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