Truth, to be true – pono
An adolescent boy’s parents are scolding him for his computer use habits, asking “Is it true that you watch all these pornos?”
Lie, to lie, Bullshit – teka
A salesman is asked by his boss how the day has gone. “Any takers?” the boss asks. The salesman shakes his head, and the boss accuses him of lying.
Secret – toropuku
A man reads something in a book, and shows it to another man. The other man rips the book into pieces, and says “Now it’s a secret.” He tore a book up.
Belief, to believe – whakapono
At a camping ground, a woman points to a cabin on a hill and says to a family “I believe yours is the far cabin, yo.”
Claim, to claim – kerēme
A woman appears on television and claims that “The claim of the country is that this is our best cream.”
to admit, confess, disclose – whāki
A man shows a strange looking contraption to some friends, and says “Now, I admit that this looks a bit fucky.”
to confirm, confirmation – whakaū
Some spies are holding a man’s head underwater. They pull it out and say “Can you confirm what we told you?” The man says “Fuck you!”
to deny – whakahore
In a courtroom, a judge asks the defendant “So you deny that on the night of 12 August you did fuck a whore?”
honest – matatika
Some policemen show a video of a holdup at a supermarket to a seated suspect. They say “Be honest. Are you the mart attacker?”
dishonest – hīanga
A twenty-dollar note blows along the ground, and a man picks it up. Another man comes along and says “Did you see my twenty?” The first man says “Here? Nah.”
Fact, to be true – meka
Beside an expensive car, a man is pleading with a skeptical policeman. “It’s true that it’s me car! It’s a fact!”
to pretend, deceive – hangarau
A lady is hanging some clothes in rows on a clothesline. She says “I’m pretending to be a laundrywoman! Come, hang a row!”.
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The above is an excerpt from the upcoming Learn Maori Vocabulary With Mnemonics, by Jeff Ngatai, due to be published by VJM Publishing in the summer of 2018/19.