He aha tana mahi? (What's his/her job?)
Scenario
We describe certain people’s jobs.
Language Focus
The most important language feature in this animation is the use of the prefix ‘kai-‘(meaning ‘someone who does something’, for example, ’kaiako’ meaning someone who teaches; and ‘kaihoko’ meaning someone who buys/sells).
Notice the singular possessive pronoun ‘tana’ (his/her).
Note too the descriptive sentence starter ‘He’ (A), for example, He kaiako ia. (S/he is a teacher).
Transcript and Translation
| Speaker | Māori | English |
| Rōpū tamariki (off-screen) | He aha tana mahi? | What’s his/her job? |
| Rōpū tamariki (off-screen) | He whakatangi rakuraku tana mahi. He kairakuraku ia. | Her job is to play the guitar. She’s a guitarist. |
| He hoko ika tana mahi. He kaihoko ika ia. | His job is to sell fish. He’s a fishmonger. | |
| He hoko waka tana mahi. He kaihoko waka ia. | His job is to sell cars. He’s a car salesman. | |
| He hoko putiputi tana mahi. He kaihoko putiputi ia. | Her job is to sell flowers. She’s a florist. | |
| He hanga whare tana mahi. He kaihanga whare ia. | His job is to build houses. He’s a builder. | |
| He hautū taraka tana mahi. He kaihautū taraka ia. | Her job is to drive trucks. She’s a truck diver. | |
| He tango whakaahua tana mahi . He kaitango whakaahua ia. | Her job is to take photos. She’s a photographer. | |
| He whakaako tamariki tana mahi. He kaiako ia. | Her job is to teach children. She’s a teacher. | |
| Kaiako | Titiro mai tamariki mā. | Look here children. |
| Rōpū tamariki (off-screen) | He aha tana mahi? | What’s his/her job? |
| He aha tana mahi? | What’s his/her job? | |
| He aha tana mahi? | What’s his/her job? | |
| He aha tana mahi? | What’s his/her job? | |
| He aha tana mahi? | What’s his/her job? | |
| He aha tana mahi? | What’s his/her job? | |
| He aha tana mahi? | What’s his/her job? | |
| He aha tana mahi? | What’s his/her job? |
