Māori Grammar

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Talking about more than one person

rāua ko..., rātou ko... ko...

In English, we can use "and" to talk about more than one person: "Peter, Paul and Mary".

In te reo Māori, there is a specific way to do this.

When there are only two people, and we are talking about people other than ourselves, we use rāua ko:

Kei te haere a Rangi rāua ko Hemi ki te papa tākaro.
Rangi and Hemi are going to the playground.

Ko Brian rāua ko Fran ōku mātua.
Brian and Fran are my parents.

Where there are more than two people, and we are talking about poeple other than ourselves, we use rātou ko... ko...

Kei te waiata a Peter, rātou ko Paul ko Mary.
Peter, Paul and Mary are singing.

When you are speaking about yourself and someone else, we do not say "me". Intead, you would use māua ko if you are just talking about you and another person, and mātou ko... ko... if you are talking about you and two or more other people:

I taraiwa māua ko taku hoa.
Me and my friend drove.

Māua ko Amaru.
Amaru and me.

Mātou ko tōku whānau.
Me and my family.

I haere mātou ko Rangi ko Hemi.
Me and Rangi and Hemi went.

No Te Kaha mātou ko Hata mā.
Hata and I and the rest are from Te Kaha.

Ko Pāora te mokopuna a Tame rāua ko Moana.
Pāora is the grandchild of Tame and Moana.

Ko Rāwiri rātou ko Tūmanako, ko Rongomai, me tana tāne a Moana, aku mokopuna.
Rāwiri, Tūmanako, Rongomai, and Moana, her husband, are my grandchildren.

Nō te wā o te piringa o Rangi rāua ko Papa ka tupu te werawera, ka rērere te kohu.
At the time of the union of Rangi and Papa, the heat grew, the mist rose.

Ko Rāwiri rāua ko Tūmanako ōku taokete.
Rāwiri and Tūmanako are my twins.

Ko Isaac te tama a Phill rāua ko Angie.
Isaac is the son of Phill and Angie.

Ko Flo rāua ko Rāwiri ōku kaumātua.
Flo and Rāwiri are my grandparents.

Ko Jim rāua ko Doug aku taokete.
Jim and Doug are my brother in laws.

I muri i te piringa o Rangi rāua ko Papa ka whānau mai ngā tamariki.
After the union of Rangi and Papa the children were born.

Mātou ko tōku whānau.
Me and my family.

Kei Pōneke māua ko Sarah.
Sarah and I are in Wellington.

He hoa piritahi rāua ko Rāwiri.
He and Rāwiri are best friends.

Ko Amaru rāua ko Rina ngā hoa o Nikau rāua ko Ani.
Amaru and Rina are the friends of Nikau and Ani.

Kei te haere a Riria rāua ko Larisa ki konā
Riria and Larisa are going there (by you the listener).

E whakarongo ana māua ko Paora ki te tumuaki.
Paora and I are listening to the head-master.

Ko Brooklyn te mokopuna a Lynne rāua ko Barry.
Brooklyn is the grandchild of Lynne and Barry.

Ko Aroha rāua ko Nikau.
Aroha and Nikau.

Ko rātou ko ō rātou hoa ngā mea ngaro.
They and their friends are the missing ones.

I hea a Miti rāua ko Auau?
Where were Miti and Auau?

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

Ko Manu rāua ko Aria ngā mokopuna o Rangi rāua ko Ataahua.
Manu and Aria are the grandchildren of Rangi and Ataahua.

Kei te ako a Hēmi rāua ko Amaru i ngā kupu whānau i te reo Māori.
Hēmi and Amaru are learning Māori 'family' words.

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

Ko Kayte rāua ko Denis, ko Beverley
Kayte and Denis and Beverley

Kei muri a Miriama rāua ko Rehutai i te pahi.
Miriama and Rehutai are behind the bus.

Mā mātou koutou e manaaki.
We will take care of you.

I mahi māua ko tōku māmā.
My mother and I (us two, but not you the listener) worked.

Nō mua i te piringa ki a Rangi, ka moe a Papa rāua ko Tangaroa.
Before the union with Rangi, Papa was in a relationship with Tangaroa.

Ko Pāora rāua ko Aroha ngā mātua o Taika.
Pāora and Aroha are the parents of Taika.

Kei te moe a Angie rāua ko Raiha.
Angie and Raiha are sleeping.

Ko Liam te mokopuna a Beverley rāua ko Denis.
Liam is the grandchild of Beverley and Denis.

Arā, ko au te tama a Hone rāua ko Rāhera.
That is, I am the child of Hone and Rāhera.

