Māori Grammar

Talking about more than one person - ...rāua ko..., rātou 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.

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Talking about more than one person

rāua ko..., rātou ko... ko...

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

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 haere a Honi rāua ko Hera.
Honi and Hera are going.

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

Mātou ko tōku whānau.
Me and my family.

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

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.

Manu rāua ko tōna hoa.
Manu and her friend.

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

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

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

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

Ehara a Pāora rāua ko Rina i te mātua.
Pāora and Rina are not parents.

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

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

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

Ari rātou ko tōna whanau.
Ari and his family.

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

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

Ko Taika rāua ko Aroha ngā mokopuna o Tawa rāua ko Kauri.
Taika and Aroha are the grandchildren of Tawa and Kauri.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

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

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

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

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

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

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

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

Kei te katakata a Aria rāua ko Tawa.
Aria and Tawa are laughing.

Māua ko Aroha.
Aroha and me.

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

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

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

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

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

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

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.

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

Ko Hēmi rāua ko Aria ngā hoa o Tame rāua ko Ani.
Hēmi and Aria are the friends of Tame and Ani.

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

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

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

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

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

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

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

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

Ko Rina te tamāhine a Manu rāua ko Mia.
Rina is the daughter of Manu and Mia.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Amaru rāua ko Ataahua ngā mātua o Koa.
Amaru and Ataahua are the parents of Koa.

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

Ko Hera rāua ko Manu.
Hera and Manu.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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