Māori Grammar

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Mere is a girl, Mere is the girl

ko

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 Kāpuni te awa.
Kāpuni is the river.

Ko Hōhepa koe.
You are Hōhepa.

Ko te whare tēnei.
This is the house.

Ko Pango te kurī.
Pango is the dog.

Ko ōna tuāhine ngā kaiwhakahaere.
His sisters are the organisers.

Ko ā matou kurī ngā toa ki te tiaki hipi.
Our dogs are the champion sheep-musterers.

Ko te tino tangata o taua marae, ko Hapi.
The leading person of that marae is Hapi.

Ko Rongomai tōku tuahine.
Rongomai is my sister.

Ko Ōamaru te tāone.
Ōamaru is the town.

Ko Wid Vella tōku tipuna.
Wid Vella is my ancestor.

Ko te Wenerei.
It's Wednesday.

Ko Pāora tōku ingoa
Pāora is my name.

Ko au te rōia mō tēnei take.
I am the Lawyer for this case.

Ko Rewi te hoa o Mere.
Rewi is Mary's friend.

Ko Hera tōna ingoa.
Her name's Hera.

Ko te pahi o te kura tēnei.
This is the school bus.

Ko ōku hoa kei waho!
It's my friends outside.

Ko rātou ngā tāmgata.
They are the people.

Ko Ngāti Hāmua tōku hapū.
Ngāti Hāmua is my sub-tribe.

Ko Wiremu tāku tāne.
Wiremu is my husband.

Ko Mia te wahine a Niko.
Mia is the wife of Niko.

Ko Liam te mokopuna a Beverley rāua ko Denis.
Liam is the grandchild of Beverley and Denis.

Ko tēnei te whare.
This is the house.

Ko John te tungāne o Fran.
John is the brother (of a girl) of Fran.

Ko Moana te tamāhine a Rangi.
Moana is the daughter of Rangi.

Ko te kāinga tūturu o Rangi kei Pōneke.
As for Rangi's permanent home, it's in Wellington.

Ko tēnā te whare nui.
That (near you) is the big house.

Ko Kayte te pōtiki o Beverley.
Kayte is the youngest child of Beverley.

Ko au te kaiako.
I am the teacher.

Ko Riripeti rāua ko Tīwana aku mokopuna.
Riripeti and Tīwana are my grandchildren.

Ko Taranaki te maunga.
The moutain is Taranaki.

Ko Rāhera rāua ko Tipene ōna hoa.
Her friends are Rāhera and Tīpene.

Ko Rewi te rangatira.
Rewi is the chief.

Ko tāku irāmutu ia.
She is my niece/He is my nephew.

Ko Brian tōku pāpā.
Brian is my father.

Ko Hōhepa taku ingoa.
My name is Hōhepa.

Ko tōku kuia tērā!
That's my nanna!

Ko Aroha tāku pōtiki.
Aroha is my youngest child

Ko taku hiahia he pukapuka.
A book is what I want.

Ko Aidan te mātāmua o Kayte.
Aidan is the oldest child of Kayte.

Ko te raumati te wā kauhoe.
Summer is the time for swimming.

Ko Kuikui tōku whaea. Ko Tahu tōku matua.
Kuikui is my mother. Tahu is my father.

Ko te wā kaukau.
It is bath time.

Ko Raimona tōku tino hoa.
Raimona is my best friend.

Ko Rongomai taku tamāhine.
Rongomai is my daughter.

Ko Hēmi mā.
Hēmi and the others.

Ko te horopaki tērā ka tohu i te mahinga tika.
Context is what determines the correct usage.

Ko Rēwi au.
I am Rēwi.

Ko Hera te mokopuna tuatahi.
Hera is the first grandchild.

Ko koe taku toa!
You're my star player!

Ko ngā tohunga nāna te waka i tārai.
The experts who carved the canoe.

Ko Eruera te tangata nā.
Eruera is that person (near you).

Ko Ruahine te ingoa o tērā maunga.
Ruahine is the name of that mountain.

Ko Manu te tāne a Aroha.
Manu is the husband of Aroha.

Ko taku pene tēnā!
That is my pen!

Ko Pāora tērā tangata.
That man is Pāora.

Ko te Rātū tēnei rā.
It is Tuesday today.

Ko ia te rangatira o tēnei tari.
She's the boss of this department.

Ko Kahu te koroua o Terewai.
Kahu is the elder of Terewai.

Ko ngā rorohiko hou ēnei.
These are the new computers.

Ko ngā pukapuka a Aria ēnā.
Those are Aria's books.

Ko tēnei whare te whare o Hone.
This is Hone's house.

Ko Taupō te moana.
Taupō is the lake.

Ko te kūmara tāku tūmomo huawhenua pai rawa.
Kumara is my favourite type of vegetable.

Ko te Moana-nui-ā-Kiwa te moana.
The Pacific Ocean is the ocean.

Ko tēnei he tekau tana taraka.
This is a ten ton truck.

Ko ahau te kōtiro tuarua.
I am the second girl.

Ko Nikau rāua ko Ari.
Nikau and Ari.

Ko ia te kaiako o Manu.
She is the teacher of Manu.

Ko Hone rāua ko Rāhera ōku hungawai.
Hone and Rāhera are my parents-in-law.

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 Pania tōku teina
Pania is my younger sister.

Ko te kurī te hoa o te tangata.
The dog is the friend of the man.

Ko Jim rāua ko Doug aku taokete.
Jim and Doug are my brother in laws.

Ko Taranaki te maunga e tū mai rā.
That mountain standing over there is Mount Taranaki.

Ko Mere tōku māmā.
Mere is my mother.