E.. ana can mean something was happening, is happening or will be happening depending on context.
E kai ana ahau
I was, am or will be eating.
Ok.... so how do we negate this?
It's actually quite simple
Kāore au e kai ana.
I was not, am not or will not be eating
So that's veey straightforward. Thank goodness for that!
E kōrero ana koe.
You are, were or will be talking
Kāore koe e kōrero ana.
You weren't, aren't or won't be talking.
Ha! That's simple!
E kanikani ana a Mere.
Mere is dancing.
Kāore a Mere e kanikani ana.
She isn't dancing. She wasn't dancing. Or won't be dancing. Party pooper. Or maybe her leg is in a cast. That's a bit sad.
E katakata ana rātou.
They are laughing.
Kāore rātou e katakata ana.
They aren't laughing.
E auau ana tā rātou kurī.
Their dog was, or is will be barking.
Kāore tā rātou kurī e auau ana.
Not barking.
E tunu ana tō māmā i te keke
Your mother was or is baking the cake
Kāore tō māmā e tunu ana i te keke.
Your mother wasn't or isn't baking the cake.
E oma ana ahau.
I was, am, and will be runni h
Or
Kāore au e oma ana
I wasn't, aren't and won't be running.
We often meet e... ana in a subclause, for example, we can start with this sentence:
Kei te mātakitaki te māmā i ngā tamariki
The mother is watching the children
And we can add subclause
Kei te mātakitaki te māmā i ngā tamariki e tākaro ana
The mother is watching the children who are playing
But we can also negate that e... ana clause
kāore e tākaro ana
who are not playing
And so we can say:
Kei te mātakitaki te māmā i ngā tamariki kāore e tākaro ana.
The mother is watching the children who are not playing.
And that's because their devices were taken off them and they have forgotten how to play. They're sitting in a playground on a swing and don't know what to do.
How can I have fun without my phone?