Māori Grammar

PreviousBack Next
Te Reo Māori Level 1
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.

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

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

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

Ko Hōhepa koe.
You are Hōhepa.

Ko Pango te kurī.
Pango is the dog.

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

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

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

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

Ko Hōhepa taku ingoa.
My name is Hōhepa.

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

Ko au te kaiako.
I am the teacher.

Ko Ari te tāne a Rina.
Ari is the husband of Rina.

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 ngā pukapuka a Ari ēnā.
Those are Ari's books.

Ko tēnei te whare.
This is the house.

Ko te Rātū tēnei .
It is Tuesday today.

Ko Niko tērā tangata.
That man is Niko.

Ko Taupō te moana.
Taupō is the lake.

Ko te whare tēnei.
This is the house.

Ko Rēwi au.
I am Rēwi.

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

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

Ko Tawa tāku pōtiki.
Tawa is my youngest child

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

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

Ko Wiremu tāku tāne.
Wiremu is my husband.

Ko Rongomai tōku tuahine.
Rongomai is my sister.

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

Ko Rongomai taku tamāhine.
Rongomai is my daughter.

Ko Taranaki te maunga.
The moutain is Taranaki.

Ko tōku kuia tērā!
That's my nanna!

Ko Taika .
Taika and the others.

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Moana te tamāhine a Amaru.
Moana is the daughter of Amaru.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Hera tōna ingoa.
Her name's Hera.

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

Ko te Wenerei.
It's Wednesday.

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

Ko Mere tōku māmā.
Mere is my mother.

Ko Rewi te rangatira.
Rewi is the chief.

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

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

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

Ko Ataahua tōku ingoa
Ataahua is my name.

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

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

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

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

Ko te kaukau.
It is bath time.

Ko Koa rāua ko Mia.
Koa and Mia.

Ko taku pene tēnā!
That is my pen!

Ko Kāpuni te awa.
Kāpuni is the river.

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

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

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

Ko Pania tōku teina
Pania is my younger sister.

Ko Brian tōku pāpā.
Brian is my father.

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

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