essay which was a feminist critique of mountain biking (which is did remarkably well).
The essay, which could easily have passed in a first year university course, raised the obvious question that most teachers and academics around the world must now ask: what does this mean for teaching?
The irony might be that if lecturers use AI to prepare courses and students use AI to write essays, it might be that AI just ends up talking to itself and no actual human either teaches or learns!
I experimented with generating other University level essays and created a very details report on the impact of the worldwide parrot epidemic now that pirates have replaced parrots with turtles. The essay was fabulous and outlines environmental impacts of increases turtle harvesting and the psychological impact of living on a pirate ship in turtles. The essay noted, on the one hand, that pirate ships were not a suitable habitat for turtles and that pirates may not be equipped to deal with the turtles’ needs, but, on the other hand, turtles might enjoy the stimulation of sailing the high seas and searchibg for buried treasure and this might be more favourable to living in a zoo.
The essay was interesting and well written, but, of course, none of it was true. It was pure nonsense, given that there is no parrot epidemic and that the sort of pirates that roam the seas today don’t have parrots or search for buried treasure.
This raises one of the main issued with AI: it isn’t interested in truth. It is a language algorithym that know that the words “pirate” and “search for buried treasure” go together, as do “turtle” and “habitat”, and can create a strong of words that sound like a convincing sentence.
It was when ili was getting chatGPI to create a bibliography for the parrot essay when I almost inadvertently asked it for an article in te reo Māori and was surprised to discover that it knew Māori.
I then asked it to write me a short story in te reo Māori about going to the supermarket – and it did just that.
I then decided to compare ChatGPT’s ability to translate te reo with that of Google Translate. I use Google Translate and find it a tolerable translation tool. It is not perfect, but it can generally give an acceptable translation, or point in the general direction of a sentence’s meaning.
To give an example, I once asked a friend, who was learning te reo, to check some Māori text. He replied: “He iti taku reo”, but which he meant that his knowledge of the reo was not that great. Google Translate says that “he iti taku reo” means “my voice is small”, which is sort of close, but not quite close enough.
ChatGPT translates says: In English, “he iti taku reo” means “my language is small” or “my language is minor”.
But ChatGPT can do better than this.
I then asked: ‘Someone says “he iti taku reo”. What do they mean?
The phrase “he iti taku reo” is in Māori, which is an indigenous language spoken in New Zealand. In English, it translates to “my language is small” or “my language is little”. This phrase is often used to express humility or to acknowledge that one’s proficiency in a particular language is limited.”
So ChatGPT pretty much nailed it.
It appears to actually understand what was meant. Did my friend mean “my voice is small”? No! Did he mean that his proficiency in te reo Māori was limited? Absolutely! ChatGPT 1. Google translate 0.
Part of the problem for Google Translate is that the number of words in te reo, compared to English, is small, and so very often, one word has multiples meanings. This is true in English (“just one minute”, “the writing was minute”), but is much more pronounced in te reo.
The word “toa” in te reo can mean “brave”, “shop”, “male”, “capable”, “victorious”, “champion”, and more. The word “moe” usually means sleep, but can also mean to marry someone (or have sex with them).
Meaning is determined by context, and Google Translate will often not know or understand the context and so will simply look up it’s dictionary to find a definition which may or may not be correct. For example, a woman might say “kua moe au i te toa”, by which she might means that she has married (or had sex with!) a warrior. Google Translate will offer “I have slept in the shop” as its translation, which isn’t necessarily incorrect (it is a valid translation), but is not what the hypothetical person was meaning. Google Translate simply can’t understand the context to give the right meaning.
ChatGPT, on the other hand, is a different kind of program. It is not looking up words in a dictionary and translating it word for word. Rather, it is looking up its corpus of billions of texts and making mathematical calculations on what words most probably follow. To give a very simple example:
Me: Old MacDonald had a
ChapGPT: farm
ChatGPT doesn’t know a farm is or who Old MacDonald was. It just knows, from ingesting billions of texts, that the word most likely to follow “Old MacDonald had a” is the word “farm”. This is just mathematical probabilities. But it can go further:
Me: Twinkle twinkle little
ChatGPT: star,
How I wonder what you are,
Up above the world so high,
Like a diamond in the sky.
