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