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