Māori Grammar

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Talking about more than one person

rāua ko..., rātou ko... ko...

In English, we can use "and" to talk about more than one person: "Peter, Paul and Mary".

In te reo Māori, there is a specific way to do this.

When there are only two people, and we are talking about people other than ourselves, we use rāua ko:

Kei te haere a Rangi rāua ko Hemi ki te papa tākaro.
Rangi and Hemi are going to the playground.

Ko Brian rāua ko Fran ōku mātua.
Brian and Fran are my parents.

Where there are more than two people, and we are talking about poeple other than ourselves, we use rātou ko... ko...

Kei te waiata a Peter, rātou ko Paul ko Mary.
Peter, Paul and Mary are singing.

When you are speaking about yourself and someone else, we do not say "me". Intead, you would use māua ko if you are just talking about you and another person, and mātou ko... ko... if you are talking about you and two or more other people:

I taraiwa māua ko taku hoa.
Me and my friend drove.

Māua ko Amaru.
Amaru and me.

Mātou ko tōku whānau.
Me and my family.

I haere mātou ko Rangi ko Hemi.
Me and Rangi and Hemi went.

E hui ana a Rama rāua ko Pita ki te pātaka kōrero.
Rama and Pita are meeting in the library.

Ko Moki rāua ko Tū-te-kawa ngā rangatira.
Moki and Tu-te-kawa were the chiefs.

Ko Jacob rāua ko Hana āku tamariki.
Harnah and Jacob are my children

Kei te haere a Nikau rāua ko Pāora mā runga i te motukā.
Nikau and Pāora are travelling by car.

Ko Aidan rātou ko Kaia, ko Liam
Aidan and Kaia and Liam

Kei te oma a Mere rātou ko Hariata, ko Matiu, ko Ropata.
Mere, Hariata, Matiu and Ropata are running.

Ko Brian rāua ko Fran ōku mātua
Brian and Fran are my parents

Ko Timi rāua ko Jen aku mātua.
Timi and Jen are my parents.

I te ata o te Rāhoroi ka haere mātou ko taku whānau ki Taranaki ki te whakatā.
On Saturday morning my family and I went to Taranaki for a holiday.

Kei muri a Miriama rāua ko Rehutai i te pahi.
Miriama and Rehutai are behind the bus.

Ko Aria te tamāhine a Niko rāua ko Moana.
Aria is the daughter of Niko and Moana.

I hararei mātou ko aku hoa.
My friends and I had a holiday.

I tērā tau i te marama o Mahuru ka haere mātou ko aku hoa mai i Papaioea ki Pōneke ki te tirotiro haere.
Last year in September me and my friends went from Palmerston North to Wellington to look around.

Ko Hone rāua ko Rāhera ōku mātua
Hone and Rāhera are my parents.

Ko māua ko Mere ngā kaiāwhina.
Mere and I are the helpers.

Ko Mere rāua ko Lennon āku tamariki.
Mere and Lennon are my children.

Ko Ari te tamaiti kei waenganui i a Honi rāua ko N3.
Ari is the child between Honi and N3.

Ko Riripeti rāua ko Tīwana āku irāmutu.
Riripeti and Tīwana are my nieces/nephews.

Kei te ako a Ataahua rāua ko Aria i ngā kupu whānau i te reo Māori.
Ataahua and Aria are learning Māori 'family' words.

Ko Chris te tama a Richard rāua ko Gin.
Chris is the son of Richard and Gin.

E whakarongo ana māua ko Paora ki te tumuaki.
Paora and I are listening to the head-master.

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

Ko Taika rāua ko Rina ngā mātua o Ari.
Taika and Rina are the parents of Ari.

Ko Rāwiri rāua ko Tūmanako ōku tungāne.
Rāwiri and Tūmanako are my brothers.

Kei te tangi a Mereana rāua ko Paul.
Mereana and Paul are crying.

He mātua pai a Koa rāua ko Ataahua.
Koa and Ataahua are good parents.

I hea a Retitia rāua ko Mihinui?
Where were Retitia and Mihinui?

