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