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...

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

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

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

Ko Moana te tamāhine a Amaru rāua ko Rina.
Moana is the daughter of Amaru and Rina.

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.

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko tōku whānau.
Me and my family.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

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

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

E tākaro ana a Aria rāua ko Koa.
Aria and Koa are playing.

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

Ko Ari rāua ko Manu ō tāua hoa.
Ari and Manu are our friends.

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

Rangi rāua ko tōna hoa.
Rangi and her friend.

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

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

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

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

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 Nikau rāua ko Ataahua.
Nikau and Ataahua.

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

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

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

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Nikau rāua ko Aria ngā hoa o Taika rāua ko Ani.
Nikau and Aria are the friends of Taika and Ani.

Kei te kanikani a Rangi rāua ko Aroha.
Rangi and Aroha are dancing.

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

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

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

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

Ko Tawa rāua ko Moana ngā mokopuna o Koa rāua ko Rina.
Tawa and Moana are the grandchildren of Koa and Rina.

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

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

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

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

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

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

Kei te katakata a Pāora rāua ko Aria.
Pāora and Aria are laughing.

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

Ko Manu te mokopuna a Ari rāua ko Kauri.
Manu is the grandchild of Ari and Kauri.

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

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

Māua ko Ataahua.
Ataahua and me.

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

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

Tame rātou ko tōna whanau.
Tame and his family.

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

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

Ko Piripi rāua ko Miriama ōku mātua.
Piripi and Miriama are my parents.

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Manu rāua ko Mia ngā mātua o Amaru.
Manu and Mia are the parents of Amaru.

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

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

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