kāore i ... engari

Correcting a Statement

Level 4

Past action: kāore + subject + i + verb, engari + affirmative clause.

How It Works

For an earlier action, form the denial as kāore + subject + i + verb. Follow it with engari and the contrasting affirmative clause, normally in predicate-first order. Objects retain their usual marking. Neither clause adds person or number endings to its verb.

Kāore a Hemi i oma, engari i hīkoi ia corrects the action: Hemi walked instead of running. The bread-and-milk example corrects the object. A location contrast uses a different negative structure: Kāore ngā tamariki i te kura, engari kei te kāinga rātou. Here i introduces the denied location and does not mark past time. Compare the same initial negative shape with a following verb: its interpretation depends on the predicate. Engari can correct a mistaken claim or contrast two facts; context supplies that distinction.

Examples (3)

  1. Kāore a Hemi i oma, engari i hīkoi ia.

    Hemi didn’t run, but walked.

    Contrasts earlier actions.

  2. Kāore au i hoko i te taro, engari i hoko au i te miraka.

    I didn’t buy the bread, but bought the milk.

    Both clauses preserve object marking.

  3. Kāore ngā tamariki i te kura, engari kei te kāinga rātou.

    The children aren’t at school, but are at home.

    A present-location correction.

How It Connects

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

kāore i ... engariLevel 4Correcting a Statement

Learn This First

Join a denial to its corrective or contrasting affirmative claim. Identify whether the correction concerns an action, object or location, and preserve the construction required by each clause.