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Sentences that begin with ko are known as "identity sentences" and answers the question "who is?" or "who are?"
There are four possible kinds of words that follow ko.
(1) The subject can be a personal name or place:
Ko Joan tōku māmā.
Joan is my mother.
Ko Rangi tōku ingoa.
My name is Rangi.
Ko Tararua te maunga.
Tararua is the mountain.
(2) The subject can be a pronoun ("he", "she", "them", etc):
Ko ia te tama a Debbie.
He is Debbie's son.
Ko koe te manuhiri.
You are the visitor.
Ko au tā rāua tamāhine.
I am their daughter.
(3) The subject can be a noun ("the time", "the language"):
Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Māori.
The Māori language is the life force of Māori mana.
Ko te Rātū tēnei rā.
It is Tuesday today.
Ko ngā manuhiri ērā tāngata.
Those people are the guests.
(4) The subject can also be a word like "this" and "those":
Ko tēnei te whānau.
This is the family.
Ko tērā taku tūrangawaewae.
That's my place to stand.
Ko ēnei ngā rorohiko hou.
These are the new computers.
Ko Koa tērā tangata.
That man is Koa.Ko au te rōia mō tēnei take.
I am the Lawyer for this case.Ko ā matou kurī ngā toa ki te tiaki hipi.
Our dogs are the champion sheep-musterers.Ko Ngāti Hāmua tōku hapū.
Ngāti Hāmua is my sub-tribe.Ko te wā kaukau.
It is bath time.Ko te Rātū tēnei rā.
It is Tuesday today.Ko Taranaki te maunga e tū mai rā.
That mountain standing over there is Mount Taranaki.Ko Āwhina te mataamua. Ko Aroha te pōtiki.
Āwhina is the oldest. Aroha the youngest.Ko Hōhepa taku ingoa.
My name is Hōhepa.Ko te pahi o te kura tēnei.
This is the school bus.Ko tōku kuia tērā!
That's my nanna!Ko ngā tohunga nāna te waka i tārai.
The experts who carved the canoe.Ko Taranaki te maunga.
The moutain is Taranaki.Ko Rāhera rāua ko Tipene ōna hoa.
Her friends are Rāhera and Tīpene.Ko tāku irāmutu ia.
She is my niece/He is my nephew.Ko Wiremu tāku tāne.
Wiremu is my husband.Ko Hone rāua ko Rāhera ōku hungawai.
Hone and Rāhera are my parents-in-law.Ko koe taku toa!
You're my star player!Ko ngā rorohiko hou ēnei.
These are the new computers.Ko ngā pukapuka a Manu ēnā.
Those are Manu's books.Ko Rongomai tōku tuahine.
Rongomai is my sister.Ko ahau te kōtiro tuarua.
I am the second girl.Ko Manu te tāne a Ani.
Manu is the husband of Ani.Ko Aroha te wahine a Pāora.
Aroha is the wife of Pāora.Ko tēnei te whare.
This is the house.Ko Kayte te pōtiki o Beverley.
Kayte is the youngest child of Beverley.Ko Kauri tōku ingoa
Kauri is my name.Ko te kāinga tūturu o Niko kei Pōneke.
As for Niko's permanent home, it's in Wellington.Ko Taupō te moana.
Taupō is the lake.Ko te Moana-nui-ā-Kiwa te moana.
The Pacific Ocean is the ocean.Ko Rewi te rangatira.
Rewi is the chief.Ko ōku hoa kei waho!
It's my friends outside.Ko Pania tōku teina
Pania is my younger sister.Ko Hera tōna ingoa.
Her name's Hera.Ko Mia te mokopuna tuatahi.
Mia is the first grandchild.Ko Kuikui tōku whaea. Ko Tahu tōku matua.
Kuikui is my mother. Tahu is my father.Ko te horopaki tērā ka tohu i te mahinga tika.
Context is what determines the correct usage.Ko te kūmara tāku tūmomo huawhenua pai rawa.
Kumara is my favourite type of vegetable.Ko Kauri te tamāhine a Rangi.
Kauri is the daughter of Rangi.Ko Kāpuni te awa.
Kāpuni is the river.Ko Aidan te mātāmua o Kayte.
Aidan is the oldest child of Kayte.Ko Brian tōku pāpā.
Brian is my father.Ko te whare tēnei.
This is the house.Ko Rewi te hoa o Mere.
Rewi is Mary's friend.Ko Riripeti rāua ko Tīwana aku mokopuna.
Riripeti and Tīwana are my grandchildren.Ko Liam te mokopuna a Beverley rāua ko Denis.
Liam is the grandchild of Beverley and Denis.Ko Wid Vella tōku tipuna.
Wid Vella is my ancestor.Ko tēnei whare te whare o Hone.
This is Hone's house.Ko taku pene tēnā!
That is my pen!Ko Mere tōku māmā.
Mere is my mother.Ko Pango te kurī.
Pango is the dog.Ko au te kaiako.
I am the teacher.Ko Ruahine te ingoa o tērā maunga.
Ruahine is the name of that mountain.Ko ia te rangatira o tēnei tari.
She's the boss of this department.Ko te tino tangata o taua marae, ko Hapi.
The leading person of that marae is Hapi.Ko Ataahua rāua ko Rangi.
Ataahua and Rangi.Ko Eruera te tangata nā.
Eruera is that person (near you).Ko tēnei he tekau tana taraka.
This is a ten ton truck.Ko Nikau mā.
Nikau and the others.Ko Pita tāku pōtiki.
Pita is my youngest childKo Kahu te koroua o Terewai.
Kahu is the elder of Terewai.Ko Raimona tōku tino hoa.
Raimona is my best friend.Ko tēnā te whare nui.
That (near you) is the big house.Ko Tōrere te marae e tū ai te hui.
Tōrere is the marae where the meeting will take place.Ko taku hiahia he pukapuka.
A book is what I want.Ko John te tungāne o Fran.
John is the brother (of a girl) of Fran.Ko Jim rāua ko Doug aku taokete.
Jim and Doug are my brother in laws.Ko ōna tuāhine ngā kaiwhakahaere.
His sisters are the organisers.Ko ia te kaiako o Tame.
She is the teacher of Tame.