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