Māori Grammar

Talking about more than one person - ...rāua ko..., rātou 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.

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Talking about more than one person

rāua ko..., rātou ko... ko...

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

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

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

Ko rātou ko ō rātou hoa ngā mea ngaro.
They and their friends are the missing ones.

Ko Ani te tamāhine a Manu rāua ko Ataahua.
Ani is the daughter of Manu and Ataahua.

Koa rātou ko tōna whanau.
Koa and his family.

Ko Piripi rāua ko Miriama ōku mātua.
Piripi and Miriama 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.

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

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

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

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

Ka kōrero māua ko Mere ki a ia.
Mere and I spoke to him.

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

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

Māua ko Pāora.
Pāora and me.

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

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

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

Taika rāua ko tōna hoa.
Taika and her friend.

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

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

Ko Tawa rāua ko Rina ngā hoa o Taika rāua ko Aria.
Tawa and Rina are the friends of Taika and Aria.

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

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

Mā mātou koutou e manaaki.
We will take care of you.

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

Kua mate māua ko taku teina.
My younger sibling and I are sick.

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

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.

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

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ehara a Rangi rāua ko Kauri i te mātua.
Rangi and Kauri are not parents.

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

I āwhinatia rātou e mātou ko aku tēina.
They were helped by me and my younger siblings.

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

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

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

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

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

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 Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

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

Mātou ko tōku whānau.
Me and my family.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Nō Te Tai Tonga, engari kei konei mātou ko tōku whānau e noho ana.
From Southland, but my family and I are staying here.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Kauri rāua ko Aroha.
Kauri and Aroha.

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

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

Ko Ari rāua ko Moana ngā mātua o Amaru.
Ari and Moana are the parents of Amaru.

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

He mātua pai a Pāora rāua ko Mia.
Pāora and Mia are good parents.

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

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

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

Kei te kura rātou ko Hata ko Pani ko Mere.
They and Hata, Pani and Mere are at the school.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

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

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

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

I roto rāua ko Mere i te whare.
He and Mere were in the house.

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

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

Ko Raureka rāua ko Tūhawaiki ngā mātua.
Raureka and Tāhawaiki are the parents.

Kei te kanikani a Tawa rāua ko Honi.
Tawa and Honi are dancing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Brian rāua ko Fran ōku mātua
Brian and Fran 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.

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

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

Ko Pāora te mokopuna a Manu rāua ko Aria.
Pāora is the grandchild of Manu and Aria.

E tākaro ana a Taika rāua ko Hēmi.
Taika and Hēmi are playing.

Ko Ari rātou ko Nikau ko N3 āku tamariki.
Ari, Nikau and N3 are my children.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.