Twinkle, twinkle, little star,
How I wonder what you are.
Which is cute. And it can also provide additional information:
Me: Person, woman, man, camera,
ChatGPT: TV
This phrase became well-known after former U.S. President Donald Trump used it during an interview with Fox News in July 2020, in reference to a cognitive test he had taken. The test asked him to repeat those five words in order and then in reverse order, among other tasks, to evaluate cognitive function.
Again, ChatGPT doesn’t “know” this, but it can create amazing sentences based on what words typically follow a set of words. This is something that Google Translate cannot do.
So, if we give ChatGPT context, it can generate a significantly more accurate translation. Consider the following:
Me: A homeless woman has been sleeping rough in the central business district. When question by New Zealand police, she says: “kua moe au i te toa”. What does she mean?
ChatGPT: The phrase “kua moe au i te toa” appears to be in the Māori language, which is one of the official languages of New Zealand.
In English, “kua moe au i te toa” translates to “I have slept in the shop”. It’s possible that the homeless woman is indicating that she has been seeking shelter or sleeping inside a shop in the central business district.
And:
Me: A woman is talking to her friends in a bar. She laughs, shows off her new wedding ring and says: “kua moe au i te toa”. What does she mean?
ChatGPT: The phrase “kua moe au i te toa” is in the Māori language, spoken in New Zealand.
The phrase translates to “I have conquered the warrior” or “I have married the warrior” in English. It is often used metaphorically to refer to someone who has successfully won the heart of a strong, capable person, particularly someone who is seen as a leader or protector.
In this context, the woman is likely saying that she has married a strong, capable man and is proud of it, as evidenced by her showing off her wedding ring.
The infinite superiority of ChatGPT over Google Translate can be seen best when dealing with whakataukī, or Māori proverbs, which are often metaphorical or poetic, and which Google Translate can get woefully wrong, only providing a literal, word for word translation. For example, there is a whakataukī which says: “Whatungarongaro te tangata toitū te whenua”, or “the people come and go, but the land remains unchanged”. Type this into Google Translate and you will get: “Global human communication network” – which is meaningless.
But put it into ChatGPT and, as with the example of the woman talking to her friends in a bar, it can provide context and explanation.
Me: Translate and explain “Whatungarongaro te tangata toitū te whenua”
ChatGPT: “Whatungarongaro te tangata toitū te whenua” is a phrase in the Māori language, which is an indigenous language of New Zealand. It can be translated as “the people vanish but the land remains,” or “the people come and go, but the land remains unchanged.” It is often used to express the idea that the land is a constant presence in the lives of the Māori people, while individual people are temporary and fleeting. The phrase is often used to emphasize the importance of preserving and respecting the land, as it is a central aspect of Māori culture and identity.
This is, I think, simply astounding!
To give another example, the whakataukī “te anga karaka, te anga koura, kei kitea te marae” means “the karaka tree, the koura shell, are found at the marae”. Google Translate offers the meaning “The orange frame, the golden frame, the Field is visible”. But here is what ChatGPT says:
Me: Translate and explain “Te anga karaka, te anga koura, kei kitea te Marae”.
ChatGPT: “Te anga karaka, te anga koura, kei kitea te Marae” is a phrase in the Maori language, an indigenous language of New Zealand. The phrase can be translated as “The karaka tree, the koura shell, are found at the Marae”.
A “Marae” is a traditional Maori meeting place, often used for important ceremonies and gatherings. The “karaka tree” and “koura shell” are both important symbols in Maori culture, and their presence at a Marae may indicate the importance or significance of the gathering taking place there.
