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.

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

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

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

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 Hēmi rāua ko Mia ngā hoa o Rangi rāua ko Moana.
Hēmi and Mia are the friends of Rangi and Moana.

Ko Nikau rāua ko Amaru.
Nikau and Amaru.

Ko Piripi rāua ko Miriama ōku mātua.
Piripi and Miriama 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rangi rāua ko tōna hoa.
Rangi and her friend.

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Aroha te mokopuna a Ari rāua ko Aria.
Aroha is the grandchild of Ari and Aria.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

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

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

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

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

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

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

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

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

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

Ko Mia te tamāhine a Pāora rāua ko Moana.
Mia is the daughter of Pāora and Moana.

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

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

Mātou ko tōku whānau.
Me and my family.

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

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

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

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

Ko Manu rātou ko Hēmi ko N3 āku tamariki.
Manu, Hēmi and N3 are my children.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Nō Te Waipounamu, engari kei konei mātou ko tōku whānau e noho ana.
From the South Island, but my family and I are staying here.

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

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

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.

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.

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

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

Ko Nikau rāua ko Ataahua ngā mokopuna o Tawa rāua ko Aroha.
Nikau and Ataahua are the grandchildren of Tawa and Aroha.

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

Māua ko Aria.
Aria and me.

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

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

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Tame rāua ko Rina ngā mātua o Niko.
Tame and Rina are the parents of Niko.

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

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

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

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

Taika rātou ko tōna whanau.
Taika and his family.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

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

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.

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

He mātua pai a Hēmi rāua ko Ani.
Hēmi and Ani are good 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.

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

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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