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