At this point, I suggest that AI will take over the world and we no longer need to go to university as we can be taught by AI just as easily. Why write an essay? Get AI to do it for you? Why teach a class? AI can do it better! Why create te reo Māori language resources? AI has already done it better!
Just as AI art creation like Midjourney and Dall-E will put illustrators and artists out of work, so AI will out teachers and writers out of work! It is the end of the world as we know it!
However, sadly, all is not quite as it seems.
Me: Translate and explain “Te anga karaka, te anga koura, kei kitea te marae”
BingAI: According to the web search results, “Te anga karaka, te anga koura, kei kitea te marae” is a Maori proverb that means “The shells of the karaka berry and the shells of the crayfish should not be seen from the marae”. A Marae is a traditional Maori meeting place 1. The proverb implies that one should keep their surroundings clean and tidy, as a sign of discipline and respect. It also suggests that one should not be wasteful or greedy with their resources. This proverb can be applied to different situations where cleanliness, discipline, and conservation are important values.
Me: There is a maori saying: Te anga karaka, te anga koura, kei kitea te Marae – The shells of the karaka berry and the shells of the crayfish should not be seen from the marae. I am interested to know what word in the original Maori means “not”. What makes this sentence negative?
ChatGPT: In the Maori language, there is no specific word for “not.” Instead, negation is often conveyed through the use of certain particles and grammatical constructions.
In the case of the Maori saying, the negative meaning is conveyed by the absence of the word “e” which indicates a positive statement. The sentence is simply stating that the shells of the karaka berry and crayfish should not be visible from the marae, implying that they should be removed or hidden.
Therefore, the absence of the word “e” in the sentence and the use of the word “kitea” which means “seen” in conjunction with the negative particle “kei” conveys the negative meaning.
Me: I’m not sure that’s true. Can you give me an alternative answer?
ChatGPT: I apologize for any confusion caused. You are correct that the negation in the Maori language is often conveyed through the use of particles and grammatical constructions. In the case of the Maori saying “Te anga karaka, te anga koura, kei kitea te Marae,” the negative particle “kei” is used to convey the negative meaning.
The word “kei” in this context means “should not” or “must not.” Therefore, the sentence can be translated as “The shells of the karaka berry and the shells of the crayfish should not be seen from the marae.” The use of the negative particle “kei” combined with the verb “kitea” (seen) indicates the negative meaning of the sentence.
I hope this clarifies the matter. Please let me know if you have any further questions.
I asked Bing AI:
Me: There is a maori saying: Te anga karaka, te anga koura, kei kitea te Marae – The shells of the karaka berry and the shells of the crayfish should not be seen from the marae. I am interested to know what word in the original Maori means “not”. What makes this sentence negative?
Bing AI: That’s a beautiful saying. According to my web searches , the word that makes this sentence negative is **kitea**, which means “not seen” or “invisible”. It is a form of **kāore**, which is the most common negative word in te reo Māori. Kāore can be used on its own or with different particles to express different types of negation.
Me: I am not sure that this answer is correct. Can you give me an alternative explanation?
Bing AI: I’m sorry if my answer was not clear. Another way to explain it is that **kitea** is a verb that means “to see” or “to be seen”. When it is used with **kāore**, which is a negative word, it becomes **kāore e kitea**, which means “not seen” or “invisible”. This phrase can be used to express something that should not happen or exist. For example, in your saying, it means that the shells of the karaka berry and the crayfish should not be seen from the marae because they are signs of wastefulness and disrespect.
Me: But the word “kāoire” does not appear in the sentence. So what does make the sentence negative?
Sent message. But the word “kāoire” does not appear in the sentence. So what does make the sentence negative?
Searching for:
maori language grammarSearching for:
maori language grammarGenerating answers for you…
Generating answers for you…
I understand your confusion. The word kāore does not appear in the sentence because it is implied by the context. In te reo Māori, sentences can be made without verbs, and they are called nominal sentences1. They usually have a predicate (the first phrase) and a subject (the second phrase). For example, He pukapuka tēnei means “This is a book”. The predicate is he pukapuka (a book) and the subject is tēnei (this). There is no verb in this sentence.
