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 Tame tāku pōtiki.
Tame is my youngest child

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

Ko Kāpuni te awa.
Kāpuni is the river.

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

Ko Pango te kurī.
Pango is the dog.

Ko Hōhepa koe.
You are Hōhepa.

Ko Rēwi au.
I am Rēwi.

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

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

Ko taku pene tēnā!
That is my pen!

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

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

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

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

Ko Rongomai tōku tuahine.
Rongomai is my sister.

Ko Ōamaru te tāone.
Ōamaru is the town.

Ko te kurī te hoa o te tangata.
The dog is the friend of the man.

Ko Mia te tamāhine a Koa.
Mia is the daughter of Koa.

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

Ko Rongomai taku tamāhine.
Rongomai is my daughter.

Ko te Moana-nui-ā-Kiwa te moana.
The Pacific Ocean is the ocean.

Ko Hēmi tērā tangata.
That man is Hēmi.

Ko Mere tōku māmā.
Mere is my mother.

Ko Honi rāua ko Aria.
Honi and Aria.

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

Ko Tōrere te marae e tū ai te hui.
Tōrere is the marae where the meeting will take place.

Ko Aria te wahine a Tawa.
Aria is the wife of Tawa.

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

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

Ko Taranaki te maunga e tū mai rā.
That mountain standing over there is Mount Taranaki.

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

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

Ko Brian tōku pāpā.
Brian is my father.

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

Ko tōku kuia tērā!
That's my nanna!

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 tēnei te whare.
This is the house.

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

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

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

Ko te Wenerei.
It's Wednesday.

Ko Taupō te moana.
Taupō is the lake.

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

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

Ko Taranaki te maunga.
The moutain is Taranaki.

Ko Ari mā.
Ari and the others.

Ko Rewi te rangatira.
Rewi is the chief.

Ko te whare tēnei.
This is the house.

Ko Ari tōku ingoa
Ari is my name.

Ko au te kaiako.
I am the teacher.

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

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

Ko te Rātū tēnei rā.
It is Tuesday today.

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

Ko ahau te kōtiro tuarua.
I am the second girl.

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

Ko te wā kaukau.
It is bath time.

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

Ko Hōhepa taku ingoa.
My name is Hōhepa.

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

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

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

Ko Wiremu tāku tāne.
Wiremu is my husband.

Ko Rewi te hoa o Mere.
Rewi is Mary's friend.

Ko Tame te tāne a Kauri.
Tame is the husband of Kauri.

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

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

Ko te tino tangata o taua marae, ko Hapi.
The leading person of that marae is Hapi.

Ko Jim rāua ko Doug aku taokete.
Jim and Doug are my brother in laws.

Ko Pania tōku teina
Pania is my younger sister.

Ko Hera tōna ingoa.
Her name's Hera.

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

Ko rātou ngā tāmgata.
They are the people.

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

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

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