I āwhinatia rātou e mātou ko aku tēina.
They were helped by me and my younger siblings.

Kei te kanikani a Pita rāua ko Honi.
Pita and Honi are dancing.

Mā mātou koutou e manaaki.
We (3+ exclusive) will take care of you.

Ko Val te tamāhine a Una rāua ko Vic.
Val is the daughter of Una and Vic.

Kei te hui a Rama rāua ko Pita ki te pātaka kōrero.
Rama and Pita are meeting in the library.

Ko māua ko Mere ngā kaiāwhina.
Mere and I are the helpers.

I hiahia a Tawa rāua ko Rangi ki te tūtaki i a rāua anō.
Tawa and Rangi wanted to meet each other.

Ko Tai rāua ko Moana ngā ingoa o ōku hoa.
The names of my friends are Tai and Moana.

I tērā tau ka haere mātou ko aku hoa ki Pōneke ki te tirotiro haere.
Last year me and my friends went to Wellington to look around.

Ko Mia rāua ko Kauri ōku tuāhine.
Mia and Kauri are my sisters.

Ko Piripi rāua ko Miriama ōku mātua.
Piripi and Miriama are my parents.

Ehara a Tawa rāua ko Moana i te mātua.
Tawa and Moana are not parents.

I taraiwa māua ko taku hoa.
Me and my friend drove.

Kei te haere a Niko rāua ko Kauri.
Niko and Kauri are going.

Ko Mere rāua ko Lennon āku tamariki.
Mere and Lennon are my children.

Ko Chris te tama a Richard rāua ko Gin.
Chris is the son of Richard and Gin.

I taraiwa māua ko taku hoa ki te whare wānanga.
Me and my friend drove to uni.

Kei te haere a Raureka rāua ko Te Naera.
Raureka and Te Naera are going.

Ko Billy rāua ko Bob ā rāua māhanga.
Their twins are Billy and Bob.

Tokorima. Ko aku mātua, mātou ko taku tuakana, ko taku tungane.
Five. My parents, (me) and my older sister and my brother.

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

Ākuanei ka haere māua ko Ataahua ki te tiki i a Mia.
Soon Ataahua and I will go to fetch Mia.

Ko Timi rāua ko Jen aku mātua.
Timi and Jen are my parents.

Kei roto a Kahurangi rāua ko Hōhepa i tō rāua whare.
Kahurangi and Hōhepa are inside their house.

Kua mate māua ko taku teina.
My younger sibling and I are sick.

Kei roto a Koa rāua ko Tame i tō rāua whare.
Koa and Tame are inside their (2x) house.

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

Ko Pita rātou ko Paul, ko Mere.
Peter, Paul and Mere.

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

Ka kōrero māua ko Mere ki a ia.
Mere and I spoke to him.

Ko Riripeti rāua ko Tīwana āku irāmutu.
Riripeti and Tīwana are my nieces/nephews.

I hea a Retitia rāua ko Mihinui?
Where were Retitia and Mihinui?

Ko Rina te tamāhine a Ari rāua ko Ani.
Rina is the daughter of Ari and Ani.

Ko Tīwana rāua ko Riripeti aku irāmutu.
Tīwana and Riripeti are my nieces/nephews.

Ko Hone rāua ko Rāhera ōku hungawai.
Hone and Rāhera are my parents-in-law.

Ko Taika rātou ko Manu ko N3 āku tamariki.
Taika, Manu and N3 are my children.

Kua tūtaki au ki a Hēmi rāua ko tana hoa wahine, ko Aria.
I have met Hēmi and his girlfriend, Aria.

Ko Brian rāua ko Fran ōku mātua
Brian and Fran are my parents

He mātua pai a Koa rāua ko Ataahua.
Koa and Ataahua are good parents.

I haere mātou ko aku hoa mā runga i te waka o Betsy ki te takutai, ki Te Māhia.
Me and my friends went on Betsy's car to the beach, to Māhia.

Ko Hone rāua ko Rāhera ōku mātua
Hone and Rāhera are my parents.

He mātua a Pani rāua ko Hata,.
Pani and Hata are parents.

I te ata o te Rāhoroi ka haere mātou ko taku whānau ki Taranaki ki te whakatā.
On Saturday morning my family and I went to Taranaki for a holiday.

Ko Rāwiri rāua ko Tūmanako ōku tungāne.
Rāwiri and Tūmanako are my brothers.

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

Ko Riripeti rāua ko Tīwana ā māua tamariki.
Riripeti and Tīwana are our children.

Ka haere māua ko Aria ki te hokomaha tiki ai.
Aria and I are going to the supermarket to shop.

