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

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

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

Māua ko Rangi.
Rangi and me.

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

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

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

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

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

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

He mātua pai a Taika rāua ko Ataahua.
Taika and Ataahua are good parents.

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

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

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.

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

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

Ko Pāora te mokopuna a Tawa rāua ko Mia.
Pāora is the grandchild of Tawa and Mia.

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

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

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

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.

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

Ehara a Hēmi rāua ko Kauri i te mātua.
Hēmi and Kauri are not parents.

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

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

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

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

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

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

Ko Niko rāua ko Aroha ngā mātua o Rangi.
Niko and Aroha are the parents of Rangi.

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

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

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

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.

Nikau rātou ko tōna whanau.
Nikau and his family.

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

Taika rāua ko tōna hoa.
Taika and her friend.

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Amaru rāua ko Rina ngā hoa o Koa rāua ko Moana.
Amaru and Rina are the friends of Koa and Moana.

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

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

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

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

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

Kei te haere a Tawa rāua ko Kauri.
Tawa and Kauri are going.

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Nikau rāua ko Amaru.
Nikau and Amaru.

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

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

E tākaro ana a Rangi rāua ko Rangi.
Rangi and Rangi are playing.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Manu rāua ko Aria ngā mokopuna o Ari rāua ko Ani.
Manu and Aria are the grandchildren of Ari and Ani.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

Ko Kauri te tamāhine a Taika rāua ko Aroha.
Kauri is the daughter of Taika and Aroha.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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