Māori Grammar

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Mere is a girl, Mere is the girl

ko

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 ia te kaiako o Rangi.
She is the teacher of Rangi.

Ko Eruera te tangata nā.
Eruera is that person (near you).

Ko Liam te mokopuna a Beverley rāua ko Denis.
Liam is the grandchild of Beverley and Denis.

Ko ahau te kōtiro tuarua.
I am the second girl.

Ko te raumati te wā kauhoe.
Summer is the time for swimming.

Ko Kāpuni te awa.
Kāpuni is the river.

Ko tēnei he tekau tana taraka.
This is a ten ton truck.

Ko ngā pukapuka a Manu ēnā.
Those are Manu's books.

Ko tēnei whare te whare o Hone.
This is Hone's house.

Ko John te tungāne o Fran.
John is the brother (of a girl) of Fran.

Ko ōna tuāhine ngā kaiwhakahaere.
His sisters are the organisers.

Ko Hōhepa taku ingoa.
My name is Hōhepa.

Ko rātou ngā tāmgata.
They are the people.

Ko Kayte te pōtiki o Beverley.
Kayte is the youngest child of Beverley.

Ko Rewi te rangatira.
Rewi is the chief.

Ko Tōrere te marae e tū ai te hui.
Tōrere is the marae where the meeting will take place.

Ko Taika rāua ko Ari.
Taika and Ari.

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 ōku hoa kei waho!
It's my friends outside.

Ko te horopaki tērā ka tohu i te mahinga tika.
Context is what determines the correct usage.

Ko taku pene tēnā!
That is my pen!

Ko Hēmi tāku pōtiki.
Hēmi is my youngest child

Ko koe taku toa!
You're my star player!

Ko ia te rangatira o tēnei tari.
She's the boss of this department.

Ko Wid Vella tōku tipuna.
Wid Vella is my ancestor.

Ko au te kaiako.
I am the teacher.

Ko tōku kuia tērā!
That's my nanna!

Ko Ōamaru te tāone.
Ōamaru is the town.

Ko Raimona tōku tino hoa.
Raimona is my best friend.

Ko Brian tōku pāpā.
Brian is my father.

Ko tāku irāmutu ia.
She is my niece/He is my nephew.

Ko te tino tangata o taua marae, ko Hapi.
The leading person of that marae is Hapi.

Ko Pango te kurī.
Pango is the dog.

Ko te pahi o te kura tēnei.
This is the school bus.

Ko Aria te wahine a Koa.
Aria is the wife of Koa.

Ko te Rātū tēnei rā.
It is Tuesday today.

Ko te whare tēnei.
This is the house.

Ko Hōhepa koe.
You are Hōhepa.

Ko Riripeti rāua ko Tīwana aku mokopuna.
Riripeti and Tīwana are my grandchildren.

Ko te kurī te hoa o te tangata.
The dog is the friend of the man.

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 tēnei te whare.
This is the house.

Ko Rēwi au.
I am Rēwi.

Ko Rongomai tōku tuahine.
Rongomai is my sister.

Ko Ani te tamāhine a Nikau.
Ani is the daughter of Nikau.

Ko Taupō te moana.
Taupō is the lake.

Ko Kuikui tōku whaea. Ko Tahu tōku matua.
Kuikui is my mother. Tahu is my father.

Ko Niko mā.
Niko and the others.

Ko ngā tohunga nāna te waka i tārai.
The experts who carved the canoe.

Ko Honi te mokopuna tuatahi.
Honi is the first grandchild.

Ko Rāhera rāua ko Tipene ōna hoa.
Her friends are Rāhera and Tīpene.

Ko Mere tōku māmā.
Mere is my mother.

Ko au te rōia mō tēnei take.
I am the Lawyer for this case.

Ko Rangi tērā tangata.
That man is Rangi.

Ko Taranaki te maunga.
The moutain is Taranaki.

Ko te kāinga tūturu o Pāora kei Pōneke.
As for Pāora's permanent home, it's in Wellington.

Ko Pania tōku teina
Pania is my younger sister.

Ko taku hiahia he pukapuka.
A book is what I want.

Ko te kūmara tāku tūmomo huawhenua pai rawa.
Kumara is my favourite type of vegetable.

Ko Hone rāua ko Rāhera ōku hungawai.
Hone and Rāhera are my parents-in-law.

Ko Rongomai taku tamāhine.
Rongomai is my daughter.

Ko Kahu te koroua o Terewai.
Kahu is the elder of Terewai.

Ko Ngāti Hāmua tōku hapū.
Ngāti Hāmua is my sub-tribe.

Ko Rewi te hoa o Mere.
Rewi is Mary's friend.

Ko Amaru te tāne a Mia.
Amaru is the husband of Mia.

Ko Wiremu tāku tāne.
Wiremu is my husband.

Ko Aidan te mātāmua o Kayte.
Aidan is the oldest child of Kayte.

Ko Hera tōna ingoa.
Her name's Hera.

Ko ā matou kurī ngā toa ki te tiaki hipi.
Our dogs are the champion sheep-musterers.

Ko tēnā te whare nui.
That (near you) is the big house.

Ko te wā kaukau.
It is bath time.

Ko Mia tōku ingoa
Mia is my name.

Ko te Wenerei.
It's Wednesday.

Ko te Moana-nui-ā-Kiwa te moana.
The Pacific Ocean is the ocean.

Ko ngā rorohiko hou ēnei.
These are the new computers.