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