tērā pea

Perhaps

Level 3

Tērā pea can frame a possible quality of something.

How It Works

Tērā pea can open a sentence or phrase meaning “perhaps” or “possibly.” In the supported pattern taught here, it precedes e, a qualitative predicate and its subject. Tērā pea e mahana te wai presents warm water as a possibility rather than a definite prediction.

The predicate has no person or number endings. The subject identifies what has the possible quality: singular te wai and plural ngā rūma retain the same predicate formation. Context establishes the time; the future English meanings below represent anticipated situations.

This possibility construction differs from demonstrative tērā, “that,” before a noun. Learn the combined opening as a construction. These examples illustrate qualitative predicates without claiming an exhaustive inventory of following clause types.

Examples (3)

  1. Tērā pea e mahana te wai.

    Perhaps the water will be warm.

    In an anticipated situation, warmth is presented as possible.

  2. Tērā pea e makariri ngā rūma.

    Perhaps the rooms will be cold.

    A plural subject does not change the qualitative predicate.

  3. Tērā pea e reka tēnei kai.

    Perhaps this food will be tasty.

    The possible quality remains uncertain.

How It Connects

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

tērā peaLevel 3Perhaps

Learn This First

Introduce tērā pea as a complete opening followed by e, a qualitative predicate and its subject. Warmth or coldness is presented as possible, with time recovered from context rather than from the opening alone.