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