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#80: Why did Mere drive to the supermarket?

he aha... i... ai?
Why did? — He aha... i... ai?
He aha ai? means “why?” because he aha means “what” and ai refers to the reason something happens. To ask why in the past, the structure is He aha + subject + i + verb + ai?. The particle i marks the past, asking what reason caused the action.

Video

Vocabulary

ā • āe • ahau • āhua • ake • ake, ake, ake • āku • āna • ātaahua • atu • au • āwangawanga • e hoa mā • e tū • engari • haere mā raro • haunga • hiahia • hiainu • hiakai • hiamoe • hīkoi • hoa • hōhā • hōiho • hou • i • ia • iho • iti • ka • kaha • katoa • kau • keke • kēkē • ki • kia • Kia kaha! • kia ora • kino • ko wai • koe • koro • kōrua • koutou • kōwhai • kua •  • mai • māua • māuiui • ngenge • noho • nui • ō • oma • ora • pai • pango • pēhea? •  • rātau • rāua • rūma moe • taku • tama • tamaiti • tamariki • tana • tātou • tāua • tere • tino •  • wāhine • waiata • whaea • whero
← #79: I went to the shop in order to buy food
All Lessons
#81: What has happened to cause you to cry now? →