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