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.

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

Ehara a Tame rāua ko Ani i te mātua.
Tame and Ani are not parents.

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

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

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

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

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

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

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

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

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

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

Ko Manu rāua ko Niko kei te haere ki te tāone.
Manu and Niko are going to town.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 Tawa rāua ko Kauri ngā mokopuna o Amaru rāua ko Mia.
Tawa and Kauri are the grandchildren of Amaru and Mia.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Niko rātou ko tōna whanau.
Niko and his family.

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

Ko Hēmi rāua ko Taika.
Hēmi and Taika.

Ko Ari rāua ko Aria ngā mātua o Hēmi.
Ari and Aria are the parents of Hēmi.

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

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

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

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 Rangi rāua ko Aroha ngā hoa o Koa rāua ko Kauri.
Rangi and Aroha are the friends of Koa and Kauri.

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 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 Aroha rātou ko Aria ko N3 āku tamariki.
Aroha, Aria and N3 are my children.

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

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

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

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

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

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

Nō Te Whanganui-a-Tara, engari kei konei mātou ko tōku whānau e noho ana.
From Wellington, but my family and I are staying here.

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

E tākaro ana a Hera rāua ko Honi.
Hera and Honi are playing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

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

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

Māua ko Amaru.
Amaru and me.

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

Kei te kanikani a Manu rāua ko Niko.
Manu and Niko are dancing.

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

Kei te katakata a Rangi rāua ko Rangi.
Rangi and Rangi are laughing.

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

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

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.

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

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

Hēmi rāua ko tōna hoa.
Hēmi and her friend.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Taika te mokopuna a Tame rāua ko Ataahua.
Taika is the grandchild of Tame and Ataahua.

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