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