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

Ko Rina te tamāhine a Manu rāua ko Kauri.
Rina is the daughter of Manu and Kauri.

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

Amaru rātou ko tōna whanau.
Amaru and his family.

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

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

Ko Tawa te mokopuna a Ari rāua ko Ani.
Tawa is the grandchild of Ari and Ani.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

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

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

He mātua pai a Tawa rāua ko Moana.
Tawa and Moana are good parents.

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

Ko Nikau rāua ko Ataahua ngā mokopuna o Taika rāua ko Aria.
Nikau and Ataahua are the grandchildren of Taika and Aria.

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

Ko Manu rāua ko Aria.
Manu and Aria.

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

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

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

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

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

Kei te haere a Tame rāua ko Pāora mā runga i te motukā.
Tame and Pāora 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.

Māua ko Ataahua.
Ataahua and me.

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 Ari rātou ko Kauri ko N3 āku tamariki.
Ari, Kauri and N3 are my children.

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.

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

Ko Rangi rāua ko Aroha ngā hoa o Tame rāua ko Mia.
Rangi and Aroha are the friends of Tame and Mia.

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

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

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Koa rāua ko tōna hoa.
Koa and her friend.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kei te katakata a Hēmi rāua ko Mia.
Hēmi and Mia are laughing.

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

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

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

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

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

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

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

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 Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

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.

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

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.

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

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

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Moana rāua ko Ataahua ōku tuāhine.
Moana and Ataahua are my sisters.

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

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

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

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