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