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