Māori Grammar

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Mere is a girl, Mere is the girl

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 Kāpuni te awa.
Kāpuni is the river.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko tōku kuia tērā!
That's my nanna!

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

Ko Hōhepa taku ingoa.
My name is Hōhepa.

Ko Pango te kurī.
Pango is the dog.

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

Ko Pāora tāku pōtiki.
Pāora is my youngest child

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

Ko Nikau tērā tangata.
That man is Nikau.

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

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

Ko te wā kaukau.
It is bath time.

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

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

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

Ko Brian tōku pāpā.
Brian is my father.

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

Ko Ataahua te wahine a Hēmi.
Ataahua is the wife of Hēmi.

Ko Hōhepa koe.
You are Hōhepa.

Ko Taupō te moana.
Taupō is the lake.

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

Ko rātou ngā tāmgata.
They are the people.

Ko Rongomai tōku tuahine.
Rongomai is my sister.

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

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

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

Ko Aria te tamāhine a Taika.
Aria is the daughter of Taika.

Ko Pania tōku teina
Pania is my younger sister.

Ko Rēwi au.
I am Rēwi.

Ko Taranaki te maunga.
The moutain is Taranaki.

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

Ko au te kaiako.
I am the teacher.

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

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

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

Ko Rongomai taku tamāhine.
Rongomai is my daughter.

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

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

Ko te Wenerei.
It's Wednesday.

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

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

Ko Wiremu tāku tāne.
Wiremu is my husband.

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

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

Ko Taika tōku ingoa
Taika is my name.

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 Amaru rāua ko Aroha.
Amaru and Aroha.

Ko Mere tōku māmā.
Mere is my mother.

Ko Hera tōna ingoa.
Her name's Hera.

Ko taku pene tēnā!
That is my pen!

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

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

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

Ko Tame mā.
Tame and the others.