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