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