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