āianei / ināianei

Now

Level 2

Add āianei or ināianei to make the present reference time explicit in these examples.

How It Works

Ināianei means ‘now’ in these examples. Āianei also has this meaning. Neither changes with singular, dual or plural subjects. Preserve their macrons in ordinary spelling. The examples place the adverb after the clause content.

Compare Kei te pānui au āianei, ‘I am reading now’, with Ka tīmata te hui ināianei, ‘The meeting starts now’. The first describes an ongoing activity; the second presents a beginning. A location predicate can likewise describe where someone is now. Sharing a time meaning does not make these predicate structures identical.

‘Now’ alone does not supply ‘still’, ‘again’ or ‘already’. Those meanings need their own support. Āianei can also mean ‘today’, ‘at present’ and ‘soon’. Interpret the complete clause; do not assume unrestricted interchangeability between the two forms in every dialect or context.

Examples (3)

  1. Kei te pānui au āianei.

    I am reading now.

    Āianei accompanies a present ongoing reading activity.

  2. Kei te kāinga a Hemi ināianei.

    Hemi is at home now.

    Ināianei accompanies a present-location predicate.

  3. Ka tīmata te hui ināianei.

    The meeting starts now.

    Now supplies the setting for the beginning.