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.

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

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

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

Rangi rāua ko tōna hoa.
Rangi and her friend.

Ko Niko rāua ko Taika ō tāua hoa.
Niko and Taika are our friends.

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

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

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

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.

Hēmi rātou ko tōna whanau.
Hēmi and his family.

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

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

Ko Kauri rāua ko Tawa.
Kauri and Tawa.

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

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko tōku whānau.
Me and my family.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

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

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

Nō Te Tai Rāwhiti, engari kei konei mātou ko tōku whānau e noho ana.
From the Eastland region, but my family and I are staying here.

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

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

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

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

Ko Rina te tamāhine a Koa rāua ko Aroha.
Rina is the daughter of Koa and Aroha.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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 te kanikani a Amaru rāua ko Rangi.
Amaru and Rangi are dancing.

Māua ko Niko.
Niko and me.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Niko rāua ko Kauri ngā hoa o Taika rāua ko Aria.
Niko and Kauri are the friends of Taika and Aria.

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

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

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

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

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

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.

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

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.

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

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

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

Ko Hera rāua ko Pāora kei te haere ki te tāone.
Hera and Pāora are going to town.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Rangi rāua ko Ataahua ngā mātua o Nikau.
Rangi and Ataahua are the parents of Nikau.

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

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

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

He mātua pai a Ari rāua ko Rina.
Ari and Rina are good 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.

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

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

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

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

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

Ko Manu rāua ko Aroha ngā mokopuna o Hēmi rāua ko Moana.
Manu and Aroha are the grandchildren of Hēmi and Moana.