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