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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Amaru rāua ko Tame.
Amaru and Tame.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

Ko Aria te tamāhine a Tame rāua ko Mia.
Aria is the daughter of Tame and Mia.

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

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

Kei te katakata a Rangi rāua ko Koa.
Rangi and Koa are laughing.

E tākaro ana a Hera rāua ko Pita.
Hera and Pita are playing.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

Kei te haere a Rangi rāua ko Ataahua.
Rangi and Ataahua are going.

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

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

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

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

Ari rātou ko tōna whanau.
Ari and his family.

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

Niko rāua ko tōna hoa.
Niko and her friend.

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.

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

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

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

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

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

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

Ko Honi rāua ko Pāora ō tāua hoa.
Honi and Pāora are our friends.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ehara a Koa rāua ko Moana i te mātua.
Koa and Moana are not parents.

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

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

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 Rangi rāua ko Ani ngā mātua o Pāora.
Rangi and Ani are the parents of Pāora.

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

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

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

Kei te kanikani a Manu rāua ko Amaru.
Manu and Amaru are dancing.

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

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

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

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

Ko Hēmi rāua ko Rina ngā hoa o Taika rāua ko Aroha.
Hēmi and Rina are the friends of Taika and Aroha.

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

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

Ko Manu rāua ko Ataahua ngā mokopuna o Amaru rāua ko Kauri.
Manu and Ataahua are the grandchildren of Amaru and Kauri.

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

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

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

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

Māua ko Koa.
Koa and me.

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

Ko Aria rāua ko Mia ōku tuāhine.
Aria and Mia are my sisters.

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

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

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

Ko Hera rāua ko Pita kei te haere ki te tāone.
Hera and Pita are going to town.

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

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 Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

He mātua pai a Tawa rāua ko Moana.
Tawa and Moana are good parents.

Ko Ari te mokopuna a Niko rāua ko Ani.
Ari is the grandchild of Niko and Ani.