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