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

Ko wai ēnei?
Whose are these?

Ko wai pāpā?
Who is your Dad?

Ko wai tērā?
Who is that?

Ko wai kei te horoi?
Who is washing?

Ko wai te huatahi?
Who is the first born?

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

Ko wai ia?
Who is he/she?

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

Ko wai ō tāua manuhiri?
Who are our visitors?

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 tērā?
Who is that (over there)?

Ko wai a Pāora?
Who is Pāora?

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

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

Ko wai i te totohe?
Who were arguing?

Ko wai te whaea?
Who is the mother?

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

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

Ko wai māmā?
Who is your Mum?

Ko Waiokura te marae.
The marae is Waiokura.

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

Ko wai tōu whaea?
Who is your mother?

Ko wai ō tēina?
Who are your younger siblings?

Ko wai kōrua?
Who are you two?

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

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

Ko wai tōu ingoa?
What's your name?

Ko wai ō hoa?
Who are your friends?

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

Ko wai kaiako pāngarau?
Who is your maths teacher?

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

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

Ko wai teina?
Who is your younger sibling?

Ko wai?
Who?

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

Ko wai atu ka haere?
Who else is going?

Ko wai i haere?
Who (all) went?

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

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

Ko wai te mātāmua?
Who is the oldest?

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 ka taraiwa i te nei?
Who will drive tonight?

Ko wai kei te māuiui?
Who is sick?

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

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

Ko ngā aha?
What are?

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

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

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

Ko wai ō mātua?
Who are your parents?

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

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

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

Ko wai e pōhiri?
Who should be invited?

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

Ko wai koe?
Who are you?

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

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

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

Ko wai tēnei?
Who is this?

Ko wai e haere?
Who is to go?

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

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

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

Ko wai te māmā?
Who is the mother?

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

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

Ko wai ngā mātua?
Who are the parents?

Ko wai kei te moe?
Who is sleeping?

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

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

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

Ko wai te tamāhine?
Who is the daughter?

Ko wai tāua manuhiri?
Who is our visitor?

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

Ko wai ingoa?
What is your name?

Ko wai kei te haere mai?
Who is coming?

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

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

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

Ko wai te pāpā?
Who is the father?

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

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

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

Ko wai tōna iwi?
What is his tribe?

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

Ko wai tōna ingoa?
What's her name?

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

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

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

Ko wai tino pēne?
Who is your favourite band?

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

Ko wai te koroua?
Who is the grandfather?

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

Ko Waikura tōku tuahine.
Waikura is my sister.

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

Ko wai tana ingoa?
What's her name?