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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Honi rātou ko Tame ko N3 āku tamariki.
Honi, Tame and N3 are my children.

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

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

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.

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

Ko Niko rāua ko Aroha ngā mokopuna o Hēmi rāua ko Ataahua.
Niko and Aroha are the grandchildren of Hēmi and Ataahua.

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

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

He mātua pai a Tame rāua ko Kauri.
Tame and Kauri are good parents.

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

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

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

Ari rāua ko tōna hoa.
Ari and her friend.

Ko Pāora rāua ko Mia ngā hoa o Tawa rāua ko Aria.
Pāora and Mia are the friends of Tawa and Aria.

Ko Ataahua rāua ko Hera kei te haere ki te tāone.
Ataahua and Hera are going to town.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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 Aria te tamaiti kei waenganui i a Niko rāua ko N3.
Aria is the child between Niko and N3.

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

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

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

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

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

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

Taika rātou ko tōna whanau.
Taika and his family.

Ko Rangi rāua ko Rina ngā mātua o Nikau.
Rangi and Rina are the parents of Nikau.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

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

Māua ko Mia.
Mia and me.

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

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

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 haere a Rangi rāua ko Taika.
Rangi and Taika are going.

Ko Pita te mokopuna a Amaru rāua ko Moana.
Pita is the grandchild of Amaru and Moana.

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

Ko Aroha te tamāhine a Ari rāua ko Ataahua.
Aroha is the daughter of Ari and Ataahua.

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

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

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

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

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

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

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

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

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

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

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

E tākaro ana a Tame rāua ko Ari.
Tame and Ari are playing.

Ko Ataahua rāua ko Hera.
Ataahua and Hera.

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

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

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

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

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

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

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

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