Orika William Kata covered a woman's mouth and nose with his hands, and she thought she was going to die.
He had dragged her out of a taxi by her legs, taken her back into his house and thrown her on to his bedroom floor.
He had then picked up the woman again and thrown her on to the bed, covering her face so she couldn't breathe, Judge David Cameron said on Tuesday in the Whanganui District Court.
"The victim believed she was going to die," he said.
Kata had admitted injuring with intent to injure for the attack, which also included grabbing the victim's head with both hands and throwing her to the floor again, before telling her to get up or he would kick her face in.
He had also punched the victim, stomped on her ribs, and knocked her off the bed.
The victim had to continuously tell Kata she loved him so he would let her leave the house. She had told police afterwards her "whole body was sore".
The March 29 attack had happened when Kata became "angry and abusive" with his partner, and she had tried to leave in the taxi.
Kata had several previous convictions for assault, Judge Cameron said.
Kata gave a letter of apology to the judge before his sentencing.
He was sentenced to prison for seven months, with six months post-release conditions.