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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He mātua pai a Manu rāua ko Ani.
Manu and Ani are good parents.

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

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

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

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

E tākaro ana a Pāora rāua ko Mia.
Pāora and Mia are playing.

Kei te kanikani a Niko rāua ko Kauri.
Niko and Kauri are dancing.

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

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

Amaru rāua ko tōna hoa.
Amaru and her friend.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Amaru rāua ko Aroha ngā mokopuna o Ari rāua ko Ataahua.
Amaru and Aroha are the grandchildren of Ari and Ataahua.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

Ko Aroha rāua ko Timi ana mātua.
Aroha and Timi are her 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 Riripeti rāua ko Tīwana āku irāmutu.
Riripeti and Tīwana are my nieces/nephews.

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

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

Ko Hera rāua ko Rangi.
Hera and Rangi.

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Kauri te tamāhine a Pāora rāua ko Ani.
Kauri is the daughter of Pāora and Ani.

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

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

Nikau rātou ko tōna whanau.
Nikau and his family.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

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

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Māua ko Ataahua.
Ataahua and me.

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

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.

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.

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

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

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

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

Ko Niko rāua ko Aria ngā hoa o Manu rāua ko Rina.
Niko and Aria are the friends of Manu and Rina.

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

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

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

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

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

Kei te haere a Ari rāua ko Hēmi.
Ari and Hēmi are going.

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

Mātou ko tōku whānau.
Me and my family.

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

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.

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

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

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

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