The English word "be" is the verb of existing and of being something: I am a child, the food is good, it was light. It is the second word on the house frequency list, and English spends one small verb on all of it: am, is, are, was, were, will be. Akan has no one verb that does all of this, so the lesson teaches how Akan says it instead. The word chosen is yɛ (/jɛ/), the verb that says what a person or a thing is, or what it is like: Meyɛ abɔfra "I am a child", Aduane no yɛ dɛ "The food is delicious". The verb stays the same and the subject is carried on its front: meyɛ "I am", woyɛ "you are", ɔyɛ "he/she is", ɛyɛ "it is". There is no "a" or "an" after it, and no separate word for "am", "is" or "are".
The choice of yɛ is deliberate. Two other words come near it. Wɔ (Lesson 1) says where a thing is, or that one has it: Dan no wɔ hɔ "The house is there". De gives a name: Me din de Kofi "My name is Kofi". Neither can stand in for yɛ in front of a noun or an adjective. This lesson keeps the three apart.
The lesson also shows four places where English and Akan part company:
- Yɛ has other jobs. It also means "do, make": Meyɛ adwuma "I work" (literally "I do work"), and the past yɛɛ can mean "made", "did" or "became". It is also written the same as the prefix yɛ- "we" (Lesson 1). What follows it tells the meanings apart. - The past of "be" is not made by changing yɛ. The small word na is put in front of the plain form: Na meyɛ abɔfra "I was a child". - The future puts bɛ- between the subject and the verb: mebɛyɛ "I will be". - The negative puts n- in front of the verb: meyɛ "I am", menyɛ "I am not".
The word yɛ has nothing to do with English "be" by sound or by origin, so there is nothing to translate letter by letter. Think of it as a verb that is always the same, with the subject on its front and the time or the denial added around it.
Orthographic points: write ɛ and ɔ, not e and o. In menyɛ and ɛnyɛ the letters ny are one sound, /ɲ/. A doubled vowel marks a long vowel or a past form, as in yɛɛ, kaa and sukuu.
FAQ: What does "be" mean in Akan (Twi)?
Akan has no single word for "be". The nearest is yɛ, which says what a person or thing is or is like: Meyɛ abɔfra "I am a child". For where a thing is, Akan says wɔ: Mewɔ ha "I am here". For a name, it says de: Me din de Kofi "My name is Kofi".
Key Takeaways
- Yɛ is "be" in front of a noun or an adjective, with the subject on its front: meyɛ, woyɛ, ɔyɛ, ɛyɛ, yɛyɛ, moyɛ, wɔyɛ. A noun subject takes no prefix: Aduane no yɛ dɛ. - There is no "a/an" after yɛ: Meyɛ abɔfra "I am a child". - Na in front of the plain form means "was, used to be": Na Kofi yɛ kyerɛkyerɛni "Kofi used to be a teacher". Bɛ- gives the future: mebɛyɛ. N- gives the negative: menyɛ. - Keep yɛ "be" (what a thing is) apart from wɔ "be at, have" (where it is, what one has) and from de (a name): Meyɛ abɔfra "I am a child" but Mewɔ abɔfra "I have a child". - Yɛ also means "do, make": Meyɛ adwuma "I work", Ɔhene no yɛɛ dan "The chief made a house".
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yɛ /jɛ/ is said like English "yeh": the y is the sound at the front of "yes", and the vowel is the ɛ of "bed". It is one short syllable. Tone is not written in Akan and is not marked here; learn the tones from a speaker. In speech, tone is one of the ways in which words and forms that are spelled alike are told apart.
The IPA in this course is broad and orthography-level: it gives each letter its main sound. Sounds in this lesson that English lacks or treats differently:
- y = /j/, as English "y" in "yes": yɛ /jɛ/, meyɛ /mejɛ/. - ɛ = /ɛ/, as in "bed": ɛyɛ /ɛjɛ/, sɛ /sɛ/, fɛ /fɛ/. - ɔ = /ɔ/, as in British "thought" but short: ɔyɛ /ɔjɛ/, ɔhene /ɔhene/, abɔfra /abɔfɾa/. - ny = /ɲ/, as in Spanish año: menyɛ /meɲɛ/, ɛnyɛ /ɛɲɛ/, nyinaa /ɲinaa/. - ky = /tɕ/, close to "ch": kyerɛkyerɛni /tɕeɾɛtɕeɾɛni/. - dw and hw are single sounds in Akan: adwuma /adwuma/ "work" and hwɛ /hwɛ/ "look, behold". The IPA here keeps the letters. - r is a single tap /ɾ/: kuro /kuɾo/, ɔbarima /ɔbaɾima/. - Doubled letters are long: yɛɛ /jɛɛ/, kaa /kaa/, hunuu /hunuu/, sukuu /sukuu/, ɛnnɛ /ɛnnɛ/. - m and n before another consonant make a syllable of their own: nnipa /nnipa/, ɛnnɛ /ɛnnɛ/.
