Māori Grammar

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.

▶

Mere is a girl, Mere is the girl

ko

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

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

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

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

Ko Nikau mā.
Nikau and the others.

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

Ko Mere tōku māmā.
Mere is my mother.

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

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

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

Ko Kāpuni te awa.
Kāpuni is the river.

Ko Tawa tāku pōtiki.
Tawa is my youngest child

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko te Wenerei.
It's Wednesday.

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

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

Ko Hera tōna ingoa.
Her name's Hera.

Ko au te kaiako.
I am the teacher.

Ko te kurī te hoa o te tangata.
The dog is the friend of the man.

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

Ko te wā kaukau.
It is bath time.

Ko Taika te tāne a Moana.
Taika is the husband of Moana.

Ko Hōhepa taku ingoa.
My name is Hōhepa.

Ko tōku kuia tērā!
That's my nanna!

Ko Taranaki te maunga.
The moutain is Taranaki.

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

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

Ko Rēwi au.
I am Rēwi.

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

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

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 Niko rāua ko Taika.
Niko and Taika.

Ko Ani te tamāhine a Tawa.
Ani is the daughter of Tawa.

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

Ko Ōamaru te tāone.
Ōamaru is the town.

Ko Wiremu tāku tāne.
Wiremu is my husband.

Ko Rāhera rāua ko Tipene ōna hoa.
Her friends are Rāhera and Tīpene.

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

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

Ko Brian tōku pāpā.
Brian is my father.

Ko Rongomai taku tamāhine.
Rongomai is my daughter.

Ko te Rātū tēnei rā.
It is Tuesday today.

Ko tēnei te whare.
This is the house.

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

Ko Rewi te rangatira.
Rewi is the chief.

Ko Aroha te wahine a Koa.
Aroha is the wife of Koa.

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

Ko Rongomai tōku tuahine.
Rongomai is my sister.

Ko Taupō te moana.
Taupō is the lake.

Ko Hōhepa koe.
You are Hōhepa.

Ko Pango te kurī.
Pango is the dog.

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

Ko Honi tōku ingoa
Honi is my name.

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

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

Ko Pāora tērā tangata.
That man is Pāora.

Ko Pania tōku teina
Pania is my younger sister.

Ko rātou ngā tāmgata.
They are the people.

Ko taku pene tēnā!
That is my pen!

Ko te whare tēnei.
This is the house.

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

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

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

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

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.