Māori Grammar

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.

▶

Mere is a girl, Mere is the girl

ko

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

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

Ko Brian tōku pāpā.
Brian is my father.

Ko Hōhepa taku ingoa.
My name is Hōhepa.

Ko Tawa mā.
Tawa and the others.

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

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

Ko Rēwi au.
I am Rēwi.

Ko Aroha tāku pōtiki.
Aroha is my youngest child

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

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

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

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

Ko Rewi te rangatira.
Rewi is the chief.

Ko tōku kuia tērā!
That's my nanna!

Ko Ōamaru te tāone.
Ōamaru is the town.

Ko te Rātū tēnei rā.
It is Tuesday today.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko te Wenerei.
It's Wednesday.

Ko Ari te tāne a Aria.
Ari is the husband of Aria.

Ko Tame tērā tangata.
That man is Tame.

Ko taku pene tēnā!
That is my pen!

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 te wā kaukau.
It is bath time.

Ko Hera tōna ingoa.
Her name's Hera.

Ko rātou ngā tāmgata.
They are the people.

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

Ko Hōhepa koe.
You are Hōhepa.

Ko au te kaiako.
I am the teacher.

Ko te whare tēnei.
This is the house.

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

Ko Taupō te moana.
Taupō is the lake.

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Taranaki te maunga.
The moutain is Taranaki.

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

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

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

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

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

Ko tēnei te whare.
This is the house.

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

Ko Mere tōku māmā.
Mere is my mother.

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

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

Ko Kāpuni te awa.
Kāpuni is the river.

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 Wiremu tāku tāne.
Wiremu is my husband.

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

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

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 Rongomai tōku tuahine.
Rongomai is my sister.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Tame rāua ko Hera.
Tame and Hera.

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

Ko Hēmi tōku ingoa
Hēmi is my name.

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

Ko Pango te kurī.
Pango is the dog.

Ko Rongomai taku tamāhine.
Rongomai is my daughter.