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