Māori Grammar

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Te Reo Māori Level 1
Asking who - Ko wai...?

We ask "who?" with either ko wai? ("who is?" - singular) or ko wai mā? ("who are?" - plural).

Ko wai tōu ingoa?
What's your name?

Ko wai kei raro i te rākau?
Who is that under the tree?

Ko wai tērā?
Who is that?

Ko wai te ingoa o whānau?
What's the name of your family?

Ko wai tōna iwi?
What is his tribe?

Ko wai kei te haere?
Who are you going with?

Ko wai te whaea?
Who is the mother?

Ko wai kei te tapahi i te mīti?
Who is chopping the meat?

Ko wai kei te whakahaere i te hui?
Who is running the meeting?

Ko wai te ingoa o matua?
What's the name of your dad?

Ko wai tino pēne?
Who is your favourite band?

Ko wai atu ka haere?
Who else is going?

Ko wai kei waho i te whare?
Who is that outside the house?

Ko wai te tamāhine?
Who is the daughter?

Ko wai pāpā?
Who is your Dad?

Ko Waikura tōku tuahine.
Waikura is my sister.

Ko wai ka taraiwa i te nei?
Who will drive tonight?

Ko wai te iwi e pai ana ki te haka?
Who is the nation who is good at doing haka?

Ko wai te koroua nui tōna aroha ki tōna whānau?
Who is the old man who has a lot of love for his whānau?

Ko wai kei runga i te nohoanga?
Who is that on the sofa?

Ko wai i horoi i ngā rīhi?
Who did the dishes?

Ko Waiokura te marae.
The marae is Waiokura.

Ko wai tāua manuhiri?
Who is our visitor?

Ko wai e pōhiri?
Who should be invited?

Ko wai ngā mea a ako ana i te reo Māori?
Who are the ones learning te reo Māori?

Ko wai tērā?
Who is that (over there)?

Ko ngā aha?
What are?

Ko wai koe?
Who are you?

Ko wai te ingoa o kuia?
What is your grandmother's name?

Ko wai ō koutou ingoa, kōtiro ?
What are your names, girls?

Ko wai kōrua?
Who are you two?

Ko wai i haere?
Who (all) went?

Ko wai tōna ingoa?
What's her name?

Ko wai kei te tākaro i te kēmu?
Who is playing the game?

Ko wai ō tēina?
Who are your younger siblings?

Ko wai te mea pai ki te kōrero Māori?
Whose good at speaking Māori?

Ko wai te pāpā o Tama?
Whose Tama's dad?

Ko wai i hanga i te whare?
Who built the house?

Ko wai ō hoa?
Who are your friends?

Ko wai ōna hoa?
Who are his/her friends.

Ko wai ō tāua manuhiri?
Who are our visitors?

Ko wai?
Who?

Ko wai tōu whaea?
Who is your mother?

Ko wai te ingoa o tērā maunga?
What is the name of that mountain?

Ko wai te ingoa o whaea?
What's the name of your mum?

Ko wai ngā tamariki koi ngā hinengaro?
Who are the children with sharp minds?

Ko wai kei te horoi i ngā rīhi?
Who is washing the dishes.

Ko ngā aha ngā reta ra?
What are those letters?

Ko wai tōu?
Who is yours? (eg who is your father?).

Ko wai i te totohe?
Who were arguing?

Ko wai ō mātua?
Who are your parents?

Ko wai te pōtiki o te whānau?
Who is the youngest in the family?

Ko wai tērā ki korā?
Who is that over there?

Ko wai te ingoa o tērā wahine?
What's the name of that woman?

Ko wai māmā?
Who is your Mum?

Ko wai tēnei?
Who is this?

Ko wai i hoko i ngā pukapuka?
Who bought the books?

Ko wai ka haere ki te taone ā te nei?
Who's going to town tonight?

Ko wai kei te haere mai?
Who is coming?

Ko wai te māmā?
Who is the mother?

Ko wai i i te kākahu?
Who packed the clothes?

Ko wai i tākaro i te papa tākaro?
Who played at the playground?

Ko wai te ingoa o tēnei awa?
What is the name of this river?

Ko wai te tangata e hīkoi mai nei?
Who is the person walking this way?

Ko wai te kaiwhakahaere? Ko au tonu!
Who is the orangiser? Actually, it's me!

Ko wai tana ingoa?
What's her name?

Ko wai teina?
Who is your younger sibling?

Ko wai te pāpā?
Who is the father?

Ko wai i hopu i te ika?
Who caught the fish?

Ko wai i tiki i ngā tamariki i te kura?
Who picked up the children from school?

Ko wai kei te āwhina i te kaiako?
Who is helping the teacher?

Ko wai te mea e mōhio ana ki te reo Māori?
Who is the one who knows te reo Māori?

Ko wai i whakaatu i te kiriata?
Who showed the movie?

Ko wai kei te māuiui?
Who is sick?

Ko wai te mātāmua o whānau?
Who is the eldest in your family?

Ko wai te tuakana o Koa?
Who is the older sibling (same gender) of Koa?

Ko wai kei te horoi?
Who is washing?

Ko wai te ingoa o hoa?
What's the name of your friend?

Ko wai te mātāmua?
Who is the oldest?

Ko wai kei roto i tana motukā?
Who is in her car?

Ko wai te ingoa o pāpā?
What is the name of your mother?

Ko wai kei te haere ki te hui?
Who is going to the hui?

Ko wai te huatahi?
Who is the first born?

Ko wai ngā mātua?
Who are the parents?

Ko wai te koroua?
Who is the grandfather?

Ko wai kei waho i te kūaha?
Who is outside the door?

Ko wai kei te horoi i te rūma?
Who is cleaning the room?

Ko wai e haere?
Who is to go?

Ko wai ingoa?
What is your name?

Ko wai ō hungarei?
Who are your parents in law?

Ko wai kei te moe?
Who is sleeping?

Ko wai ia?
Who is he/she?

Ko wai kei te waiata i te waiata?
Who is singing the song?

Ko wai kei roto i te motokā?
Who is that in the car?

Ko wai kei te tunu i te kai?
Who is cooking the food?

Ko wai ēnei?
Whose are these?

Ko wai a Hera?
Who is Hera?

Ko wai i kai i ngā āporo?
Who ate the apples?

Ko wai kaiako pāngarau?
Who is your maths teacher?