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Sentences that begin with he are categorising sentences - that is, they say that something belongs in a particular category. For example "that is a fish" is a sentence that says that a particular thing can be put in the "fish" category. In te reo Māori, we would use a he sentence:
He ika tēnei.
This is a fish.
Literally, we could say "in the category if fish this is", though no one would ever say that in English.
It is very easy to confuse he and ko sentences, but actually, they work in quite different ways and communicate different things.
A he sentence can only have three things as its subject:
(1) a noun (such as "fish", "dog", "man"):
He tākuta ahau.
I am a doctor.
He kuri a Fido.
Fido is a dog.
(2) a noun with an adjective ("a big fish", "a vicious dog", "a happy man"):
He kai pai te kūmara.
Kumara is good food.
He ara kino tēnei.
This is a bad road.
He tangata koa ia.
He's a happy chappy.
(3) Just an adjective ("good", "bad", "sad"):
He pai tōna ngākau.
He has a good heart.
He kino tēnei kurī.
This dog is bad.
He harikoa ahau.
I am happy.
Each of these examples say that someone or something belongs in a particular category: "in the category of 'good food' is kumera", "in the category of 'dog' is Fido", "in the category of 'happy' I am".
In a he sentence, we cannot swao the two parts of the sentence around. It makes no sense to say: "in the category of 'me' is 'good'" or "in the category of 'Fido' is 'dog'. What we are really saying in the he sentences is, firstly, that a particular category of things exist and that we want to name something that is in that category. He kino tēnei kurī means: "bad things exist in the world, and this dog is one of them". He kai pai te kūmara means: "things known as 'good food' exist in the world, and the kūmera is one of them."
One of these things is a subset of the category, which is why we cannot reverse the two parts of the sentence. We can say that "kūmera" is a subset of "good food", but not that "good food" is a subset of "kūmera".
This different from sentences with ko where the two things are said to be equal and the same: for example: "Jacob is my son". I am saying that "Jacob" and "my son" are one and the same, and so these two things can be reversed. I can say: "My son is Jacob".
When used with adjectives, there is a different in meaning between he and verbal sentences using kei te, ka, etc.. A sentence beginning with he says that something has a natural or permanent quality. For example, kei te harikoa au means that at the moment I am happy - but perhaps I will be unhappy tomorrow or was depressed yesterday. On the other hand, he harikoa au means not that I am happy now, but that I am natually a happy person because he sentences refer to how a thing is in and of itself, not just how something is at the present moment. A sentence beginnig with ka indicates that something has become a particular way as a result of something else happening. For example, ka harikoa au means "I have become happy" because of something good that has happened.
He kākāriki te karaihe.
The grass is naturally green.
Ka kākāriki te karaihe.
The grass has become green (because it has rained).
Kei te kākāriki te karaihe.
At the moment, the grass is green (because it has rained).
He kaiako ahau.
I am a teacher.He poti a Pihikete.
Pihikete is a cat.He kerei tana hāte.
His shirt is grey.He nui ōna ringaringa.
He has big hands.He māngai te ākonga.
The student is a representative.He tangata atawhai ia.
He is a kind person.He kaiwhakaako rāua.
They (two) are teachers.He kaiako nui a Mere.
Mere is an important teacher.He kōura ōna karu.
Her eyes are gold.He pukapuka tērā.
That is a book (over there).He kuia tōku whaea.
My mother is an elder.He poto ōna makawe.
His hair is short.He hāte pai tēnā.
That's a nice shirt.He kaha te iwi te manaaiki i ngā manuhiri.
The iwi is strong at looking after guests.He ātaahua te pēpi.
The baby is beautiful.He tangata mohio koe.
You are a knowledgeable person.He kaitākaro ngā tamariki.
The children are athletes.He pākete kei roto i te horoimanga.
There's a bucket in the laundry.He kākāriki te karaihe.
The grass is green.He kotutu te tina.
It's boil up for dinner.He taumaha tēnei.
This is heavy.He pai tō pikitia.
You're picture's great.He kino ēnā kurī.
Those dogs are bad.He kahurangi ōna karu.
Her eyes are blue.He tangata pakari a Rangi.
Rangi is a mature person.He waewae huruhuru.
Hairy legs.He whare kōhatu, he mea hōu.
A new, stone house.He maroke tana kōrero.
His speech was dry.He tamaiti kaha ia.
He is a strong child.He ākonga ahau.
I am a student.He kaihanga te tāne.
The man is a builder.He tāone pai rawa a Raumati.
Raumati is the best town.He tāne ranginamu ia.
He is a handsome man.He kaikōrero te kaiako.
The teacher is a speaker.He mātua pai a Nikau rāua ko Kauri.
Nikau and Kauri are good parents.He mea pai ake kia āta kōrero.
It would be better if it was spoken slowly.He pō tino makariri tēnei.
This is a very cold night.He kārikihāura ōna karu.
Her eyes are hazel.He wahine atamai ia.
She is a clever woman.He waiata pai tērā.
That's a nice song.He wahine tino mōhio a Rongomai ki te hoahoa i te takoto o te whenua.
Rongomai is a woman very knowledgeable in designing the layout of the land.He āwhina koe.
You are a helper.He kaikōrero koe.
You are a speaker.He rangatira tōku pāpā.
My father is a leader.He tangata pukumahi ia, nērā?
She's a hardworker, eh?He ātaahua hoki koe.
You look beautiful.