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.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

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

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

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

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

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

Ko Ari rāua ko Aria ngā mātua o Tawa.
Ari and Aria are the parents of Tawa.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kei te hui a Rama rāua ko Pita ki te pātaka kōrero.
Rama 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

Ko Pita te mokopuna a Taika rāua ko Ataahua.
Pita is the grandchild of Taika and Ataahua.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Niko rāua ko Kauri ngā mokopuna o Rangi rāua ko Moana.
Niko and Kauri are the grandchildren of Rangi and Moana.

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

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

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

Tame rātou ko tōna whanau.
Tame and his family.

Ko Ani te tamāhine a Amaru rāua ko Aroha.
Ani is the daughter of Amaru and Aroha.

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

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

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 Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

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

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko tōku whānau.
Me and my family.

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

Kei te kanikani a Taika rāua ko Pāora.
Taika and Pāora are dancing.

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

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 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 Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

E hui ana 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.

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

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

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

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

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

Māua ko Rangi.
Rangi and me.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

Hēmi rāua ko tōna hoa.
Hēmi and her friend.

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

Ko Pita rāua ko Aroha.
Pita and Aroha.

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

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

Ko Mia rāua ko Ari ō tāua hoa.
Mia and Ari are our friends.

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

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

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

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

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

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

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

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

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

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

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

Ko Koa rāua ko Kauri ngā hoa o Hēmi rāua ko Moana.
Koa and Kauri are the friends of Hēmi and Moana.