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 atu ka haere?
Who else is going?

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Waikura tōku tuahine.
Waikura is my sister.

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

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

Ko wai tino pēne?
Who is your favourite band?

Ko wai tērā?
Who is that?

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

Ko wai e pōhiri?
Who should be invited?

Ko wai tōu ingoa?
What's your name?

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

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

Ko wai tōna iwi?
What is his tribe?

Ko wai kōrua?
Who are you two?

Ko wai koe?
Who are you?

Ko wai ō tēina?
Who are your younger siblings?

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

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 ōna hoa?
Who are his/her friends.

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

Ko ngā aha?
What are?

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

Ko wai māmā?
Who is your Mum?

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

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

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 kei te haere mai?
Who is coming?

Ko wai kei te māuiui?
Who is sick?

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

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

Ko wai ō tāua manuhiri?
Who are our visitors?

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

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

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

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

Ko wai ngā mātua?
Who are the parents?

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

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

Ko wai a Pāora?
Who is Pāora?

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

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

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

Ko wai kei te horoi?
Who is washing?

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

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

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

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

Ko Waiokura te marae.
The marae is Waiokura.

Ko wai teina?
Who is your younger sibling?

Ko wai ēnei?
Whose are these?

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

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

Ko wai?
Who?

Ko wai kei te moe?
Who is sleeping?

Ko wai ō hoa?
Who are your friends?

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

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

Ko wai ia?
Who is he/she?

Ko wai tōu whaea?
Who is your mother?

Ko wai tana ingoa?
What's her name?

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

Ko wai ingoa?
What is your name?

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

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

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

Ko wai i te totohe?
Who were arguing?

Ko wai pāpā?
Who is your Dad?

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

Ko wai kaiako pāngarau?
Who is your maths teacher?

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

Ko wai tōna ingoa?
What's her name?

Ko wai ō mātua?
Who are your parents?

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

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

Ko wai te koroua?
Who is the grandfather?

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

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

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

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

Ko wai te mātāmua?
Who is the oldest?

Ko wai te huatahi?
Who is the first born?

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

Ko wai te pāpā?
Who is the father?

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

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

Ko wai te māmā?
Who is the mother?

Ko wai te tamāhine?
Who is the daughter?

Ko wai tāua manuhiri?
Who is our visitor?

Ko wai te whaea?
Who is the mother?

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

Ko wai tēnei?
Who is this?

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

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

Ko wai i haere?
Who (all) went?