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

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

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

Ko Taika rāua ko Moana ngā mokopuna o Ari rāua ko Kauri.
Taika and Moana are the grandchildren of Ari and Kauri.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ākuanei ka haere māua ko Ataahua ki te tiki i a Kauri.
Soon Ataahua and I will go to fetch 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 Mia rāua ko Ataahua ōku tuāhine.
Mia and Ataahua are my sisters.

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

Ko Ari te mokopuna a Amaru rāua ko Aroha.
Ari is the grandchild of Amaru and Aroha.

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

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

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

Ko Amaru rāua ko Mia kei te haere ki te tāone.
Amaru and Mia are going to town.

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

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

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

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

Ko Koa rāua ko Aria ngā hoa o Hēmi rāua ko Rina.
Koa and Aria are the friends of Hēmi and Rina.

Ko Pita rātou ko Manu ko N3 āku tamariki.
Pita, Manu and N3 are my children.

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

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Honi rāua ko Pāora.
Honi and Pāora.

Māua ko Tawa.
Tawa and me.

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 Tame rāua ko Moana ngā mātua o Tawa.
Tame and Moana are the parents of Tawa.

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

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

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

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.

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

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

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

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

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 Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

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

Ko Kauri te tamāhine a Rangi rāua ko Mia.
Kauri is the daughter of Rangi and Mia.

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

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

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

Pāora rātou ko tōna whanau.
Pāora and his family.

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

Kauri rāua ko tōna hoa.
Kauri and her friend.

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

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.

Kei te haere a Ari rāua ko Amaru.
Ari and Amaru are going.

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

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

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

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

Ko Mia te tamaiti kei waenganui i a Niko rāua ko N3.
Mia is the child between Niko 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.

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

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.

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.

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

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

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

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

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

He mātua pai a Taika rāua ko Aria.
Taika and Aria are good parents.

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

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

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

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

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

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

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