In this lesson we are going to look at sentences that start with the word ko.

There is no English equivalent to ko and so it can be tricky to get your head around. It has been called a "focus" preposition because whatever follows ko is the focus of attention in the sentence.

Sentences starting with ko are also called "identity sentences" because they identify a person or a place or a thing. For example:

Ko Fran tōku māmā.
My mother is Fran.

So, firstly, we do not need the word a before a person's name - we don't say "Ko a Fran tōku māmā'.

This sentences identifies who my mother is - my mother is Fran.