Māori Grammar

Talking about more than one person - ...rāua ko..., rātou 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.

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Talking about more than one person

rāua ko..., rātou ko... ko...

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 Nikau rāua ko Rina ngā mokopuna o Tame rāua ko Ataahua.
Nikau and Rina are the grandchildren of Tame and Ataahua.

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

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

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

Ko Aria rāua ko Kauri ōku tuāhine.
Aria and Kauri 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.

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

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.

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

Kei te katakata a Pita rāua ko Pāora.
Pita and Pāora are laughing.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

Ko Manu rāua ko Aria.
Manu and Aria.

Ko Ani te tamāhine a Rangi rāua ko Moana.
Ani is the daughter of Rangi and Moana.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Hēmi rāua ko Aroha ngā hoa o Pāora rāua ko Rina.
Hēmi and Aroha are the friends of Pāora and Rina.

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

Mātou ko tōku whānau.
Me and my family.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

Ko Ari rāua ko Mia ngā mātua o Taika.
Ari and Mia are the parents of Taika.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

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

E tākaro ana a Koa rāua ko Hēmi.
Koa and Hēmi are playing.

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

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

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

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

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

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

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

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.

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

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 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.

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

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

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

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

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

Tawa rātou ko tōna whanau.
Tawa and his family.

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.

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kei te haere a Pita rāua ko Pāora.
Pita and Pāora are going.

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

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

Nikau rāua ko tōna hoa.
Nikau and her friend.

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

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

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

Māua ko Kauri.
Kauri and me.

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

Kei te kanikani a Manu rāua ko Aria.
Manu and Aria are dancing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

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

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