Māori Grammar

Identity sentences - 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.

▶

Mere is a girl, Mere is the girl

ko

Ko taku pene tēnā!
That is my pen!

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

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

Ko te Wenerei.
It's Wednesday.

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

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

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

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

Ko Hōhepa taku ingoa.
My name is Hōhepa.

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

Ko tēnei te whare.
This is the house.

Ko te wā kaukau.
It is bath time.

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

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

Ko Rongomai taku tamāhine.
Rongomai is my daughter.

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

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

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

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

Ko Taupō te moana.
Taupō is the lake.

Ko Āwhina te mataamua. Ko Aroha te pōtiki.
Āwhina is the oldest. Aroha the youngest.

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

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

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

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

Ko Rewi te rangatira.
Rewi is the chief.

Ko Pango te kurī.
Pango is the dog.

Ko Rangi tērā tangata.
That man is Rangi.

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

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

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

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

Ko Aroha te tamāhine a Pāora.
Aroha is the daughter of Pāora.

Ko Hera tōna ingoa.
Her name's Hera.

Ko Taika mā.
Taika and the others.

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

Ko Mere tōku māmā.
Mere is my mother.

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

Ko Taranaki te maunga.
The moutain is Taranaki.

Ko Wiremu tāku tāne.
Wiremu is my husband.

Ko Jim rāua ko Doug aku taokete.
Jim and Doug are my brother in laws.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Amaru tōku ingoa
Amaru is my name.

Ko ia te kaiako o Kauri.
She is the teacher of Kauri.

Ko Brian tōku pāpā.
Brian is my father.

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

Ko Mia tāku pōtiki.
Mia is my youngest child

Ko te Rātū tēnei rā.
It is Tuesday today.

Ko te whare tēnei.
This is the house.

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

Ko tōku kuia tērā!
That's my nanna!

Ko Taranaki te maunga e tū mai rā.
That mountain standing over there is Mount Taranaki.

Ko au te kaiako.
I am the teacher.

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

Ko Rēwi au.
I am Rēwi.

Ko Kāpuni te awa.
Kāpuni is the river.

Ko Hōhepa koe.
You are Hōhepa.

Ko Rongomai tōku tuahine.
Rongomai is my sister.

Ko Rangi rāua ko Ari.
Rangi and Ari.

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

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

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

Ko Pania tōku teina
Pania is my younger sister.

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

Ko rātou ngā tāmgata.
They are the people.

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

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

Ko Ōamaru te tāone.
Ōamaru is the town.

Ko Ruahine te ingoa o tērā maunga.
Ruahine is the name of that mountain.

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

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

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