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