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

Ko wai koe?
Who are you?

Ko wai te mātāmua?
Who is the oldest?

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

Ko wai e pōhiri?
Who should be invited?

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

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

Ko wai kaiako pāngarau?
Who is your maths teacher?

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

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

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

Ko wai tino pēne?
Who is your favourite band?

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

Ko wai kei te haere mai?
Who is coming?

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

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

Ko wai te tamāhine?
Who is the daughter?

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

Ko wai ō mātua?
Who are your parents?

Ko Waiokura te marae.
The marae is Waiokura.

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

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 te pāpā o Tama?
Whose Tama's dad?

Ko wai te koroua?
Who is the grandfather?

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

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

Ko wai kei te moe?
Who is sleeping?

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

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

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

Ko wai pāpā?
Who is your Dad?

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

Ko wai teina?
Who is your younger sibling?

Ko wai māmā?
Who is your Mum?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko wai tana ingoa?
What's her name?

Ko wai tāua manuhiri?
Who is our visitor?

Ko wai tōna ingoa?
What's her name?

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

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

Ko wai tērā?
Who is that?

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

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

Ko wai te whaea?
Who is the mother?

Ko wai a Tawa?
Who is Tawa?

Ko wai i te totohe?
Who were arguing?

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

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

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 ōna hoa?
Who are his/her friends.

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

Ko wai ia?
Who is he/she?

Ko wai kei te horoi?
Who is washing?

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

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

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

Ko wai te huatahi?
Who is the first born?

Ko wai ngā mātua?
Who are the parents?

Ko wai ingoa?
What is your name?

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

Ko wai ō tāua manuhiri?
Who are our visitors?

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

Ko wai e haere?
Who is to go?

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

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

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

Ko wai tōna iwi?
What is his tribe?

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

Ko wai ēnei?
Whose are these?

Ko ngā aha?
What are?

Ko wai tōu ingoa?
What's your name?

Ko wai tōu whaea?
Who is your mother?

Ko Waikura tōku tuahine.
Waikura is my sister.

Ko wai tēnei?
Who is this?

Ko wai te māmā?
Who is the mother?

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

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

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

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

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

Ko wai atu ka haere?
Who else is going?

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

Ko wai i haere?
Who (all) went?

Ko wai kei te māuiui?
Who is sick?

Ko wai kōrua?
Who are you two?

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

Ko wai ō hoa?
Who are your friends?

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

Ko wai?
Who?

Ko wai ō tēina?
Who are your younger siblings?

Ko wai te pāpā?
Who is the father?

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