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