However, when a nominal sentence has a negative meaning, it can be expressed by using kāore before the predicate1. For example, Kāore he pukapuka tēnei means “This is not a book”. The word kāore negates the predicate he pukapuka.
In your saying, the sentence is also nominal, but it has an implied negative meaning. The predicate is te anga karaka, which means “the shells of the karaka berry”, and the subject is te anga koura, which means “the shells of the crayfish”. There is no verb in this sentence either. However, because of the context of what should or should not happen on the marae1, it is understood that there is an implied negative word before the predicate. That word is kāore, which can be shortened to just kā1. So, another way to write this sentence would be:
Kā te anga karaka, kā te anga koura
This would mean “There are not shells of karaka berry nor shells of crayfish”.
But because this saying uses poetic language and imagery, it does not use kā, but instead uses another negative word: kitea, which means “not seen” or “invisible”. This word comes after the subject and modifies it. So, instead of saying:
Kā te anga karaka kitea
which would mean “The shells of karaka berry are not seen”,
it says:
Te anga karaka kitea
which still means “The shells of karaka berry are not seen”, but it omits kā because it is implied by context.
So, to summarize:
- The word that makes this sentence negative is kitea
- It comes after each subject (te anga karaka and te anga koura) and modifies them
- It implies kāore before each predicate (te anga karaka and te anga koura), which can be shortened to kā
- Kitea itself implies kāore e before each subject
I hope this helps you understand better how negation works in te reo Māori.
That’s a beautiful saying. According to my web searches12, the word that makes this sentence negative is kitea, which means “not seen” or “invisible”. It is a form of kāore, which is the most common negative word in te reo Māori2. Kāore can be used on its own or with different particles to express different types of negation2.
When I played around with imaginary scenarios in which the sentence “kua moe ahau i te toa” might be used, I received the following:
Me: There has been a flood in New Zealand and people have lost their homes and have had to stay in emergency accommodation. A woman, rescued from the flood says: “kua moe au i te toa”. What does she mean?
ChatGPT: “Kua moe au i te toa” is a Māori language phrase that translates to “I have lost everything in the flood” in English. The woman is expressing that she has lost all her possessions due to the flood and is now in a state of vulnerability and need. The phrase “toa” can refer to possessions, property, or even one’s strength and power, depending on the context. In this case, it seems to refer to the woman’s material belongings that have been washed away or destroyed in the flood.
I expected the AI to say that the woman had slept in the shop (because her home was flooded) but its translation “I have lost everything in the flood” is not an accurate translation at all. And so I delved deeper:
Me: Which word means “lost everything”?
ChatGPT: The phrase “kua moe au i te toa” as a whole can be translated to “I have lost everything in the flood.” The word in this phrase that specifically means “everything” is “toa.” However, it’s worth noting that “toa” can have different meanings depending on the context in which it’s used. In this particular sentence, it’s being used to refer to everything the speaker has lost in the flood, but in other contexts, it could refer to a person’s possessions, property, or even their strength or power.
Me: Which word means “lost”? What is the verb in the sentence?
ChatGPT: The word that means “lost” in this sentence is “moe,” which is the Māori verb meaning “to sleep,” “to lie down,” or “to rest.” In this context, it’s being used figuratively to mean “to lose everything.”
The verb in the sentence is “kua,” which is a past tense marker indicating an action that has already happened. It is used to indicate that the action of losing everything has already taken place. So, “kua moe au i te toa” can be translated to “I have lost everything in the flood.”
At that point I felt like I was being gaslighted. Maybe “moe” really did mean “lost” and maybe “toa” really does mean “possessions”. Maybe it is teaching me something I already know.
