Ko koe a runga means: You are top notch.
This idiom is an example of a ‘ko’ sentence, sometimes called an ‘identity sentence’. The preposition ‘ko’ doesn’t have a direct translation in English
It can be used to introduce a new topic, often at the start of a sentence, although it can add specificity during a sentence also:
- Ko Ponga tētahi tangata rangatira o rātou (Ponga was one of their chiefs)
- Mā mātou, ko ‘He Pī ka Rere’, te karakia e tuku (We [the group called He Pī ka Rere] will give the karakia - this is a sentence I used at wananga when it was our class’s turn to give karakia)
It can be used to make a statement that the phrase it precedes and another are equal or describe the same thing:
- Ko Rakatāura te tohunga whakahaere i te mahi (Rakatāura was the overseer of the work - this is saying that Rakatāura [introduced by ko] and “the overseer of the work” describe the same person)
- Ko koe te mea tika (You are the right person)
- Ko tēnei tō rātou waka (This is their card)
It can also be used to emphasise the subject of a sentence.
- Ko Hone e tū atu ana ki reira (It is Hone who is standing there)
- Ko Pou kei te here at i te kurī (It is Pou who is tying up the dog)
- Ko ia kē te takuta, ko ia kē te nehi (She’s the doctor, he’s the nurse.)
If you want to say “Me and John” or “Hone, Rangi and Ngāhuia” you use ko in combination with the appropriate dual/plural pronoun:
- Hōne rātou ko Rangi, ko Ngāhuia (Hone, Rangi and Ngāhuia)
- Māua ko John (Me and John - māua is the pronoun used for ‘me, one other person and not the listener’, then you specify who the other person is)
- Māua ko taku hoa tāne (My husband and I)