Māori Grammar

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Te Reo Māori Level 1
Asking who - Ko wai...?

We ask "who?" with either ko wai? ("who is?" - singular) or ko wai mā? ("who are?" - plural).

Ko wai te mea pai ki te kōrero Māori?
Whose good at speaking Māori?

Ko wai te iwi e pai ana ki te haka?
Who is the nation who is good at doing haka?

Ko wai ō mātua?
Who are your parents?

Ko wai te tamāhine?
Who is the daughter?

Ko wai kei roto i te motokā?
Who is that in the car?

Ko wai tōu?
Who is yours? (eg who is your father?).

Ko wai ngā mātua?
Who are the parents?

Ko wai te ingoa o tēnei awa?
What is the name of this river?

Ko wai?
Who?

Ko wai tērā ki korā?
Who is that over there?

Ko wai kei te horoi i te rūma?
Who is cleaning the room?

Ko wai ka taraiwa i te nei?
Who will drive tonight?

Ko wai kei te haere ki te hui?
Who is going to the hui?

Ko wai te pāpā?
Who is the father?

Ko wai tōna ingoa?
What's her name?

Ko wai kei roto i tana motukā?
Who is in her car?

Ko Waikura tōku tuahine.
Waikura is my sister.

Ko wai kōrua?
Who are you two?

Ko wai tana ingoa?
What's her name?

Ko wai koe?
Who are you?

Ko wai kei te tākaro i te kēmu?
Who is playing the game?

Ko wai te ingoa o tērā maunga?
What is the name of that mountain?

Ko wai kei te haere?
Who are you going with?

Ko wai i hanga i te whare?
Who built the house?

Ko wai tāua manuhiri?
Who is our visitor?

Ko wai a Manu?
Who is Manu?

Ko wai ka haere ki te taone ā te nei?
Who's going to town tonight?

Ko wai te pōtiki o te whānau?
Who is the youngest in the family?

Ko Waiokura te marae.
The marae is Waiokura.

Ko wai te huatahi?
Who is the first born?

Ko wai teina?
Who is your younger sibling?

Ko wai ō tāua manuhiri?
Who are our visitors?

Ko wai i kai i ngā āporo?
Who ate the apples?

Ko wai kei te moe?
Who is sleeping?

Ko wai i i te kākahu?
Who packed the clothes?

Ko wai kei te haere mai?
Who is coming?

Ko wai ō tēina?
Who are your younger siblings?

Ko wai tēnei?
Who is this?

Ko wai te ingoa o whaea?
What's the name of your mum?

Ko wai ēnei?
Whose are these?

Ko wai tino pēne?
Who is your favourite band?

Ko wai kei te tunu i te kai?
Who is cooking the food?

Ko wai te mea e mōhio ana ki te reo Māori?
Who is the one who knows te reo Māori?

Ko ngā aha?
What are?

Ko wai ia?
Who is he/she?

Ko wai kei te horoi i ngā rīhi?
Who is washing the dishes.

Ko wai te mātāmua o whānau?
Who is the eldest in your family?

Ko wai tōu whaea?
Who is your mother?

Ko wai kei waho i te whare?
Who is that outside the house?

Ko wai te ingoa o kuia?
What is your grandmother's name?

Ko wai atu ka haere?
Who else is going?

Ko wai kei te māuiui?
Who is sick?

Ko wai e haere?
Who is to go?

Ko wai i hoko i ngā pukapuka?
Who bought the books?

Ko wai ōna hoa?
Who are his/her friends.

Ko wai te koroua?
Who is the grandfather?

Ko wai te koroua nui tōna aroha ki tōna whānau?
Who is the old man who has a lot of love for his whānau?

Ko wai kei te tapahi i te mīti?
Who is chopping the meat?

Ko wai kei te horoi?
Who is washing?

Ko wai te mātāmua?
Who is the oldest?

Ko ngā aha ngā reta ra?
What are those letters?

Ko wai te ingoa o matua?
What's the name of your dad?

Ko wai ngā tamariki koi ngā hinengaro?
Who are the children with sharp minds?

Ko wai te kaiwhakahaere? Ko au tonu!
Who is the orangiser? Actually, it's me!

Ko wai te ingoa o pāpā?
What is the name of your mother?

Ko wai te tuakana o Tame?
Who is the older sibling (same gender) of Tame?

Ko wai tērā?
Who is that (over there)?

Ko wai te pāpā o Tama?
Whose Tama's dad?

Ko wai i tiki i ngā tamariki i te kura?
Who picked up the children from school?

Ko wai kei te waiata i te waiata?
Who is singing the song?

Ko wai ō hoa?
Who are your friends?

Ko wai te ingoa o tērā wahine?
What's the name of that woman?

Ko wai i te totohe?
Who were arguing?

Ko wai i whakaatu i te kiriata?
Who showed the movie?

Ko wai kaiako pāngarau?
Who is your maths teacher?

Ko wai i hopu i te ika?
Who caught the fish?

Ko wai kei waho i te kūaha?
Who is outside the door?

Ko wai pāpā?
Who is your Dad?

Ko wai kei raro i te rākau?
Who is that under the tree?

Ko wai te tangata e hīkoi mai nei?
Who is the person walking this way?

Ko wai te ingoa o whānau?
What's the name of your family?

Ko wai ngā mea a ako ana i te reo Māori?
Who are the ones learning te reo Māori?

Ko wai tōna iwi?
What is his tribe?

Ko wai ō koutou ingoa, kōtiro ?
What are your names, girls?

Ko wai te māmā?
Who is the mother?

Ko wai tērā?
Who is that?

Ko wai i tākaro i te papa tākaro?
Who played at the playground?

Ko wai tōu ingoa?
What's your name?

Ko wai kei runga i te nohoanga?
Who is that on the sofa?

Ko wai ō hungarei?
Who are your parents in law?

Ko wai i horoi i ngā rīhi?
Who did the dishes?

Ko wai e pōhiri?
Who should be invited?

Ko wai kei te āwhina i te kaiako?
Who is helping the teacher?

Ko wai te whaea?
Who is the mother?

Ko wai kei te whakahaere i te hui?
Who is running the meeting?

Ko wai māmā?
Who is your Mum?

Ko wai ingoa?
What is your name?

Ko wai te ingoa o hoa?
What's the name of your friend?

Ko wai i haere?
Who (all) went?