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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

He mātua pai a Taika rāua ko Mia.
Taika and Mia are good parents.

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 Amaru rāua ko Moana ngā mātua o Nikau.
Amaru and Moana are the parents of Nikau.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Rangi rāua ko Ataahua ngā hoa o Tame rāua ko Ani.
Rangi and Ataahua are the friends of Tame and Ani.

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

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

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

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

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

Nō Te Waipounamu, engari kei konei mātou ko tōku whānau e noho ana.
From the South Island, but my family and I are staying here.

Ehara a Hēmi rāua ko Rina i te mātua.
Hēmi and Rina are not 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 Brian rāua ko Fran ōku mātua.
Brian and Fran are my parents.

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

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

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

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

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

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 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.

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

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

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

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

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

Ko Amaru te mokopuna a Niko rāua ko Kauri.
Amaru is the grandchild of Niko and Kauri.

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

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

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

Ko Ari rāua ko Hēmi ō tāua hoa.
Ari and Hēmi are our friends.

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Ko Honi rāua ko Mia.
Honi and Mia.

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 hui a Pāora rāua ko Aroha ki te pātaka kōrero.
Pāora and Aroha are meeting in the library.

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

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

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

Tawa rātou ko tōna whanau.
Tawa and his family.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Nikau rāua ko tōna hoa.
Nikau and her friend.

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

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

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

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

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

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

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

Ko Aria te tamāhine a Manu rāua ko Ataahua.
Aria is the daughter of Manu and Ataahua.

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

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

Mātou ko tōku whānau.
Me and my family.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

Ko Pāora rāua ko Ani ngā mokopuna o Taika rāua ko Rina.
Pāora and Ani are the grandchildren of Taika and Rina.

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Kei te haere a Ari rāua ko Hēmi.
Ari and Hēmi are going.

Māua ko Honi.
Honi and me.

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

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob