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.

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

Ko Tanya rāua ko Sarah
Tanya and Sarah

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

Ko Aroha rāua ko Tame.
Aroha and Tame.

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

Māua ko Rangi.
Rangi and me.

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

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 aku tama.
Rāwiri and Tūmanako are my sons.

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

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

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

Ko Ani rāua ko Mere.
Ani and Mere.

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

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

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

Kei te katakata a Hera rāua ko Ataahua.
Hera and Ataahua are laughing.

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

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

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 kanikani a Mia rāua ko Hēmi.
Mia and Hēmi are dancing.

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

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

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

Tawa rāua ko tōna hoa.
Tawa and her friend.

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

Manu rātou ko tōna whanau.
Manu and his family.

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

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

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

Koutou ko tōu whanau.
You and your family.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko Hata.
Hata and the rest of us.

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

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

Rātou ko ōna hoa.
She and her friends.

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

He mātua pai a Rangi rāua ko Rina.
Rangi and Rina are good parents.

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

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

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

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

Ko Tame rāua ko Kauri ngā mokopuna o Pāora rāua ko Aroha.
Tame and Kauri are the grandchildren of Pāora and Aroha.

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

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

Ko Aidan rāua ko Liam
Aidan and Liam

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

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

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

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.

Ko Hana rāua ko Jacob
Harnah and Jacob

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

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 Aroha te mokopuna a Koa rāua ko Ataahua.
Aroha is the grandchild of Koa and Ataahua.

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

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

Ko Nikau rāua ko Aria ngā hoa o Ari rāua ko Mia.
Nikau and Aria are the friends of Ari and Mia.

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 Ani te tamāhine a Hēmi rāua ko Moana.
Ani is the daughter of Hēmi and Moana.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Mātou ko ōku hoa.
My friends and I.

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

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

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

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

Māua ko tōku hoa.
My friend and I.

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

Ko Koa rātou ko Taika ko N3 āku tamariki.
Koa, Taika and N3 are my children.

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

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

Ko Rina rāua ko Kauri ōku tuāhine.
Rina and Kauri are my sisters.

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

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

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

Ko Tawa rāua ko Ataahua ngā mātua o Amaru.
Tawa and Ataahua are the parents of Amaru.

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