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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 Wid Vella tōku tipuna.
Wid Vella is my ancestor.Ko Rongomai tōku tuahine.
Rongomai is my sister.Ko te tino tangata o taua marae, ko Hapi.
The leading person of that marae is Hapi.Ko tēnei whare te whare o Hone.
This is Hone's house.Ko te Rātū tēnei rā.
It is Tuesday today.Ko Pāora te tāne a Moana.
Pāora is the husband of Moana.Ko Amaru tērā tangata.
That man is Amaru.Ko taku pene tēnā!
That is my pen!Ko te pahi o te kura tēnei.
This is the school bus.Ko Liam te mokopuna a Beverley rāua ko Denis.
Liam is the grandchild of Beverley and Denis.Ko Amaru tōku ingoa
Amaru is my name.Ko Hōhepa taku ingoa.
My name is Hōhepa.Ko koe taku toa!
You're my star player!Ko Taranaki te maunga.
The moutain is Taranaki.Ko te whare tēnei.
This is the house.Ko Taranaki te maunga e tū mai rā.
That mountain standing over there is Mount Taranaki.Ko ngā pukapuka a Ataahua ēnā.
Those are Ataahua's books.Ko Rāhera rāua ko Tipene ōna hoa.
Her friends are Rāhera and Tīpene.Ko au te kaiako.
I am the teacher.Ko Taupō te moana.
Taupō is the lake.Ko John te tungāne o Fran.
John is the brother (of a girl) of Fran.Ko ia te kaiako o Mia.
She is the teacher of Mia.Ko ahau te kōtiro tuarua.
I am the second girl.Ko Hone rāua ko Rāhera ōku hungawai.
Hone and Rāhera are my parents-in-law.Ko au te rōia mō tēnei take.
I am the Lawyer for this case.Ko Riripeti rāua ko Tīwana aku mokopuna.
Riripeti and Tīwana are my grandchildren.Ko tēnā te whare nui.
That (near you) is the big house.Ko Jim rāua ko Doug aku taokete.
Jim and Doug are my brother in laws.Ko Eruera te tangata nā.
Eruera is that person (near you).Ko ngā rorohiko hou ēnei.
These are the new computers.Ko ōna tuāhine ngā kaiwhakahaere.
His sisters are the organisers.Ko Hera tāku pōtiki.
Hera is my youngest childKo taku hiahia he pukapuka.
A book is what I want.Ko Brian tōku pāpā.
Brian is my father.Ko ngā tohunga nāna te waka i tārai.
The experts who carved the canoe.Ko tēnei te whare.
This is the house.Ko te kūmara tāku tūmomo huawhenua pai rawa.
Kumara is my favourite type of vegetable.Ko ā matou kurī ngā toa ki te tiaki hipi.
Our dogs are the champion sheep-musterers.Ko Pania tōku teina
Pania is my younger sister.Ko Ruahine te ingoa o tērā maunga.
Ruahine is the name of that mountain.Ko te raumati te wā kauhoe.
Summer is the time for swimming.Ko Aidan te mātāmua o Kayte.
Aidan is the oldest child of Kayte.Ko tāku irāmutu ia.
She is my niece/He is my nephew.Ko Kayte te pōtiki o Beverley.
Kayte is the youngest child of Beverley.Ko te kāinga tūturu o Rangi kei Pōneke.
As for Rangi's permanent home, it's in Wellington.Ko Niko mā.
Niko and the others.Ko Hera tōna ingoa.
Her name's Hera.Ko te Moana-nui-ā-Kiwa te moana.
The Pacific Ocean is the ocean.Ko Wiremu tāku tāne.
Wiremu is my husband.Ko Rewi te hoa o Mere.
Rewi is Mary's friend.Ko Pango te kurī.
Pango is the dog.Ko tōku kuia tērā!
That's my nanna!Ko Kāpuni te awa.
Kāpuni is the river.Ko te wā kaukau.
It is bath time.Ko Ngāti Hāmua tōku hapū.
Ngāti Hāmua is my sub-tribe.Ko Āwhina te mataamua. Ko Aroha te pōtiki.
Āwhina is the oldest. Aroha the youngest.Ko ia te rangatira o tēnei tari.
She's the boss of this department.Ko Kuikui tōku whaea. Ko Tahu tōku matua.
Kuikui is my mother. Tahu is my father.Ko ōku hoa kei waho!
It's my friends outside.Ko Tōrere te marae e tū ai te hui.
Tōrere is the marae where the meeting will take place.Ko Rewi te rangatira.
Rewi is the chief.Ko Ari rāua ko Hēmi.
Ari and Hēmi.Ko Rongomai taku tamāhine.
Rongomai is my daughter.Ko Kauri te tamāhine a Tawa.
Kauri is the daughter of Tawa.Ko Kahu te koroua o Terewai.
Kahu is the elder of Terewai.Ko te horopaki tērā ka tohu i te mahinga tika.
Context is what determines the correct usage.Ko Raimona tōku tino hoa.
Raimona is my best friend.Ko tēnei he tekau tana taraka.
This is a ten ton truck.Ko Koa te mokopuna tuatahi.
Koa is the first grandchild.