kīhai / kīhai i

A Negative in Narrative

Level 4

Put kīhai before the subject and i before the action.

How It Works

Use kīhai + subject + i + verb to deny an earlier event. Objects and destinations retain their marking, and the verb does not change for person or number. In Kīhai au i rongo i te pere, the first i introduces the past action and the second introduces what was heard.

Compare Kīhai te kurī i hoki mai with Kāore te kurī i hoki mai: both deny the earlier return. Kīhai … i has a documented Western regional preference and occurs beyond formal narrative. Preserve its ordinary macron spelling. Retain i in this past-event frame. The separate idiom kīhai ki, “according to”, does not negate a past event.

Examples (3)

  1. Kīhai te kurī i hoki mai.

    The dog did not return.

    A singular subject precedes the action.

  2. Kīhai au i rongo i te pere.

    I did not hear the bell.

    The two occurrences of i serve different functions.

  3. Kīhai ngā kaihoe i tae ki te motu.

    The paddlers did not reach the island.

    A plural subject uses the same frame.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

kīhai / kīhai iLevel 4A Negative in Narrative

Learn This First

Introduce kīhai ... i as an established alternative for denying earlier events, with documented Western regional preference. Retain i in the taught event pattern and distinguish the separate attribution idiom kīhai ki.