Alas, this is not the case. And here we find the crux of the matter. ChatGPT knows nothing. It does not speak Māori and it doesn’t even know what a star is. All it knows is the mathematical probability of one word following another. Given my question about a woman rescued from a flood, it generates a “translation” that, statistically, is a probable thing for that woman to say. And, yes, “I have lost everything in the flood” is a statistically probable thing for her to say. It’s just not a translation of the Māori sentence that we gave it.
One half of the problem is that ChatGPT simply makes stuff up. The other half of the problem is that it does so authoritatively, and so you may be very inclined to believe it.
Consider the following:
Me: Write a 1,000 news story about Greg McClellan who unicycled from North Cape to Bluff.
ChatGPT: Greg McClellan, an adventurous 28-year-old from Vancouver, Canada, has completed a remarkable feat by unicycling the entire length of New Zealand, from North Cape to Bluff. McClellan embarked on his journey on January 1, 2023, and completed it on February 25, covering a total distance of over 2,000 kilometers.
McClellan, who works as a software engineer, has always been passionate about unicycling and has been riding for over 10 years. He had been planning this epic journey for several years and spent months preparing for it. He trained extensively, both physically and mentally, and equipped himself with the necessary gear, including a sturdy unicycle, camping equipment, and plenty of food and water.
McClellan’s journey began at the northernmost point of New Zealand, North Cape, on the tip of the Aupouri Peninsula. From there, he set out on a challenging route that took him through some of New Zealand’s most breathtaking landscapes, including the majestic forests of Northland, the rugged coastline of the Coromandel Peninsula, and the snow-capped peaks of the Southern Alps.
McClellan faced numerous challenges during his journey, including steep hills, rough terrain, and harsh weather conditions. However, he remained determined and focused, pushing himself to the limit and never giving up.
Along the way, McClellan encountered many friendly locals who offered him food, water, and even a place to stay. He also stopped in many towns and cities, where he gave talks about his journey and inspired others to pursue their dreams.
McClellan’s journey came to a triumphant end on February 25 when he reached the southernmost point of New Zealand, Bluff. He was greeted by a cheering crowd of friends, family, and well-wishers who had gathered to celebrate his incredible achievement.
Speaking to reporters after his journey, McClellan said, “I am overwhelmed by the support and encouragement I have received from people all across New Zealand. This journey has been the most challenging and rewarding experience of my life, and I am so grateful for the opportunity to explore this beautiful country on one wheel.”
McClellan’s journey has inspired many people around the world to pursue their dreams and to never give up, no matter how difficult the road may be. His story serves as a reminder that with hard work, determination, and a bit of courage, anything is possible.
Firstly, I LOVE ChatGPT. This is cool! However, it is just making shit up. John McClellan is a 28-year-old software engineer from Vancouver and he left on January 1st 2023! At the risk of stating the obvious, none of this is true, but generating sentences is what ChatGPT does with an extraordinary ability. However, it is still just making shit up – like the idea that “moe” means “lost” and “toa” means “possessions”.
This doesn’t matter if you are writing a made-up story or a poem in the style of Doctor Seuss. But be careful if you get it to write an essay for your university course! Consider this:
Me: Translate the sentence ‘he iti taku reo’ and give an explanation of the grammar, syntax and sentence structure and create a vocubulary list of the words used and note any other grammatical feayures of the sentence.
ChatGPT: In English, “he iti taku reo” means “my language is small” or “my language is minor”.
“He iti taku reo” translates to “my language is small” or “my language is minor” in English.
Grammar and syntax:
“He” is a particle that introduces a descriptive sentence. It can be translated as “a” or “the,” but it doesn’t always have a direct equivalent in English.
“iti” is an adjective that means “small” or “little.”
“taku” is a possessive pronoun that means “my.”
“reo” means “language.”
Therefore, the sentence structure is Subject-Verb-Object: “taku reo” (my language) is the subject, “iti” (small) is the verb, and “he” is the particle introducing the sentence.
Vocabulary list:
he: a particle that introduces a descriptive sentence
iti: small or little
taku: my (possessive pronoun)
reo: language
Grammatical features:
In Māori, the word order is typically Subject-Verb-Object, but “he” is used to introduce descriptive sentences.
