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 haere ki te hui?
Who is going to the hui?

Ko wai kōrua?
Who are you two?

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

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

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

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

Ko wai te mātāmua?
Who is the oldest?

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

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

Ko wai te māmā?
Who is the mother?

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

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 atu ka haere?
Who else is going?

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

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

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

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

Ko wai e pōhiri?
Who should be invited?

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

Ko wai tino pēne?
Who is your favourite band?

Ko wai kei te māuiui?
Who is sick?

Ko wai ō tāua manuhiri?
Who are our visitors?

Ko wai ngā mātua?
Who are the parents?

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

Ko wai tōu ingoa?
What's your name?

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

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

Ko wai te huatahi?
Who is the first born?

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

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

Ko wai koe?
Who are you?

Ko wai ō mātua?
Who are your parents?

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

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

Ko ngā aha?
What are?

Ko wai tōna ingoa?
What's her name?

Ko wai a Tawa?
Who is Tawa?

Ko wai i haere?
Who (all) went?

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

Ko wai te whaea?
Who is the mother?

Ko wai tēnei?
Who is this?

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

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

Ko wai ō hoa?
Who are your friends?

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

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

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

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

Ko wai te koroua?
Who is the grandfather?

Ko wai kaiako pāngarau?
Who is your maths teacher?

Ko wai ēnei?
Whose are these?

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

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

Ko wai māmā?
Who is your Mum?

Ko wai ingoa?
What is your name?

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

Ko wai pāpā?
Who is your Dad?

Ko wai e haere?
Who is to go?

Ko wai?
Who?

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

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

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

Ko wai kei te moe?
Who is sleeping?

Ko wai kei te horoi?
Who is washing?

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

Ko wai tōna iwi?
What is his tribe?

Ko wai tērā?
Who is that?

Ko wai ō tēina?
Who are your younger siblings?

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

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

Ko wai te tamāhine?
Who is the daughter?

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

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

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

Ko wai ia?
Who is he/she?

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

Ko Waikura tōku tuahine.
Waikura is my sister.

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

Ko wai tāua manuhiri?
Who is our visitor?

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

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

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

Ko wai kei te haere mai?
Who is coming?

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

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

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

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

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

Ko wai teina?
Who is your younger sibling?

Ko Waiokura te marae.
The marae is Waiokura.

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

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

Ko wai te pāpā?
Who is the father?

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

Ko wai tōu whaea?
Who is your mother?

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

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

Ko wai i te totohe?
Who were arguing?

Ko wai tana ingoa?
What's her name?