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