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

Ko Hēmi rāua ko Mia ngā mokopuna o Tame rāua ko Kauri.
Hēmi and Mia are the grandchildren of Tame and Kauri.

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

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

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

Ko Pāora rāua ko Ataahua ngā mātua o Niko.
Pāora and Ataahua are the parents of Niko.

Ko Mia rāua ko Aria.
Mia and Aria.

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

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Tame rāua ko Tawa ō tāua hoa.
Tame and Tawa are our friends.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

Māua ko Koa.
Koa and me.

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

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

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

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

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

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

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.

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

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

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

Ko Pita te mokopuna a Tawa rāua ko Aroha.
Pita is the grandchild of Tawa and Aroha.

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

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

E tākaro ana a Ataahua rāua ko Pāora.
Ataahua and Pāora are playing.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

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

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

Nō Te Whanganui-a-Tara, engari kei konei mātou ko tōku whānau e noho ana.
From Wellington, but my family and I are staying here.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He mātua pai a Rangi rāua ko Aria.
Rangi and Aria are good parents.

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

Kei te haere a Nikau rāua ko Amaru.
Nikau and Amaru are going.

Ko Kauri rāua ko Manu kei te haere ki te tāone.
Kauri and Manu are going to town.

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

Kei te katakata a Honi rāua ko Rangi.
Honi and Rangi are laughing.

Taika rātou ko tōna whanau.
Taika and his family.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Rangi rātou ko Mia ko N3 āku tamariki.
Rangi, Mia and N3 are my children.

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.

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

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

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

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

Aria rāua ko tōna hoa.
Aria and her friend.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Mātou ko tōku whānau.
Me and my family.

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

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

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 haere a Koa rāua ko Pita mā runga i te motukā.
Koa and Pita are travelling by car.

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.

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

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

Ehara a Koa rāua ko Aroha i te mātua.
Koa and Aroha are not parents.

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

Ko Ari rāua ko Ani ngā hoa o Hēmi rāua ko Rina.
Ari and Ani are the friends of Hēmi and Rina.

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

Kei te kanikani a Ataahua rāua ko Pāora.
Ataahua and Pāora are dancing.

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.

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

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

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

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.