Ka haere māua ko Hera ki te hokomaha tiki ai.
Hera and I are going to the supermarket to shop.

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

Ko Ani rāua ko Aroha ōku tuāhine.
Ani and Aroha are my sisters.

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

Kei mua a Miriama rāua ko Rehutai i te pahi.
Miriama and Rehutai are in front of the bus.

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

Ko Amaru rāua ko Kauri ngā hoa o Tame rāua ko Mia.
Amaru and Kauri are the friends of Tame and Mia.

Ka kōrero ia ki a māua ko Mere.
He spoke to Mere and me.

He hoa piritahi rāua ko Rāwiri.
He and Rāwiri are best friends.

Ko Flo rāua ko Rāwiri ōku kaumātua.
Flo and Rāwiri are my grandparents.

Ko Nikau rāua ko Aria ngā mokopuna o Hēmi rāua ko Moana.
Nikau and Aria are the grandchildren of Hēmi and Moana.

Ko Billy rāua ko Bob ā rāua māhanga.
Their twins are Billy and Bob.

I taraiwa māua ko taku hoa ki te whare wānanga.
Me and my friend drove to uni.

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

Kua tūtaki au ki a Manu rāua ko tana hoa wahine, ko Rina.
I have met Manu and his girlfriend, Rina.

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

Ko Aroha rāua ko Timi ana mātua.
Aroha and Timi are her parents.

Nō muri i te piringa o Rangi rāua ko Papa ka whānau mai ngā tamariki.
After the union of Rangi and Papa, the children were born.

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

Kei te katakata a Niko rāua ko Tawa.
Niko and Tawa are laughing.

Ko Barry rāua ko Lynne ōku mātua.
Barry and Lynne are my parents.

Arā, ko au te tama a Hone rāua ko Rāhera.
That is, I am the child of Hone and Rāhera.

Kei te hui a Taika rāua ko Amaru ki te pātaka kōrero.
Taika and Amaru are meeting in the library.

Ko Pita rātou ko Paul, ko Mere.
Peter, Paul and Mere.

Kei te kanikani a Tame rāua ko Koa.
Tame and Koa are dancing.

Ko Tīwana rāua ko Riripeti aku irāmutu.
Tīwana and Riripeti are my nieces/nephews.

Nō Kawatiri, engari kei konei mātou ko tōku whānau e noho ana.
From Westport, but my family and I are staying here.

Kei te haere a Raureka rāua ko Te Naera.
Raureka and Te Naera are going.

Ko Tai, ko Moana rātou ko Rangi.
Tai, Moana and Rangi.

Ko Mia te mokopuna a Tawa rāua ko Ataahua.
Mia is the grandchild of Tawa and Ataahua.

Kei te hui a Rama rāua ko Pita ki te pātaka kōrero.
Rama and Pita are meeting in the library.

Ko Rāwiri rātou ko Tūmanako, ko Rongomai, me tana tāne a Moana, aku mokopuna.
Rāwiri, Tūmanako, Rongomai, and Moana, her husband, are my grandchildren.

Pāora rātou ko tōna whanau.
Pāora and his family.

Ko Riripeti rāua ko Tīwana ā māua tamariki.
Riripeti and Tīwana are our children.

E tākaro ana a Manu rāua ko Rangi.
Manu and Rangi are playing.

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

Nō te wā o te piringa o Rangi rāua ko Papa ka tupu te werawera, ka rērere te kohu.
At the time of the union of Rangi and Papa, the heat grew, the mist rose.

Ko Rongomai rāua ko Moana ōku mātua.
Rongomai and Moana are my parents.

Ko Rāwiri rāua ko Tūmanako ōku taokete.
Rāwiri and Tūmanako are my twins.

Ko Sally rāua ko Tīmoti ōku mātua.
My parents are Sally and Timoti.

Kei te moe a Angie rāua ko Raiha.
Angie and Raiha are sleeping.

Nā wai a Papa rāua ko Rangi i whakawehe?
Who separated Papa and Rangi?

I tērā tau ka haere mātou ko aku hoa ki Pōneke ki te tirotiro haere.
Last year me and my friends went to Wellington to look around.