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Examples 2.1–2.15 are built from verified words and patterns. Most are pedagogical constructions (Acceptabile) and are not quotations. Four are taken from, or adapted from, published teaching material (Bonum): 2.1 from a TypeCraft annotation of Akan (ɛyɛ aboa), 2.3 from Woyɛ adamfo pa on learnakan.com, 2.5 from the same site (Aduane no yɛ dɛ), and 2.12 from its Na Kofi yɛ kyerɛkyerɛni. The glosses follow the Akan word order, so food the is delicious is how Aduane no yɛ dɛ reads word for word.
2.1a Ɛyɛ it-is aboa animal
2.1b Ɛyɛ /ɛjɛ/ 3SG.be aboa /aboa/ animal
2.2a Meyɛ I-am abɔfra child
2.2b Meyɛ /mejɛ/ 1SG.be abɔfra /abɔfɾa/ child
2.3a Woyɛ you-are adamfo friend
2.3b Woyɛ /wojɛ/ 2SG.be adamfo /adamfo/ friend
2.4a Menyɛ I-am-not ɔhene chief
2.4b Menyɛ /meɲɛ/ 1SG.NEG.be ɔhene /ɔhene/ chief
2.5a Aduane food no the yɛ is dɛ delicious
2.5b Aduane /aduane/ food no /no/ DEF yɛ /jɛ/ be dɛ /dɛ/ delicious
2.6a Meyɛ I-am ɔbarima man na and woyɛ you-are ɔbaa woman
2.6b Meyɛ /mejɛ/ 1SG.be ɔbarima /ɔbaɾima/ man na /na/ and woyɛ /wojɛ/ 2SG.be ɔbaa /ɔbaa/ woman
2.7a Dan house kɛseɛ big no the yɛ is me my deɛ one
2.7b Dan /dan/ house kɛseɛ /kɛseɛ/ big no /no/ DEF yɛ /jɛ/ be me /me/ 1SG.POSS deɛ /deɛ/ one
2.8a Dan house kɛseɛ big no the wɔ is-at hɔ there na and ɛyɛ it-is foforo new
2.8b Dan /dan/ house kɛseɛ /kɛseɛ/ big no /no/ DEF wɔ /wɔ/ be.at hɔ /hɔ/ there na /na/ and ɛyɛ /ɛjɛ/ 3SG.be foforo /foforo/ new
2.9a Adwuma work no the yɛ is den hard nanso but mepɛ I-like no it
2.9b Adwuma /adwuma/ work no /no/ DEF yɛ /jɛ/ be den /den/ hard nanso /nanso/ but mepɛ /mepɛ/ 1SG.like.STAT no /no/ 3SG.OBJ
2.10a Nwoma book no the nyɛ is-not foforo new nanso but ɛyɛ it-is fɛ beautiful
2.10b Nwoma /ɲwoma/ book no /no/ DEF nyɛ /ɲɛ/ NEG.be foforo /foforo/ new nanso /nanso/ but ɛyɛ /ɛjɛ/ 3SG.be fɛ /fɛ/ beautiful
2.11a Na was meyɛ I-am abɔfra child na and seisei now meyɛ I-am ɔbarima man
2.11b Na /na/ PAST meyɛ /mejɛ/ 1SG.be abɔfra /abɔfɾa/ child na /na/ and seisei /seisei/ now meyɛ /mejɛ/ 1SG.be ɔbarima /ɔbaɾima/ man
2.12a Na was Kofi Kofi yɛ is kyerɛkyerɛni teacher nanso but seisei now ɔyɛ he-is ɔhene chief
2.12b Na /na/ PAST Kofi /kofi/ Kofi yɛ /jɛ/ be kyerɛkyerɛni /tɕeɾɛtɕeɾɛni/ teacher nanso /nanso/ but seisei /seisei/ now ɔyɛ /ɔjɛ/ 3SG.be ɔhene /ɔhene/ chief
2.13a Abɔfra child no the bɛyɛ will-be kyerɛkyerɛni teacher wɔ at kuro town no the mu in
2.13b Abɔfra /abɔfɾa/ child no /no/ DEF bɛyɛ /bɛjɛ/ FUT.be kyerɛkyerɛni /tɕeɾɛtɕeɾɛni/ teacher wɔ /wɔ/ at kuro /kuɾo/ town no /no/ DEF mu /mu/ inside
2.14a Ɔhene chief no the kaa said sɛ that aduane food no the yɛ is dɛ delicious
2.14b Ɔhene /ɔhene/ chief no /no/ DEF kaa /kaa/ say.PAST sɛ /sɛ/ that aduane /aduane/ food no /no/ DEF yɛ /jɛ/ be dɛ /dɛ/ delicious
2.15a Mekaa I-said sɛ that ɛbɛyɛ it-will-be den hard nanso but ɛnyɛ it-is-not den hard
2.15b Mekaa /mekaa/ 1SG.say.PAST sɛ /sɛ/ that ɛbɛyɛ /ɛbɛjɛ/ 3SG.FUT.be den /den/ hard nanso /nanso/ but ɛnyɛ /ɛɲɛ/ 3SG.NEG.be den /den/ hard
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2.1 Ɛyɛ aboa. → "It is an animal."
