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.

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

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

Niko rātou ko tōna whanau.
Niko and his family.

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

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

Ko Rangi rāua ko Mia ngā hoa o Tame rāua ko Aroha.
Rangi and Mia are the friends of Tame and Aroha.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Ko Niko rātou ko Kauri ko N3 āku tamariki.
Niko, Kauri and N3 are my children.

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

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

Ko Rangi te mokopuna a Ari rāua ko Aria.
Rangi is the grandchild of Ari and Aria.

Honi rāua ko tōna hoa.
Honi and her friend.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

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

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

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

Ko Koa rāua ko Ataahua kei te haere ki te tāone.
Koa and Ataahua are going to town.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Aria rāua ko Pita ō tāua hoa.
Aria and Pita are our friends.

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

Kei te haere a Tawa rāua ko Taika.
Tawa and Taika 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.

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

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

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

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 Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

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

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

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

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

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

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

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

Ko Taika rāua ko Rina ngā mātua o Hēmi.
Taika and Rina are the parents of Hēmi.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

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.

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

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

Ko Tame rāua ko Niko.
Tame and Niko.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

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

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

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

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

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

Māua ko Nikau.
Nikau and me.

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

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

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

Ko Moana te tamāhine a Tawa rāua ko Ani.
Moana is the daughter of Tawa and Ani.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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