Māori is a polysynthetic language, which means that multiple morphemes (meaningful units of language) can be combined to form a single word. In this sentence, “taku” is a possessive pronoun and “reo” means “language.”
Māori is an inflected language, which means that words can change their form to indicate tense, mood, aspect, etc. In this sentence, there are no inflections as it is a descriptive sentence.
This is, I think, rather extraordinary. Here is an apparently interesting and informative response. However, ChatGPT says that “in Māori, the word order is typically Subject-Verb-Object”, (eg “the man [subject] walks [verb] to the shop [object]”) which is not the case. In fact, the typical word order is Verb-Subject-Object (eg “kei te hikoi [verb] te tane [subject] ki te toa [object] – walks the man to the shop”). ChatGPT has created a nice sentence, but one which is not true. This is because ChatGPT is not really looking at the sentence we have given it , but is making up a sentence based on mathematical probability. In the billions of texts it was ingested, the words that most often follow “grammar” is “Verb-Subject-Object” because most of the texts about grammar are written about English.
Similarly, in last paragraph, it says that Māori is an inflected language, isn’t true. Māori is not an inflected language. (English is an inflected language and so we have words like “sing”, “sang”, “singing” and “sung”, whereas Māori merely has the single word “waiata”).
I have encountered numerous similar errors.
At point, ChatGPT responded with the following:
In the Maori language, there are no passive voice forms…
…It is also important to note that Maori language lack grammatical tools to express the passive forms of the verb, like many other Polynesian languages and some other languages which use different strategies to express similar idea.
This, too, is not true. Relatedly, ChatGPI once told me that “Māori does not use passive forms like English”. In fact, Māori uses passive forms (such as “the book was read by me”) more than active forms (“I read the book”), and Māori uses the passive far more than English does. Which just reiterates the point that if you use AI to write your university or wananga essay, you may well fail.
I think that, in relation to the Māori language, the best thing that ChatGTP does is translate a Māori sentence given the prompt “translate and explain” or “translate and explain the grammar”:
Me: Translate and explain: “Nō te tau 1987, ka whakaturetia te reo Māori hei reo mana.”
ChatGPT: In the year 1987, the Māori language was established as an official language.
This sentence is in te reo Māori, which is the indigenous language of New Zealand spoken by the Māori people. The sentence can be broken down as follows:
“Nō te tau 1987” means “In the year 1987”
“ka whakaturetia” means “was established”
“te reo Māori” means “the Māori language”
“hei reo mana” means “as an official language”So the sentence as a whole means that in 1987, the Māori language was established as an official language. This was an important moment in the history of the Māori language and the Māori people, as it helped to preserve and promote the language and culture for future generations.
Me: Translate and explain “Pānuitia te pukapuka.” and discuss the grammar
ChatGPT: “Pānuitia te pukapuka” is a sentence in Māori, one of the official languages of New Zealand. In English, the sentence means “Read the book.”
In terms of grammar, “pānuitia” is a passive imperative verb form, meaning that it is a command given in the passive voice. “Te pukapuka” means “the book,” with “te” being the definite article in Māori.
The word order in Māori can be flexible, but in this sentence, “te pukapuka” comes after “pānuitia,” which is the verb form. This word order places emphasis on the action being commanded rather than the object being acted upon.
Overall, “Pānuitia te pukapuka” is a simple sentence with clear grammar, providing a direct command to read a book.
When it comes to ChatGPI creating teaching resources, we also run into issues.
Can you write a multichoice vocabulary test for beginner Maori students
Sure, here is a multiple-choice vocabulary test for beginner Māori students:
- 1. What is the Māori word for “book”?
a) Kōrero
b) Kāri
c) Pukapuka
d) WhareAnswer: c) Pukapuka
- 2. What is the Māori word for “water”?
a) Wai
b) Kākā
c) Huarahi
d) PēkeAnswer: a) Wai
- 3. What is the Māori word for “food”?
a) Kai
b) Pukapuka
c) Kāri
d) TinoAnswer: a) Kai
- 4. What is the Māori word for “teacher”?
a) Whakarongo
b) Kaiako
c) Marae
d) MahiAnswer: b) Kaiako
- 5. What is the Māori word for “car”?
a) Tākaro
b) Rerenga
c) Kaipuke
d) PātaiAnswer: c) Kaipuke
- 6. What is the Māori word for “family”?
a) Hui
b) Whānau
c) Haere
d) WāhiAnswer: b) Whānau
- 7. What is the Māori word for “house”?
a) Kākā
b) Pēke
c) Whare
d) HuarahiAnswer: c) Whare
- 8. What is the Māori word for “tree”?
a) Hapori
b) Pūrākau
c) Rakau
d) WhakarongoAnswer: c) Rakau
- 9. What is the Māori word for “music”?
a) Waiata
b) Kākahu
c) Pātai
d) RerengaAnswer: a) Waiata
- 10. What is the Māori word for “love”?
a) Aroha
b) Kōrero
c) Pukapuka
d) MaraeAnswer: a) Aroha
This is pretty cool! But note the “correct” answer to number 5: “kaipuke”. This is not the word for “car” (you could use “waka” or “motokā”, or even “kā”), but “kaipuke” is a word for “ship”. Obviously, it is not breaking news that ChatGPI is inaccurate or makes mistakes. The declaimer is on the main page of their site. It does exactly what it says on the tin. But it does mean that ChatGPI cannot be relied upon to create either students’ essays or teachers’ resources. But the quiz is a pretty good start. With a tweak, it could be used and handed out to students – provided that the teacher knew enough to spot the mistakes.
Using the tense markers “kei te”, “ka”, “i” and “kua” – and the verbs “waiata”, “haere”, “hikoi” and “tangi” – and the pronouns “ahau”, “au”, “koe” and “ia”, create many random Māori sentences, each with its own English translation.
Sure, here are some random Māori sentences using the tense markers, verbs, and pronouns you provided:
- Kei te waiata ahau i te waiata o te tau: I am singing the song of the year.
- Ka haere au ki te kura i te ata: I will go to school in the morning.
- I hikoi koe ki te taone i te rangi nei? Did you walk to town today?
- Kua tangi ia mo tana hoa kua mate: He cried for his friend who has passed away.
- Kei te waiata au i te waiata whakanui i tenei ra: I am singing the celebratory song for today.
- Ka haere ia ki te wharepaku: He/she will go to the toilet.
- I hikoi ahau i te ara whanui i te ra nei: I walked on the main road today.
- Kua tangi koe i a koe ano i tenei po? Did you cry for yourself tonight?
- Kei te waiata ia i te waiata a te kuia: He/she is singing the song of the elder woman.
- Ka haere koe ki te wharekai i te ahiahi: You will go to the restaurant in the evening.
- I hikoi ia ki te taha mauī o te huarahi: He/she walked on the left side of the road.
- Kua tangi au i te whakamā: I cried due to embarrassment.
- Kei te waiata koe i te waiata o tōku aroha: You are singing the song of my love.
- Ka haere ahau ki te kāinga o tōku hoa rangatira: I will go to the home of my noble friend.
- I hikoi kua tae koe ki te whare: You have arrived at the house by walking.
- Kua tangi ia i te mamae o te ngākau: He/she cried due to heartache.
- Kei te waiata au i te waiata kōrero o tōku iwi: I am singing the song that tells the story of my tribe.
- Ka haere ia ki te papa tākaro i te ata whakarereke: He/she will go to the playground for morning break.
- I hikoi koe i te kaha o te whakawhitiwhiti i te moana: You walked through the strength of crossing the ocean.
- Kua tangi koe i te mamae o te tino mate o tōku hoa: You cried for the pain of your friend’s serious illness.