2.2 Meyɛ abɔfra. → "I am a child."
2.3 Woyɛ adamfo. → "You are a friend."
2.4 Menyɛ ɔhene. → "I am not a chief."
2.5 Aduane no yɛ dɛ. → "The food is delicious."
2.6 Meyɛ ɔbarima na woyɛ ɔbaa. → "I am a man and you are a woman."
2.7 Dan kɛseɛ no yɛ me deɛ. → "The big house is mine."
2.8 Dan kɛseɛ no wɔ hɔ, na ɛyɛ foforo. → "The big house is there, and it is new."
2.9 Adwuma no yɛ den, nanso mepɛ no. → "The work is hard, but I like it."
2.10 Nwoma no nyɛ foforo, nanso ɛyɛ fɛ. → "The book is not new, but it is beautiful."
2.11 Na meyɛ abɔfra, na seisei meyɛ ɔbarima. → "I was a child, and now I am a man."
2.12 Na Kofi yɛ kyerɛkyerɛni, nanso seisei ɔyɛ ɔhene. → "Kofi used to be a teacher, but now he is a chief."
2.13 Abɔfra no bɛyɛ kyerɛkyerɛni wɔ kuro no mu. → "The child will be a teacher in the town."
2.14 Ɔhene no kaa sɛ aduane no yɛ dɛ. → "The chief said that the food is delicious."
2.15 Mekaa sɛ ɛbɛyɛ den, nanso ɛnyɛ den. → "I said it would be hard, but it is not hard."
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2.1 Ɛyɛ aboa.
2.2 Meyɛ abɔfra.
2.3 Woyɛ adamfo.
2.4 Menyɛ ɔhene.
2.5 Aduane no yɛ dɛ.
2.6 Meyɛ ɔbarima na woyɛ ɔbaa.
2.7 Dan kɛseɛ no yɛ me deɛ.
2.8 Dan kɛseɛ no wɔ hɔ, na ɛyɛ foforo.
2.9 Adwuma no yɛ den, nanso mepɛ no.
2.10 Nwoma no nyɛ foforo, nanso ɛyɛ fɛ.
2.11 Na meyɛ abɔfra, na seisei meyɛ ɔbarima.
2.12 Na Kofi yɛ kyerɛkyerɛni, nanso seisei ɔyɛ ɔhene.
2.13 Abɔfra no bɛyɛ kyerɛkyerɛni wɔ kuro no mu.
2.14 Ɔhene no kaa sɛ aduane no yɛ dɛ.
2.15 Mekaa sɛ ɛbɛyɛ den, nanso ɛnyɛ den.
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These are the grammar rules for yɛ in Akan (Twi):
1. Yɛ is "be" in front of a noun or an adjective. It says what a person or a thing is (Meyɛ abɔfra 2.2, Ɛyɛ aboa 2.1) or what it is like (Aduane no yɛ dɛ 2.5, Adwuma no yɛ den 2.9). English has the separate words am, is, are. Akan has one verb, and the subject is written on its front.
2. The subject is carried on the verb. The prefixes are those of Lesson 1: - meyɛ "I am", woyɛ "you are", ɔyɛ "he/she is", ɛyɛ "it is"; - yɛyɛ "we are", moyɛ "you (plural) are", wɔyɛ "they are".
