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

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

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

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

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

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.

Kei te katakata a Hera rāua ko Kauri.
Hera and Kauri are laughing.

Mātou ko tōku whānau.
Me and my family.

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

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

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

Māua ko Honi.
Honi and me.

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

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

Ka kōrero ia ki a māua ko Mere.
He spoke to Mere 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 Ari rāua ko Rangi kei te haere ki te tāone.
Ari and Rangi are going to town.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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.

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

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.

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

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

Kei te kanikani a Nikau rāua ko Mia.
Nikau and Mia are dancing.

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

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

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

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

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

Tame rātou ko tōna whanau.
Tame and his family.

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

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.

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

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

Ko Taika rāua ko Aria.
Taika and Aria.

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

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

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

Ko Tawa rāua ko Rina ngā mokopuna o Ari rāua ko Aroha.
Tawa and Rina are the grandchildren of Ari and Aroha.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Pita rāua ko tōna hoa.
Pita 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.

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

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

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

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

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

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

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

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 aku tama.
Rāwiri and Tūmanako are my sons.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Hone rāua ko Rāhera ōku mātua.
Hone and Rāhera 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.

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Nikau rāua ko Kauri ngā hoa o Hēmi rāua ko Ataahua.
Nikau and Kauri are the friends of Hēmi and Ataahua.

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

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

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

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

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

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

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

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

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam