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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 Hone rāua ko Rāhera ōku hungawai.
Hone and Rāhera are my parents-in-law.Ko Hera tōna ingoa.
Her name's Hera.Ko ia te kaiako o Koa.
She is the teacher of Koa.Ko Jim rāua ko Doug aku taokete.
Jim and Doug are my brother in laws.Ko Rongomai taku tamāhine.
Rongomai is my daughter.Ko Amaru te mokopuna tuatahi.
Amaru is the first grandchild.Ko ōku hoa kei waho!
It's my friends outside.Ko au te kaiako.
I am the teacher.Ko te horopaki tērā ka tohu i te mahinga tika.
Context is what determines the correct usage.Ko Tōrere te marae e tū ai te hui.
Tōrere is the marae where the meeting will take place.Ko taku hiahia he pukapuka.
A book is what I want.Ko te raumati te wā kauhoe.
Summer is the time for swimming.Ko tāku irāmutu ia.
She is my niece/He is my nephew.Ko Ruahine te ingoa o tērā maunga.
Ruahine is the name of that mountain.Ko ngā tohunga nāna te waka i tārai.
The experts who carved the canoe.Ko Hēmi tāku pōtiki.
Hēmi is my youngest childKo Taika rāua ko Ataahua.
Taika and Ataahua.Ko ngā rorohiko hou ēnei.
These are the new computers.Ko tēnei he tekau tana taraka.
This is a ten ton truck.Ko te Moana-nui-ā-Kiwa te moana.
The Pacific Ocean is the ocean.Ko Mere tōku māmā.
Mere is my mother.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 Liam te mokopuna a Beverley rāua ko Denis.
Liam is the grandchild of Beverley and Denis.Ko ōna tuāhine ngā kaiwhakahaere.
His sisters are the organisers.Ko Āwhina te mataamua. Ko Aroha te pōtiki.
Āwhina is the oldest. Aroha the youngest.Ko Kahu te koroua o Terewai.
Kahu is the elder of Terewai.Ko te whare tēnei.
This is the house.Ko Wiremu tāku tāne.
Wiremu is my husband.Ko tēnei te whare.
This is the house.Ko Pania tōku teina
Pania is my younger sister.Ko Tame mā.
Tame and the others.Ko Rongomai tōku tuahine.
Rongomai is my sister.Ko tōku kuia tērā!
That's my nanna!Ko Kāpuni te awa.
Kāpuni is the river.Ko te kāinga tūturu o Mia kei Pōneke.
As for Mia's permanent home, it's in Wellington.Ko Taranaki te maunga.
The moutain is Taranaki.Ko ahau te kōtiro tuarua.
I am the second girl.Ko koe taku toa!
You're my star player!Ko te pahi o te kura tēnei.
This is the school bus.Ko Brian tōku pāpā.
Brian is my father.Ko Ngāti Hāmua tōku hapū.
Ngāti Hāmua is my sub-tribe.Ko John te tungāne o Fran.
John is the brother (of a girl) of Fran.Ko Eruera te tangata nā.
Eruera is that person (near you).Ko ā matou kurī ngā toa ki te tiaki hipi.
Our dogs are the champion sheep-musterers.Ko Rewi te hoa o Mere.
Rewi is Mary's friend.Ko Nikau tērā tangata.
That man is Nikau.Ko Rangi tōku ingoa
Rangi is my name.Ko taku pene tēnā!
That is my pen!Ko te tino tangata o taua marae, ko Hapi.
The leading person of that marae is Hapi.Ko Kuikui tōku whaea. Ko Tahu tōku matua.
Kuikui is my mother. Tahu is my father.Ko Hōhepa taku ingoa.
My name is Hōhepa.Ko te wā kaukau.
It is bath time.Ko Taupō te moana.
Taupō is the lake.Ko Tawa te tāne a Ataahua.
Tawa is the husband of Ataahua.Ko Rewi te rangatira.
Rewi is the chief.Ko ia te rangatira o tēnei tari.
She's the boss of this department.Ko Rāhera rāua ko Tipene ōna hoa.
Her friends are Rāhera and Tīpene.Ko te kūmara tāku tūmomo huawhenua pai rawa.
Kumara is my favourite type of vegetable.Ko Aidan te mātāmua o Kayte.
Aidan is the oldest child of Kayte.Ko Riripeti rāua ko Tīwana aku mokopuna.
Riripeti and Tīwana are my grandchildren.Ko au te rōia mō tēnei take.
I am the Lawyer for this case.Ko tēnā te whare nui.
That (near you) is the big house.Ko Mia te wahine a Rangi.
Mia is the wife of Rangi.Ko Moana te tamāhine a Koa.
Moana is the daughter of Koa.Ko tēnei whare te whare o Hone.
This is Hone's house.Ko Raimona tōku tino hoa.
Raimona is my best friend.Ko Wid Vella tōku tipuna.
Wid Vella is my ancestor.Ko Pango te kurī.
Pango is the dog.