Māori Grammar
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Sentences that begin with ko are known as "identity sentences" and answers the question "who is?" or "who are?"
There are four possible kinds of words that follow ko.
(1) The subject can be a personal name or place:
Ko Joan tōku māmā.
Joan is my mother.
Ko Rangi tōku ingoa.
My name is Rangi.
Ko Tararua te maunga.
Tararua is the mountain.
(2) The subject can be a pronoun ("he", "she", "them", etc):
Ko ia te tama a Debbie.
He is Debbie's son.
Ko koe te manuhiri.
You are the visitor.
Ko au tā rāua tamāhine.
I am their daughter.
(3) The subject can be a noun ("the time", "the language"):
Ko te reo te mauri o te mana Māori.
The Māori language is the life force of Māori mana.
Ko te Rātū tēnei rā.
It is Tuesday today.
Ko ngā manuhiri ērā tāngata.
Those people are the guests.
(4) The subject can also be a word like "this" and "those":
Ko tēnei te whānau.
This is the family.
Ko tērā taku tūrangawaewae.
That's my place to stand.
Ko ēnei ngā rorohiko hou.
These are the new computers.
Ko John te tungāne o Fran.
John is the brother (of a girl) of Fran.Ko te pahi o te kura tēnei.
This is the school bus.Ko Hera tōna ingoa.
Her name's Hera.Ko Hōhepa taku ingoa.
My name is Hōhepa.Ko Tame rāua ko Rangi.
Tame and Rangi.Ko ngā tohunga nāna te waka i tārai.
The experts who carved the canoe.Ko te whare tēnei.
This is the house.Ko Kāpuni te awa.
Kāpuni is the river.Ko Liam te mokopuna a Beverley rāua ko Denis.
Liam is the grandchild of Beverley and Denis.Ko tēnā te whare nui.
That (near you) is the big house.Ko Mia te mokopuna tuatahi.
Mia is the first grandchild.Ko Pango te kurī.
Pango is the dog.Ko tōku kuia tērā!
That's my nanna!Ko te tino tangata o taua marae, ko Hapi.
The leading person of that marae is Hapi.Ko Ōamaru te tāone.
Ōamaru is the town.Ko tēnei he tekau tana taraka.
This is a ten ton truck.Ko Rewi te rangatira.
Rewi is the chief.Ko Jim rāua ko Doug aku taokete.
Jim and Doug are my brother in laws.Ko te Rātū tēnei rā.
It is Tuesday today.Ko Wiremu tāku tāne.
Wiremu is my husband.Ko Wid Vella tōku tipuna.
Wid Vella is my ancestor.Ko Rongomai tōku tuahine.
Rongomai is my sister.Ko ngā rorohiko hou ēnei.
These are the new computers.Ko Taranaki te maunga e tū mai rā.
That mountain standing over there is Mount Taranaki.Ko Kayte te pōtiki o Beverley.
Kayte is the youngest child of Beverley.Ko Rāhera rāua ko Tipene ōna hoa.
Her friends are Rāhera and Tīpene.Ko ia te kaiako o Manu.
She is the teacher of Manu.Ko ahau te kōtiro tuarua.
I am the second girl.Ko Koa te tāne a Ani.
Koa is the husband of Ani.Ko Aidan te mātāmua o Kayte.
Aidan is the oldest child of Kayte.Ko Tōrere te marae e tū ai te hui.
Tōrere is the marae where the meeting will take place.Ko te Moana-nui-ā-Kiwa te moana.
The Pacific Ocean is the ocean.Ko Mere tōku māmā.
Mere is my mother.Ko Ngāti Hāmua tōku hapū.
Ngāti Hāmua is my sub-tribe.Ko Rewi te hoa o Mere.
Rewi is Mary's friend.Ko Hone rāua ko Rāhera ōku hungawai.
Hone and Rāhera are my parents-in-law.Ko Ruahine te ingoa o tērā maunga.
Ruahine is the name of that mountain.Ko tāku irāmutu ia.
She is my niece/He is my nephew.Ko Taranaki te maunga.
The moutain is Taranaki.Ko Raimona tōku tino hoa.
Raimona is my best friend.Ko Pania tōku teina
Pania is my younger sister.Ko Mia te wahine a Amaru.
Mia is the wife of Amaru.Ko taku hiahia he pukapuka.
A book is what I want.Ko au te kaiako.
I am the teacher.Ko tēnei whare te whare o Hone.
This is Hone's house.Ko ōku hoa kei waho!
It's my friends outside.Ko tēnei te whare.
This is the house.Ko ia te rangatira o tēnei tari.
She's the boss of this department.Ko te wā kaukau.
It is bath time.Ko Amaru tāku pōtiki.
Amaru is my youngest childKo Brian tōku pāpā.
Brian is my father.Ko ōna tuāhine ngā kaiwhakahaere.
His sisters are the organisers.Ko Taupō te moana.
Taupō is the lake.Ko Ataahua te tamāhine a Ari.
Ataahua is the daughter of Ari.Ko te kāinga tūturu o Koa kei Pōneke.
As for Koa's permanent home, it's in Wellington.Ko Eruera te tangata nā.
Eruera is that person (near you).Ko koe taku toa!
You're my star player!Ko au te rōia mō tēnei take.
I am the Lawyer for this case.Ko Manu tērā tangata.
That man is Manu.Ko te kūmara tāku tūmomo huawhenua pai rawa.
Kumara is my favourite type of vegetable.Ko Nikau mā.
Nikau and the others.Ko taku pene tēnā!
That is my pen!Ko te raumati te wā kauhoe.
Summer is the time for swimming.Ko ā matou kurī ngā toa ki te tiaki hipi.
Our dogs are the champion sheep-musterers.Ko Āwhina te mataamua. Ko Aroha te pōtiki.
Āwhina is the oldest. Aroha the youngest.Ko Rongomai taku tamāhine.
Rongomai is my daughter.Ko Kuikui tōku whaea. Ko Tahu tōku matua.
Kuikui is my mother. Tahu is my father.Ko Riripeti rāua ko Tīwana aku mokopuna.
Riripeti and Tīwana are my grandchildren.Ko rātou ngā tāmgata.
They are the people.Ko Kahu te koroua o Terewai.
Kahu is the elder of Terewai.Ko te horopaki tērā ka tohu i te mahinga tika.
Context is what determines the correct usage.Ko Nikau tōku ingoa
Nikau is my name.Ko te kurī te hoa o te tangata.
The dog is the friend of the man.