Māori Grammar

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Te Reo Māori Level 1
Identity sentences - 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 ia te kaiako o Aria.
She is the teacher of Aria.

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Hōhepa koe.
You are Hōhepa.

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

Ko Ani te tamāhine a Taika.
Ani is the daughter of Taika.

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

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

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

Ko Aria te wahine a Tame.
Aria is the wife of Tame.

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

Ko tēnei te whare.
This is the house.

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

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

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

Ko te whare tēnei.
This is the house.

Ko Rangi tāku pōtiki.
Rangi is my youngest child

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

Ko Tawa .
Tawa and the others.

Ko au te rōia 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 Rēwi au.
I am Rēwi.

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

Ko Rongomai tōku tuahine.
Rongomai is my sister.

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

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

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

Ko au te kaiako.
I am the teacher.

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

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

Ko Pāora te tāne a Moana.
Pāora is the husband of Moana.

Ko Pania tōku teina
Pania is my younger sister.

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

Ko Mere tōku māmā.
Mere is my mother.

Ko Taupō te moana.
Taupō is the lake.

Ko Brian tōku pāpā.
Brian is my father.

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

Ko te kaukau.
It is bath time.

Ko Niko rāua ko Manu.
Niko and Manu.

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

Ko Rewi te rangatira.
Rewi is the chief.

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

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

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

Ko te Wenerei.
It's Wednesday.

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

Ko Nikau tērā tangata.
That man is Nikau.

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

Ko Pango te kurī.
Pango is the dog.

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

Ko te Rātū tēnei .
It is Tuesday today.

Ko Hera tōna ingoa.
Her name's Hera.

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

Ko tōku kuia tērā!
That's my nanna!

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

Ko Rongomai taku tamāhine.
Rongomai is my daughter.

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

Ko Wiremu tāku tāne.
Wiremu is my husband.

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

Ko Hōhepa taku ingoa.
My name is Hōhepa.

Ko Kāpuni te awa.
Kāpuni is the river.

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

Ko Tōrere te marae e ai te hui.
Tōrere is the marae where the meeting will take place.

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

Ko Āwhina te mataamua. Ko Aroha te pōtiki.
Āwhina is the oldest. Aroha the youngest.

Ko Aroha tōku ingoa
Aroha is my name.

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