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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

Kei te haere a Aria rāua ko Niko.
Aria and Niko are going.

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Manu rāua ko tōna hoa.
Manu and her friend.

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

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

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

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

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

Pāora rātou ko tōna whanau.
Pāora and his family.

Ko Taika rāua ko Ataahua ngā mokopuna o Tame rāua ko Ani.
Taika and Ataahua are the grandchildren of Tame and Ani.

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

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

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

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

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

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 Rina te tamāhine a Tawa rāua ko Aria.
Rina is the daughter of Tawa and Aria.

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.

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

Ko Manu rāua ko Moana ngā mātua o Ari.
Manu and Moana are the parents of Ari.

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

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

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

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.

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

Ehara a Rangi rāua ko Mia i te mātua.
Rangi and Mia are not parents.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Māua ko Aria.
Aria and me.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 Rina rāua ko Aria ōku tuāhine.
Rina and Aria are my sisters.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko tōku whānau.
Me and my family.

Ko Amaru rāua ko Rangi.
Amaru and Rangi.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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