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