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.

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kei te katakata a Koa rāua ko Kauri.
Koa and Kauri are laughing.

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

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.

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

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

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

Ko Rangi rāua ko Tawa.
Rangi and Tawa.

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

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

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Nikau te mokopuna a Manu rāua ko Aria.
Nikau is the grandchild of Manu and Aria.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

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

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

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

Tawa rātou ko tōna whanau.
Tawa and his family.

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

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

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

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

Māua ko Rangi.
Rangi and me.

Ko Hēmi rāua ko Aroha kei te haere ki te tāone.
Hēmi and Aroha are going to town.

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

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

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.

He mātua pai a Nikau rāua ko Kauri.
Nikau and Kauri are good parents.

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Niko rāua ko tōna hoa.
Niko and her friend.

Ko Pāora rāua ko Aroha ngā mokopuna o Ari rāua ko Moana.
Pāora and Aroha are the grandchildren of Ari and Moana.

Kei te haere a Pita rāua ko Tame.
Pita and Tame are going.

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

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

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

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

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

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

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

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

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

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

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

E tākaro ana a Amaru rāua ko Koa.
Amaru and Koa are playing.

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

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

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.

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

Ehara a Hēmi rāua ko Rina i te mātua.
Hēmi and Rina are not parents.

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

Ko Koa rāua ko Aria ngā hoa o Taika rāua ko Ani.
Koa and Aria are the friends of Taika and Ani.

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

Ko Niko rāua ko Mia ngā mātua o Tame.
Niko and Mia are the parents of Tame.

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

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

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.

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.

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

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

Ko Kauri te tamāhine a Amaru rāua ko Aroha.
Kauri is the daughter of Amaru and Aroha.

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

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

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

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

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

Kei te kanikani a Tawa rāua ko Nikau.
Tawa and Nikau are dancing.

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.

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

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 Rangi rāua ko Hēmi ō tāua hoa.
Rangi and Hēmi are our friends.

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

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

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

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

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