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