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