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.

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

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

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

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

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

Ko Tame rāua ko Mia ngā mokopuna o Manu rāua ko Ani.
Tame and Mia are the grandchildren of Manu and Ani.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ari rāua ko tōna hoa.
Ari and her friend.

Mātou ko tōku whānau.
Me and my family.

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

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 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Aria te tamāhine a Hēmi rāua ko Kauri.
Aria is the daughter of Hēmi and Kauri.

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

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.

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

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

Māua ko Mia.
Mia and me.

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

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

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

Ko Pāora rāua ko Moana ngā hoa o Ari rāua ko Mia.
Pāora and Moana are the friends of Ari and Mia.

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

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

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

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

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

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

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 Nikau rāua ko Aroha.
Nikau and Aroha.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 hiahia a Pāora rāua ko Ari ki te tūtaki i a rāua anō.
Pāora and Ari wanted to meet each other.

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

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

Ko Rāwiri rātou ko Tūmanako, ko Rongomai, me tana tāne a Moana, aku mokopuna.
Rāwiri, Tūmanako, Rongomai, and Moana, her husband, are my grandchildren.

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

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

Kei te kanikani a Aroha rāua ko Hera.
Aroha and Hera are dancing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

Kei te katakata a Taika rāua ko Rangi.
Taika and Rangi are laughing.

He mātua pai a Taika rāua ko Rina.
Taika and Rina are good parents.

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

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

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

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Tawa rātou ko tōna whanau.
Tawa and his family.

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

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

Ko Timi rāua ko Jen aku mātua.
Timi and Jen 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.

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

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

Ko Nikau rāua ko Aria ngā mātua o Tame.
Nikau and Aria are the parents of Tame.

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.

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