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

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

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.

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

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

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

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

Ko Taika rāua ko Tawa.
Taika and Tawa.

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

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

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

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

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

Māua ko Rangi.
Rangi and me.

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 kanikani a Rangi rāua ko Mia.
Rangi and Mia are dancing.

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

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

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

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

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 Tīwana rāua ko Riripeti aku irāmutu.
Tīwana and Riripeti 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.

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

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

E tākaro ana a Ataahua rāua ko Pita.
Ataahua and Pita are playing.

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

Amaru rāua ko tōna hoa.
Amaru and her friend.

Manu rātou ko tōna whanau.
Manu and his family.

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

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

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

Ko Pāora rāua ko Moana ngā mokopuna o Taika rāua ko Aria.
Pāora and Moana are the grandchildren of Taika and Aria.

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

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

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

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 Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

Kei te katakata a Nikau rāua ko Niko.
Nikau and Niko are laughing.

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

Ko Honi rāua ko Kauri ō tāua hoa.
Honi and Kauri are our friends.

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

Ko Hēmi te mokopuna a Niko rāua ko Mia.
Hēmi is the grandchild of Niko and Mia.

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

Ko Amaru rāua ko Kauri ngā mātua o Hēmi.
Amaru and Kauri are the parents of Hēmi.

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

Ko Koa rāua ko Ataahua ngā hoa o Ari rāua ko Aroha.
Koa and Ataahua are the friends of Ari and Aroha.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Rina te tamāhine a Rangi rāua ko Mia.
Rina is the daughter of Rangi and Mia.

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

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.