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