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.

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

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.

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

Ko Pāora rāua ko Mia ngā mātua o Rangi.
Pāora and Mia are the parents of Rangi.

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

Kei te haere a Ataahua rāua ko Aroha.
Ataahua and Aroha are going.

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

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 aku tama.
Rāwiri and Tūmanako are my sons.

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

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

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

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

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

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

Ko Pita rāua ko Kauri.
Pita and Kauri.

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

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 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.

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

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

Ko Moana te tamāhine a Hēmi rāua ko Rina.
Moana is the daughter of Hēmi and Rina.

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

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

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

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

Ko Rangi rāua ko Amaru ō tāua hoa.
Rangi and Amaru are our friends.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 Tipene ōna hoa.
Her friends are Rāhera and Tīpene.

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Aroha rāua ko Ataahua ōku tuāhine.
Aroha and Ataahua are my sisters.

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

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

Pāora rāua ko tōna hoa.
Pāora and her friend.

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

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

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

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

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

Ehara a Nikau rāua ko Aria i te mātua.
Nikau and Aria are not parents.

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

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

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

Ko Tame rāua ko Niko kei te haere ki te tāone.
Tame and Niko are going to town.

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

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

Ko Tame rāua ko Kauri ngā hoa o Niko rāua ko Mia.
Tame and Kauri are the friends of Niko and Mia.

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

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

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

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Māua ko Ataahua.
Ataahua and me.

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.

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.

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

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

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

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

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

Ko Aroha rātou ko Pita ko N3 āku tamariki.
Aroha, Pita and N3 are my children.

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

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

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

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

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

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

Manu rātou ko tōna whanau.
Manu and his family.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Taika rāua ko Ani ngā mokopuna o Amaru rāua ko Aroha.
Taika and Ani are the grandchildren of Amaru and Aroha.

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

Ko Amaru te mokopuna a Pāora rāua ko Ataahua.
Amaru is the grandchild of Pāora and Ataahua.

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

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

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

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.