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.

Ari rātou ko tōna whanau.
Ari and his family.

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

E tākaro ana a Manu rāua ko Aroha.
Manu and Aroha are playing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Taika rāua ko Aria ngā mokopuna o Amaru rāua ko Ataahua.
Taika and Aria are the grandchildren of Amaru and Ataahua.

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

Kei te haere a Koa rāua ko Tame.
Koa and Tame are going.

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

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 Rangi rāua ko Aroha ngā hoa o Tame rāua ko Rina.
Rangi and Aroha are the friends of Tame and Rina.

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.

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

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

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

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

Ehara a Nikau rāua ko Moana i te mātua.
Nikau and Moana are not parents.

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

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

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

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

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

Ko Aria rāua ko Rangi.
Aria and Rangi.

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

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

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

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

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

Ko Amaru rāua ko Rangi ō tāua hoa.
Amaru and Rangi are our friends.

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

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

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

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

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

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

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

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

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

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

Kei te hui 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.

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

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 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.

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

Ko Ani te tamāhine a Koa rāua ko Mia.
Ani is the daughter of Koa and Mia.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

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

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

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

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

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

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

Kei te kanikani a Tawa rāua ko Pita.
Tawa and Pita are dancing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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.

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

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

Ko Hēmi rāua ko Aroha ngā mātua o Manu.
Hēmi and Aroha are the parents of Manu.

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

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

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

Nō Tāmaki-makau-rau, engari kei konei mātou ko tōku whānau e noho ana.
From Auckland, but my family and I are staying here.

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

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

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.

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

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Nō muri noa mai ka whānau mai ngā tamariki a Ari rāua ko Moana.
The children of Ari 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.

Honi rāua ko tōna hoa.
Honi and her friend.

Māua ko Ari.
Ari and me.

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

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