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 te pāpā o Tama?
Whose Tama's dad?

Ko ngā aha?
What are?

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

Ko wai te māmā?
Who is the mother?

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

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

Ko wai te pāpā?
Who is the father?

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

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

Ko wai te tamāhine?
Who is the daughter?

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

Ko wai tēnei?
Who is this?

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

Ko wai ō tāua manuhiri?
Who are our visitors?

Ko wai ia?
Who is he/she?

Ko wai kei te horoi?
Who is washing?

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

Ko wai te huatahi?
Who is the first born?

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

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

Ko wai te koroua?
Who is the grandfather?

Ko wai e haere?
Who is to go?

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

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

Ko wai ngā mātua?
Who are the parents?

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

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

Ko wai tōu whaea?
Who is your mother?

Ko wai teina?
Who is your younger sibling?

Ko wai ō hoa?
Who are your friends?

Ko wai ō tēina?
Who are your younger siblings?

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

Ko wai tāua manuhiri?
Who is our visitor?

Ko wai koe?
Who are you?

Ko wai atu ka haere?
Who else is going?

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

Ko wai tērā?
Who is that?

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

Ko wai?
Who?

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

Ko wai te whaea?
Who is the mother?

Ko wai tōu ingoa?
What's your name?

Ko wai i haere?
Who (all) went?

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

Ko wai ēnei?
Whose are these?

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

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

Ko wai te mātāmua?
Who is the oldest?

Ko wai kaiako pāngarau?
Who is your maths teacher?

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

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

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

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

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

Ko wai pāpā?
Who is your Dad?

Ko wai tana ingoa?
What's her name?

Ko wai ingoa?
What is your name?

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

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

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

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

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 Waikura tōku tuahine.
Waikura is my sister.

Ko wai a Hera?
Who is Hera?

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

Ko wai tōna iwi?
What is his tribe?

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko wai kei te māuiui?
Who is sick?

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

Ko wai e pōhiri?
Who should be invited?

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

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

Ko wai ō mātua?
Who are your parents?

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

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

Ko wai tino pēne?
Who is your favourite band?

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

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

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

Ko wai i te totohe?
Who were arguing?

Ko wai tōna ingoa?
What's her name?

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

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

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

Ko wai kei te haere mai?
Who is coming?

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

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

Ko wai kei te moe?
Who is sleeping?

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

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

Ko Waiokura te marae.
The marae is Waiokura.

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

Ko wai māmā?
Who is your Mum?

Ko wai kōrua?
Who are you two?