ēnei / ēnā / ērā
These and Those
Ēnei, ēnā and ērā point to more than one item.
How It Works
Compare tēnei whare, this house, and ēnei whare, these houses. The noun usually stays unchanged; the demonstrative supplies plurality.
Ēnei belongs to the speaker’s side of the conversation, ēnā to the addressee’s and ērā to a distant or previously distinguished group. Do not combine these demonstratives with an extra ngā in the same determiner slot.
Examples (3)
- He pai ēnei pukapuka.
These books are good.
- Homai ēnā pene.
Give me those pens by you.
- Kei te kura ērā tamariki.
Those children over there are at school.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Extend the demonstrative viewpoints to groups with ēnei, ēnā and ērā. The demonstrative supplies plural reference, while the noun retains its ordinary or established lexical plural form.
- tēnei / tēnā / tērāThis and That
The singular forms establish the three viewpoints that the plural forms retain when their initial t is absent.
Level 1 - ngā + nounThe Plural Article
Plural article phrases establish plurality before an ordinarily unchanged noun, helping explain both ēnei whare and why an extra ngā is unnecessary.
Level 1
Related Patterns
Practice ēnei / ēnā / ērā in Bubblegum
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