Māori Grammar

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Mere is a girl, Mere is the girl

ko

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 Taranaki te maunga.
The moutain is Taranaki.

Ko ia te rangatira o tēnei tari.
She's the boss of this department.

Ko te horopaki tērā ka tohu i te mahinga tika.
Context is what determines the correct usage.

Ko te kūmara tāku tūmomo huawhenua pai rawa.
Kumara is my favourite type of vegetable.

Ko ōna tuāhine ngā kaiwhakahaere.
His sisters are the organisers.

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.

Ko Hōhepa taku ingoa.
My name is Hōhepa.

Ko Hōhepa koe.
You are Hōhepa.

Ko tēnā te whare nui.
That (near you) is the big house.

Ko tēnei he tekau tana taraka.
This is a ten ton truck.

Ko Rēwi au.
I am Rēwi.

Ko Amaru te tāne a Aroha.
Amaru is the husband of Aroha.

Ko Ruahine te ingoa o tērā maunga.
Ruahine is the name of that mountain.

Ko Mere tōku māmā.
Mere is my mother.

Ko Pāora tāku pōtiki.
Pāora is my youngest child

Ko ōku hoa kei waho!
It's my friends outside.

Ko Brian tōku pāpā.
Brian is my father.

Ko Manu tōku ingoa
Manu is my name.

Ko au te rōia mō tēnei take.
I am the Lawyer for this case.

Ko te raumati te wā kauhoe.
Summer is the time for swimming.

Ko Ngāti Hāmua tōku hapū.
Ngāti Hāmua is my sub-tribe.

Ko Riripeti rāua ko Tīwana aku mokopuna.
Riripeti and Tīwana are my grandchildren.

Ko Wiremu tāku tāne.
Wiremu is my husband.

Ko Pania tōku teina
Pania is my younger sister.

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

Ko rātou ngā tāmgata.
They are the people.

Ko Kayte te pōtiki o Beverley.
Kayte is the youngest child of Beverley.

Ko Wid Vella tōku tipuna.
Wid Vella is my ancestor.

Ko ngā tohunga nāna te waka i tārai.
The experts who carved the canoe.

Ko koe taku toa!
You're my star player!

Ko tāku irāmutu ia.
She is my niece/He is my nephew.

Ko Amaru te mokopuna tuatahi.
Amaru is the first grandchild.

Ko Aidan te mātāmua o Kayte.
Aidan is the oldest child of Kayte.

Ko Aria rāua ko Honi.
Aria and Honi.

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

Ko te wā kaukau.
It is bath time.

Ko Āwhina te mataamua. Ko Aroha te pōtiki.
Āwhina is the oldest. Aroha the youngest.

Ko Tawa mā.
Tawa and the others.

Ko Raimona tōku tino hoa.
Raimona is my best friend.

Ko ngā rorohiko hou ēnei.
These are the new computers.

Ko te kāinga tūturu o Nikau kei Pōneke.
As for Nikau's permanent home, it's in Wellington.

Ko tōku kuia tērā!
That's my nanna!

Ko Rina te tamāhine a Niko.
Rina is the daughter of Niko.

Ko Pāora tērā tangata.
That man is Pāora.

Ko ia te kaiako o Mia.
She is the teacher of Mia.

Ko ā matou kurī ngā toa ki te tiaki hipi.
Our dogs are the champion sheep-musterers.

Ko Eruera te tangata nā.
Eruera is that person (near you).

Ko taku pene tēnā!
That is my pen!

Ko te pahi o te kura tēnei.
This is the school bus.

Ko Pango te kurī.
Pango is the dog.

Ko Taupō te moana.
Taupō is the lake.

Ko Kuikui tōku whaea. Ko Tahu tōku matua.
Kuikui is my mother. Tahu is my father.

Ko Rongomai taku tamāhine.
Rongomai is my daughter.

Ko Kāpuni te awa.
Kāpuni is the river.

Ko te Wenerei.
It's Wednesday.

Ko au te kaiako.
I am the teacher.

Ko Ataahua te wahine a Tame.
Ataahua is the wife of Tame.

Ko Hera tōna ingoa.
Her name's Hera.

Ko tēnei whare te whare o Hone.
This is Hone's house.

Ko Rongomai tōku tuahine.
Rongomai is my sister.

Ko ngā pukapuka a Hera ēnā.
Those are Hera's books.

Ko Kahu te koroua o Terewai.
Kahu is the elder of Terewai.

Ko John te tungāne o Fran.
John is the brother (of a girl) of Fran.

Ko taku hiahia he pukapuka.
A book is what I want.