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