The prefix is written joined to the verb. Ɔ- is for a person, and ɛ- for a thing or an animal (Ɛyɛ aboa 2.1, ɛyɛ fɛ 2.10). When the subject is a noun, no prefix is added: Aduane no yɛ dɛ (2.5), Dan kɛseɛ no yɛ me deɛ (2.7). When a noun begins a clause and the next clause or verb needs the subject again, the prefix takes it up: Na Kofi yɛ kyerɛkyerɛni, nanso seisei ɔyɛ ɔhene (2.12).
3. There is no "a" or "an". The bare noun follows yɛ: Meyɛ abɔfra "I am a child" (2.2), Woyɛ adamfo "you are a friend" (2.3). A plural noun follows the same way: Yɛyɛ mmɔfra "we are children".
4. Noun, adjective and the predicate. In Lesson 1, no closed the noun phrase: dan kɛseɛ no "the big house". Here the phrase comes before yɛ as the subject, and the adjective comes after yɛ as the predicate. Compare dan kɛseɛ no (2.7, 2.8) "the big house" with Dan no yɛ kɛseɛ "the house is big". In the first, big is part of the noun phrase and no comes last. In the second, big is what is said of the house, and it stands after yɛ.
5. Yɛ and wɔ. Yɛ says what a thing is or is like. Wɔ says where it is, or that one has it. In 2.8 the two stand together: Dan kɛseɛ no wɔ hɔ "The big house is there" (a place), na ɛyɛ foforo "and it is new" (a quality). With a noun, the difference is large: Meyɛ abɔfra "I am a child", but Mewɔ abɔfra "I have a child".
6. The negative. The negative puts n- in front of the verb: meyɛ "I am" and menyɛ "I am not" (2.4), ɛyɛ and ɛnyɛ (2.15). The forms are menyɛ, wonyɛ, ɔnyɛ, ɛnyɛ, yɛnyɛ, monyɛ, wɔnyɛ. A noun subject takes nyɛ alone: Nwoma no nyɛ foforo (2.10). A verb that begins with m, b, p or f takes m-, and the other verbs take n-. Yɛ begins with y, and so it takes n-. The letters ny in nyɛ are one sound, /ɲ/. A full treatment of the negative is left for a later lesson.
7. The past: na. To say that a state was so, put na in front of the same plain form: Na meyɛ abɔfra "I was a child" (2.11), Na Kofi yɛ kyerɛkyerɛni "Kofi used to be a teacher" (2.12). The meaning is "was, used to be". Na has a second job, "and". The two are told apart by the verb that follows. After "and", a past action has its own past form, as in Na Onyankopɔn hunuu "And God saw" (Section F). After "was", the verb stays in its plain form: na meyɛ. In 2.11 both appear: the first na is "was" (na meyɛ abɔfra), and the second is "and" (na seisei meyɛ ɔbarima, with seisei "now" and a plain present verb).
8. The past of yɛ itself: yɛɛ. The lengthened form yɛɛ is the past of the other jobs of the verb: "made" (Ɔhene no yɛɛ dan kɛseɛ, Lesson 1), "did", and "came to be". In Genesis 1:3 ɛyɛɛ hann is "there was light", literally "it became light" (Section F).
9. The future: bɛ-. The future puts bɛ- between the subject and the verb: mebɛyɛ "I will be", wobɛyɛ "you will be", ɔbɛyɛ, ɛbɛyɛ (2.15). With a noun subject, bɛyɛ stands alone: Abɔfra no bɛyɛ kyerɛkyerɛni (2.13). The same bɛ- is in yɛbɛba "we will come".
10. Yɛ is also "do" and "make". Meyɛ adwuma is "I work", literally "I do work", and Woyɛ adwuma bɛn? is "What work do you do?" (bɛn "which, what"). In 2.20, ɔyɛ adwuma is "he works". In front of a noun that names a thing to be done (adwuma "work"), yɛ is "do". In front of a noun that says what the subject is (abɔfra, ɔhene) or an adjective, it is "be". The prefix yɛ- "we" is a third word that is written the same, and it is told by its place at the front of a verb: Yɛyɛ adwuma "we work".
11. Names: de. A name is given with de, not with yɛ: Me din de Kofi "My name is Kofi", and the question Wo din de sɛn? "What is your name?" (din "name", sɛn "how").
