koe / ia

You and They for One Person

Level 1

Koe is one addressee; ia is one third person.

How It Works

Koe addresses one person. When speaking to two people use kōrua, and to three or more use koutou.

Ia refers to one person already identified in the conversation. It carries no masculine or feminine agreement. Keep the personal object sequence i a ia separate from a bare subject ia; spaces and particles show different jobs.

Examples (3)

  1. Kei te kai koe.

    You are eating (one person).

  2. Kei te moe ia.

    They are sleeping (one person).

  3. He kaiako ia.

    They are a teacher (one person).

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

koe / iaLevel 1You and They for One Person

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.