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

Ko Sally rāua ko Tīmoti ōku mātua.
My parents are Sally and Timoti.

Nō Ōtautahi, engari kei konei mātou ko tōku whānau e noho ana.
From Christhurch, but my family and I are staying here.

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

I roto rāua ko Mere i te whare.
He and Mere were in the house.

Kei te katakata a Hera rāua ko Ari.
Hera and Ari are laughing.

I taraiwa māua ko taku hoa ki te whare wānanga i te waru karaka.
Me and my friend drove to uni at 8 o'clock.

Ko Rangi rāua ko Pāora kei te haere ki te tāone.
Rangi and Pāora are going to town.

Ko Raureka rāua ko Tūhawaiki ngā mātua.
Raureka and Tāhawaiki are the parents.

Nā wai a Papa rāua ko Rangi i whakawehe?
Who separated Papa and Rangi?

I tērā tau i te marama o Mahuru ka haere mātou ko aku hoa mai i Papaioea ki Pōneke ki te tirotiro haere.
Last year in September me and my friends went from Palmerston North to Wellington to look around.

I hararei mātou ko aku hoa.
My friends and I had a holiday.

Ko Aroha rāua ko Timi ana mātua.
Aroha and Timi are her parents.

Ko ia te mea hangareka o rāua ko Riripeti, tōna tuahine.
She is the funny one between her and Riripeti, her sister.

Ehara ngā rangatira i a Moki rāua ko Tū-te-kawa.
Moki and Tū-te-kawa were not the chiefs.

Ko Moki rāua ko Tū-te-kawa ngā rangatira.
Moki and Tu-te-kawa were the chiefs.

Ko Rāwiri rāua ko Tūmanako aku tama.
Rāwiri and Tūmanako are my sons.

Aroha rāua ko tōna hoa.
Aroha and her friend.

Ko Hone rāua ko Rāhera ōku mātua.
Hone and Rāhera are my parents.

Kei mua a Miriama rāua ko Rehutai i te pahi.
Miriama and Rehutai are in front of the bus.

Ko Rāhera rāua ko Hone ōku tūpuna.
Rāhera and Hone are my ancestors.

Kei te waiata a Peter, rātou ko Paul ko Mary.
Peter, Paul and Mary are singing.

E tākaro ana a Nikau rāua ko Hēmi.
Nikau and Hēmi are playing.

Ko Amaru te tamaiti kei waenganui i a Pita rāua ko N3.
Amaru is the child between Pita and N3.

Kei te hui a Honi rāua ko Tawa ki te pātaka kōrero.
Honi and Tawa are meeting in the library.

Māua ko Rangi.
Rangi and me.

Kei te haere a Niko rāua ko Kauri mā runga i te motukā.
Niko and Kauri are travelling by car.

Kei te tangi a Mereana rāua ko Paul.
Mereana and Paul are crying.

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

Kei te kura rātou ko Hata ko Pani ko Mere.
They and Hata, Pani and Mere are at the school.

Niko rātou ko tōna whanau.
Niko and his family.

Kei te haere atu rātou ko Hone, ko Hōhepa, ko Tai.
Hone, Hōhepa and Tai are going.

Ko Rongomai rāua ko Moana ōku mātua.
Rongomai and Moana are my parents.

Ka kōrero ia ki a māua ko Mere.
He spoke to Mere and me.

Ko Barry rāua ko Lynne ōku mātua.
Barry and Lynne are my parents.

Ko Tai, ko Moana rātou ko Rangi.
Tai, Moana and Rangi.

Ko Jacob rāua ko Hana āku tamariki.
Harnah and Jacob are my children

Nō muri noa mai ka whānau mai ngā tamariki a Tame rāua ko Aroha.
The children of Tame and Aroha were born much later.

Ko Brian rāua ko Fran ōku mātua.
Brian and Fran are my parents.

Ko Aidan rātou ko Kaia, ko Liam
Aidan and Kaia and Liam

Ko Rāhera rāua ko Tipene ōna hoa.
Her friends are Rāhera and Tīpene.

Nō muri i te piringa o Rangi rāua ko Papa ka whānau mai ngā tamariki.
After the union of Rangi and Papa, the children were born.

Kei te oma a Mere rātou ko Hariata, ko Matiu, ko Ropata.
Mere, Hariata, Matiu and Ropata are running.

E hui ana a Rama rāua ko Pita ki te pātaka kōrero.
Rama and Pita are meeting in the library.

Ko Ataahua rāua ko Mia ō tāua hoa.
Ataahua and Mia are our friends.