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.

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

Ehara a Amaru rāua ko Aroha i te mātua.
Amaru and Aroha are not parents.

Māua ko Rangi.
Rangi and me.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Tame rāua ko Kauri ngā hoa o Tawa rāua ko Rina.
Tame and Kauri are the friends of Tawa and Rina.

Nō Te Tai Rāwhiti, engari kei konei mātou ko tōku whānau e noho ana.
From the Eastland region, but my family and I are staying here.

He mātua pai a Niko rāua ko Aria.
Niko and Aria are good parents.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Ari rāua ko Mia ngā mokopuna o Taika rāua ko Ataahua.
Ari and Mia are the grandchildren of Taika and Ataahua.

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

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

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

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

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

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko tōku whānau.
Me and my family.

Ko Hēmi rāua ko Hera ō tāua hoa.
Hēmi and Hera are our friends.

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

Ko Moana te tamāhine a Nikau rāua ko Aroha.
Moana is the daughter of Nikau and Aroha.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

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

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

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

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

Ko Ari te mokopuna a Koa rāua ko Kauri.
Ari is the grandchild of Koa and Kauri.

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

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

Ataahua rāua ko tōna hoa.
Ataahua and her friend.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

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

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

Ko Rangi rāua ko Mia ngā mātua o Hēmi.
Rangi and Mia are the parents of Hēmi.

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

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

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

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

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

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

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

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

Manu rātou ko tōna whanau.
Manu and his family.

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

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

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

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

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Tame rāua ko Aroha.
Tame and Aroha.

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.
Me and my friend drove.

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

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

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