Mā mātou koutou e manaaki.
We (3+ exclusive) will take care of you.

Ko Rangi rāua ko Pita.
Rangi and Pita.

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

I mahi māua ko tōku māmā.
My mother and I (us two, but not you the listener) worked.

Kei Pōneke māua ko Sarah.
Sarah and I are in Wellington.

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

He mātua a Pani rāua ko Hata,.
Pani and Hata are parents.

Ko Brooklyn te mokopuna a Lynne rāua ko Barry.
Brooklyn is the grandchild of Lynne and Barry.

Kauri rāua ko tōna hoa.
Kauri and her friend.

Nō mua i te piringa ki a Rangi, ka moe a Papa rāua ko Tangaroa.
Before the union with Rangi, Papa was in a relationship with Tangaroa.

Ko Aroha rāua ko Hēmi kei te haere ki te tāone.
Aroha and Hēmi are going to town.

Ko Hone rāua ko Rāhera ōku mātua.
Hone and Rāhera are my parents.

Ko Tai rāua ko Moana ngā ingoa o ōku hoa.
The names of my friends are Tai and Moana.

I hiahia a Nikau rāua ko Pāora ki te tūtaki i a rāua anō.
Nikau and Pāora wanted to meet each other.

Kei te haere a Riria rāua ko Larisa ki konā
Riria and Larisa are going there (by you the listener).

Kei roto a Ari rāua ko Honi i tō rāua whare.
Ari and Honi are inside their (2x) house.

I taraiwa māua ko taku hoa ki te whare wānanga i te waru karaka.
Me and my friend drove to uni at 8 o'clock.

Ko Ataahua rāua ko Aria ō tāua hoa.
Ataahua and Aria are our friends.

Ākuanei ka haere māua ko Hera ki te tiki i a Niko.
Soon Hera and I will go to fetch Niko.

Ko Tawa rātou ko Taika ko N3 āku tamariki.
Tawa, Taika and N3 are my children.

Nō muri noa mai ka whānau mai ngā tamariki a Rangi rāua ko Ani.
The children of Rangi and Ani were born much later.

Ehara a Niko rāua ko Aroha i te mātua.
Niko and Aroha are not parents.

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

Kei te haere atu rātou ko Hone, ko Hōhepa, ko Tai.
Hone, Hōhepa and Tai are going.

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

Ehara ngā rangatira i a Moki rāua ko Tū-te-kawa.
Moki and Tū-te-kawa were not the chiefs.

Kei roto a Kahurangi rāua ko Hōhepa i tō rāua whare.
Kahurangi and Hōhepa are inside their house.

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

I haere mātou ko aku hoa mā runga i te waka o Betsy ki te takutai, ki Te Māhia.
Me and my friends went on Betsy's car to the beach, to Māhia.

Ko Kayte rāua ko Denis, ko Beverley
Kayte and Denis and Beverley

Ko Rāhera rāua ko Hone ōku tūpuna.
Rāhera and Hone are my ancestors.

Ko Rāwiri rāua ko Tūmanako aku tama.
Rāwiri and Tūmanako are my sons.

Māua ko Amaru.
Amaru and me.

Tokorima. Ko aku mātua, mātou ko taku tuakana, ko taku tungane.
Five. My parents, (me) and my older sister and my brother.

Ko Isaac te tama a Phill rāua ko Angie.
Isaac is the son of Phill and Angie.

I hea a Miti rāua ko Auau?
Where were Miti and Auau?

Kei te haere a Tame rāua ko Koa.
Tame and Koa are going.

Ko Val te tamāhine a Una rāua ko Vic.
Val is the daughter of Una and Vic.

No Te Kaha mātou ko Hata mā.
Hata and I and the rest are from Te Kaha.

Ko ia te mea hangareka o rāua ko Riripeti, tōna tuahine.
She is the funny one between her and Riripeti, her sister.

I muri i te piringa o Rangi rāua ko Papa ka whānau mai ngā tamariki.
After the union of Rangi and Papa the children were born.