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.

Nō Te Whanganui-a-Tara, engari kei konei mātou ko tōku whānau e noho ana.
From Wellington, but my family and I are staying here.

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 Honi rāua ko Aroha.
Honi and Aroha.

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

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

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

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

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

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

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Rangi te mokopuna a Taika rāua ko Mia.
Rangi is the grandchild of Taika and Mia.

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

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

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

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

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

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

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 ki te whare wānanga.
Me and my friend drove to uni.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He mātua pai a Pāora rāua ko Aroha.
Pāora and Aroha are good parents.

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

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

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.

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

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

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

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

Kei te kanikani a Tawa rāua ko Honi.
Tawa and Honi are dancing.

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

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.

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

Kei te katakata a Aroha rāua ko Ari.
Aroha and Ari are laughing.

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

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

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

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

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

Ari rātou ko tōna whanau.
Ari and his family.

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 aku tama.
Rāwiri and Tūmanako are my sons.

Māua ko Taika.
Taika and me.

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

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

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

Ko Manu rāua ko Mia ngā hoa o Tawa rāua ko Moana.
Manu and Mia are the friends of Tawa and Moana.

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

Ko Hēmi rāua ko Ani ngā mokopuna o Koa rāua ko Kauri.
Hēmi and Ani are the grandchildren of Koa and Kauri.

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

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.

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

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

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

Rangi rāua ko tōna hoa.
Rangi and her friend.

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

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

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.

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

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

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 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.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Ehara a Taika rāua ko Rina i te mātua.
Taika and Rina are not parents.

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

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

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