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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Ari rāua ko Ani ngā mokopuna o Tawa rāua ko Rina.
Ari and Ani are the grandchildren of Tawa and Rina.

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

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

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

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

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 Moana i te mātua.
Koa and Moana are not parents.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Amaru rāua ko tōna hoa.
Amaru and her friend.

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

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.

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.

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

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

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

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

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

Ko Manu rāua ko Aria ngā mātua o Pāora.
Manu and Aria are the parents of Pāora.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Rangi rāua ko Kauri ngā hoa o Nikau rāua ko Ani.
Rangi and Kauri are the friends of Nikau and Ani.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

Kei te kanikani a Tawa rāua ko Taika.
Tawa and Taika are dancing.

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

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

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

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

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

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

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

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

Ko Aroha rātou ko Kauri ko N3 āku tamariki.
Aroha, Kauri and N3 are my children.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

Hēmi rātou ko tōna whanau.
Hēmi and his family.

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

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

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

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

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

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

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

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 Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

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

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

Ko Koa rāua ko Amaru.
Koa and Amaru.

He mātua pai a Tame rāua ko Ataahua.
Tame and Ataahua are good parents.

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

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

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

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

Māua ko Honi.
Honi and me.

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

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

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

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

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

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