Māori Grammar

Talking about more than one person - ...rāua ko..., rātou 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.

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Talking about more than one person

rāua ko..., rātou ko... ko...

E tākaro ana a Rangi rāua ko Taika.
Rangi and Taika are playing.

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

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

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

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

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

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.

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.

Hera rāua ko tōna hoa.
Hera and her friend.

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

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

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

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

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

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

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

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

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

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

Kei te kanikani a Pita rāua ko Ataahua.
Pita and Ataahua 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.

Ko Hēmi rāua ko Koa.
Hēmi and Koa.

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Taika rāua ko Rina ngā mātua o Koa.
Taika and Rina are the parents of Koa.

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

Ko Ari rāua ko Ataahua ngā mokopuna o Amaru rāua ko Ani.
Ari and Ataahua are the grandchildren of Amaru and Ani.

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

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

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

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

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

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 Aroha rāua ko Pāora ō tāua hoa.
Aroha and Pāora are our friends.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

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

Kei te haere a Taika rāua ko Rangi.
Taika and Rangi are going.

Ko Kauri te tamāhine a Tame rāua ko Aria.
Kauri is the daughter of Tame and Aria.

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

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

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

Ko Mia rāua ko Ari kei te haere ki te tāone.
Mia and Ari are going to town.

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

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

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

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

Māua ko Amaru.
Amaru and me.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Mātou ko tōku whānau.
Me and my family.

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

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rangi rātou ko tōna whanau.
Rangi and his family.

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

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

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

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

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

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

Ko Manu rāua ko Aroha ngā hoa o Niko rāua ko Moana.
Manu and Aroha are the friends of Niko and Moana.

Ko Hēmi te mokopuna a Hēmi rāua ko Mia.
Hēmi is the grandchild of Hēmi and Mia.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 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.