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