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