Māori Grammar

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Mere is a girl, Mere is the girl

ko

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 Ngāti Hāmua tōku hapū.
Ngāti Hāmua is my sub-tribe.

Ko Hone rāua ko Rāhera ōku hungawai.
Hone and Rāhera are my parents-in-law.

Ko te raumati te wā kauhoe.
Summer is the time for swimming.

Ko koe taku toa!
You're my star player!

Ko te kāinga tūturu o Taika kei Pōneke.
As for Taika's permanent home, it's in Wellington.

Ko ngā tohunga nāna te waka i tārai.
The experts who carved the canoe.

Ko Rina te wahine a Ari.
Rina is the wife of Ari.

Ko Taranaki te maunga.
The moutain is Taranaki.

Ko ia te rangatira o tēnei tari.
She's the boss of this department.

Ko Manu tērā tangata.
That man is Manu.

Ko Pāora mā.
Pāora and the others.

Ko ngā rorohiko hou ēnei.
These are the new computers.

Ko Hōhepa koe.
You are Hōhepa.

Ko Wid Vella tōku tipuna.
Wid Vella is my ancestor.

Ko Wiremu tāku tāne.
Wiremu is my husband.

Ko tēnā te whare nui.
That (near you) is the big house.

Ko ōku hoa kei waho!
It's my friends outside.

Ko Ruahine te ingoa o tērā maunga.
Ruahine is the name of that mountain.

Ko taku pene tēnā!
That is my pen!

Ko te Wenerei.
It's Wednesday.

Ko Pango te kurī.
Pango is the dog.

Ko Kayte te pōtiki o Beverley.
Kayte is the youngest child of Beverley.

Ko te horopaki tērā ka tohu i te mahinga tika.
Context is what determines the correct usage.

Ko Āwhina te mataamua. Ko Aroha te pōtiki.
Āwhina is the oldest. Aroha the youngest.

Ko tēnei he tekau tana taraka.
This is a ten ton truck.

Ko Riripeti rāua ko Tīwana aku mokopuna.
Riripeti and Tīwana are my grandchildren.

Ko Hōhepa taku ingoa.
My name is Hōhepa.

Ko Kāpuni te awa.
Kāpuni is the river.

Ko au te kaiako.
I am the teacher.

Ko te pahi o te kura tēnei.
This is the school bus.

Ko te wā kaukau.
It is bath time.

Ko ōna tuāhine ngā kaiwhakahaere.
His sisters are the organisers.

Ko Moana te tamāhine a Hēmi.
Moana is the daughter of Hēmi.

Ko ia te kaiako o Tame.
She is the teacher of Tame.

Ko Rāhera rāua ko Tipene ōna hoa.
Her friends are Rāhera and Tīpene.

Ko tāku irāmutu ia.
She is my niece/He is my nephew.

Ko Pania tōku teina
Pania is my younger sister.

Ko Rangi tāku pōtiki.
Rangi is my youngest child

Ko tēnei whare te whare o Hone.
This is Hone's house.

Ko Kuikui tōku whaea. Ko Tahu tōku matua.
Kuikui is my mother. Tahu is my father.

Ko rātou ngā tāmgata.
They are the people.

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 Niko te mokopuna tuatahi.
Niko is the first grandchild.

Ko Liam te mokopuna a Beverley rāua ko Denis.
Liam is the grandchild of Beverley and Denis.

Ko Brian tōku pāpā.
Brian is my father.

Ko Raimona tōku tino hoa.
Raimona is my best friend.

Ko Aidan te mātāmua o Kayte.
Aidan is the oldest child of Kayte.

Ko Eruera te tangata nā.
Eruera is that person (near you).

Ko Tame te tāne a Ani.
Tame is the husband of Ani.

Ko au te rōia mō tēnei take.
I am the Lawyer for this case.

Ko Mia tōku ingoa
Mia is my name.

Ko tōku kuia tērā!
That's my nanna!

Ko Hera tōna ingoa.
Her name's Hera.

Ko John te tungāne o Fran.
John is the brother (of a girl) of Fran.

Ko Rēwi au.
I am Rēwi.

Ko taku hiahia he pukapuka.
A book is what I want.

Ko ngā pukapuka a Amaru ēnā.
Those are Amaru's books.

Ko Mere tōku māmā.
Mere is my mother.

Ko Jim rāua ko Doug aku taokete.
Jim and Doug are my brother in laws.

Ko Kahu te koroua o Terewai.
Kahu is the elder of Terewai.

Ko Honi rāua ko Ataahua.
Honi and Ataahua.

Ko te kūmara tāku tūmomo huawhenua pai rawa.
Kumara is my favourite type of vegetable.

Ko Taupō te moana.
Taupō is the lake.

Ko Rongomai taku tamāhine.
Rongomai is my daughter.