tangata / tāngata
Irregular Number in a Noun
Te tangata means the person; ngā tāngata means the people.
How It Works
In ordinary noun phrases, singular tangata contrasts with plural tāngata. The first vowel is long in the plural. Most Māori noun bases remain unchanged between singular and plural, so learn this exceptional pair individually.
Compare Kei roto te tangata., “The person is inside,” with Kei roto ngā tāngata., “The people are inside.” Both article and noun form express number; the location predicate remains unchanged.
Indefinite determiners also combine with the corresponding forms: tētahi tangata means “a person,” and ētahi tāngata means “some people.” Preserve the macron in ordinary spelling and lookup. It marks vowel length, rather than stress, and is not pronunciation-only notation. This particular pair supplies no general instruction to lengthen the vowels of other plural nouns.
Examples (4)
- Kei roto te tangata.
The person is inside.
Te combines with singular tangata.
- Kei roto ngā tāngata.
The people are inside.
Ngā combines with plural tāngata.
- Kei waho tētahi tangata.
A person is outside.
Tētahi introduces one person.
- Kei te marae ētahi tāngata.
Some people are at the marae.
Ētahi introduces a plural group.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Learn person and people as a lexical pair whose vowel length changes. Compare definite and indefinite phrases while preserving the plural macron in reading and lookup.
- Vowel Length and Meaning
The macron lesson explains the audible and written first-vowel contrast that distinguishes tangata from tāngata.
Level 1 - ngā + nounThe Plural Article
The ordinary te–ngā number contrast provides the baseline for learning this exceptional noun change alongside its determiner.
Level 1
Related Patterns
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
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