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

Ko Aroha te mokopuna a Manu rāua ko Rina.
Aroha is the grandchild of Manu and Rina.

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

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

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

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

Taika rāua ko tōna hoa.
Taika and her friend.

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

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

Ko Nikau rāua ko Kauri ngā mokopuna o Rangi rāua ko Moana.
Nikau and Kauri are the grandchildren of Rangi and Moana.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Rangi rāua ko Aria.
Rangi and Aria.

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

Niko rātou ko tōna whanau.
Niko and his family.

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

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

Kei te katakata a Ataahua rāua ko Hēmi.
Ataahua and Hēmi are laughing.

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

Ko Tawa rāua ko Tame kei te haere ki te tāone.
Tawa and Tame are going to town.

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 Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

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

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

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

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

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

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

He mātua pai a Koa rāua ko Aroha.
Koa and Aroha are good parents.

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

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

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 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.

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

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

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

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

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

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

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

Ko Ataahua rāua ko Hēmi ō tāua hoa.
Ataahua and Hēmi are our friends.

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

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

Ko Rongomai rāua ko Moana ōku mātua.
Rongomai and Moana 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.

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

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

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

Ko Amaru rāua ko Mia ngā hoa o Taika rāua ko Kauri.
Amaru and Mia are the friends of Taika and Kauri.

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.

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

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

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

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

Māua ko Mia.
Mia and me.

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.