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...

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

Ehara a Amaru rāua ko Kauri i te mātua.
Amaru and Kauri are not parents.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

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

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

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

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

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

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

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

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

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 mātua.
Hone and Rāhera are my parents.

Kei te haere a Honi rāua ko Pāora.
Honi and Pāora are going.

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

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

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

Mātou ko tōku whānau.
Me and my family.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

Māua ko Aria.
Aria and me.

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

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

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

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 Kauri rāua ko Ari.
Kauri and Ari.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Niko rātou ko Hera ko N3 āku tamariki.
Niko, Hera and N3 are my children.

Ko Ari rāua ko Rina ngā hoa o Tawa rāua ko Ataahua.
Ari and Rina are the friends of Tawa and Ataahua.

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 Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

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

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

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

Kei te katakata a Pita rāua ko Aroha.
Pita and Aroha are laughing.

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

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

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

Ko Rangi rāua ko Kauri ngā mokopuna o Koa rāua ko Moana.
Rangi and Kauri are the grandchildren of Koa and Moana.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

Ko Mia te tamāhine a Tame rāua ko Ani.
Mia is the daughter of Tame and Ani.

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amaru rātou ko tōna whanau.
Amaru and his family.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

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

Ataahua rāua ko tōna hoa.
Ataahua and her friend.

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

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

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

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

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