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