Māori Grammar

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Te Reo Māori Level 1
Identity sentences - 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 Rēwi au.
I am Rēwi.

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

Ko tōku kuia tērā!
That's my nanna!

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

Ko Rongomai tōku tuahine.
Rongomai is my sister.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Ani te tamāhine a Tawa.
Ani is the daughter of Tawa.

Ko Kāpuni te awa.
Kāpuni is the river.

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

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

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

Ko Pango te kurī.
Pango is the dog.

Ko Rangi rāua ko Hera.
Rangi and Hera.

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

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

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

Ko Rewi te rangatira.
Rewi is the chief.

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

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

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

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

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 taku pene tēnā!
That is my pen!

Ko Pāora tōku ingoa
Pāora is my name.

Ko Taupō te moana.
Taupō is the lake.

Ko Wiremu tāku tāne.
Wiremu is my husband.

Ko tēnei te whare.
This is the house.

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

Ko Rongomai taku tamāhine.
Rongomai is my daughter.

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

Ko te Rātū tēnei rā.
It is Tuesday today.

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

Ko Brian tōku pāpā.
Brian is my father.

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

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

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

Ko Hera tōna ingoa.
Her name's Hera.

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

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

Ko te whare tēnei.
This is the house.

Ko Tame tāku pōtiki.
Tame is my youngest child

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

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

Ko Koa tērā tangata.
That man is Koa.

Ko Hōhepa taku ingoa.
My name is Hōhepa.

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

Ko Taranaki te maunga.
The moutain is Taranaki.

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Mere tōku māmā.
Mere is my mother.

Ko te wā kaukau.
It is bath time.

Ko te Wenerei.
It's Wednesday.

Ko au te kaiako.
I am the teacher.

Ko Hōhepa koe.
You are Hōhepa.

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

Ko Pania tōku teina
Pania is my younger sister.

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

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

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

Ko Nikau mā.
Nikau and the others.

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

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

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

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.