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