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