12. Possession. The possessor stands in front of the thing possessed, as in Lesson 1, and the same holds for nouns: Kofi nua "Kofi's sibling" (2.28).
Common Mistakes
- Using wɔ for "be" in front of a noun. Wrong: Mewɔ abɔfra for "I am a child". Right: Meyɛ abɔfra. (Mewɔ abɔfra is "I have a child".) - Using yɛ for a place. Wrong: Meyɛ ha for "I am here". Right: Mewɔ ha. - Looking for "a". Akan has none. Do not add a word for "a" after yɛ: Meyɛ abɔfra "I am a child". - Writing the subject as a separate word. Wrong: Me yɛ abɔfra. Right: Meyɛ abɔfra, with the prefix joined to the verb. - A negative without n. Meyɛ ɔhene is "I am a chief". "I am not a chief" is Menyɛ ɔhene. - Confusing the two na. Na meyɛ is "I was". Na Onyankopɔn hunuu is "And God saw". The verb form tells which. - Putting no between yɛ and its adjective. Wrong: Dan yɛ kɛseɛ no. Right: Dan no yɛ kɛseɛ "The house is big", or Dan kɛseɛ no "the big house". - Spelling. Do not write e or o where the word needs ɛ or ɔ: yɛ, not ye; ɔyɛ, not oye; ɛyɛ, not eye.
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Frequency and register. Yɛ is one of the commonest verbs in the language. It belongs to every register, from the market to the pulpit, and the Asante Bible uses it in the first chapter of Genesis (Section F).
How are you? The usual greeting is the question Wo ho te sɛn? and the usual answer is Me ho yɛ, "I am fine". The sentence is the verb of this lesson again: ho means "body, self", and Me ho yɛ is, word for word, "my self is good". The greeting uses yɛ for the condition of the person, in the same way as Aduane no yɛ dɛ uses it for the condition of the food.
Names and work. Akan asks for a name with din and de (Wo din de sɛn?), and for a person's work with yɛ: Woyɛ adwuma bɛn? "What work do you do?" Questions of this kind are among the first that learners are taught for making friends. The answer can use yɛ with the name of the work, as in Meyɛ kyerɛkyerɛni "I am a teacher".
The chief. The ɔhene "chief" is a living office in Asante towns, and the Asantehene is the king of the Asante. The chief and the teacher of this lesson are invented figures, made for the examples.
Three standards. Akan is written in three standards, Asante Twi, Akuapem Twi and Fante. They are mutually intelligible. This course teaches Asante Twi, the form of the New Revised Asante Twi Bible. The forms of this lesson are given as the Asante sources write them.
English "be". A learner whose first language is English meets the lesson as a loss and a gain. The loss is the little words am, is, are, was. The gain is that one verb, yɛ, with a prefix in front, does all of the work, and the only things that change are the prefix and the particle.
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Gyenesis (Genesis) 1:3 and 1:31, in the New Revised Asante Twi Bible (ASW), as printed on bible.com. The English is the King James Version (1611). The first passage is the command that makes the light and its fulfilment, and the second is God's sight of everything that he had made.
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Na and Onyankopɔn God kaa said sɛ that ɛnyɛ let-it-be hann light
F.1b Na /na/ and Onyankopɔn /oɲankopɔn/ God kaa /kaa/ say.PAST sɛ /sɛ/ that ɛnyɛ /ɛɲɛ/ 3SG.JUSS.be hann /hann/ light
F.2a Na and ɛyɛɛ it-became hann light
F.2b Na /na/ and ɛyɛɛ /ɛjɛɛ/ 3SG.be.PAST hann /hann/ light
F.3a Na and Onyankopɔn God hunuu saw deɛ that-which ɔyɛeɛ he-made nyinaa all na and hwɛ behold ɛyɛ it-is pa good ara very
F.3b Na /na/ and Onyankopɔn /oɲankopɔn/ God hunuu /hunuu/ see.PAST deɛ /deɛ/ REL ɔyɛeɛ /ɔjɛeɛ/ 3SG.do.PAST nyinaa /ɲinaa/ all na /na/ and hwɛ /hwɛ/ look ɛyɛ /ɛjɛ/ 3SG.be pa /pa/ good ara /aɾa/ very
F-B: Original → Translation
Na Onyankopɔn kaa sɛ: Ɛnyɛ hann!
"And God said, Let there be light:"
Na ɛyɛɛ hann.
"and there was light."
Na Onyankopɔn hunuu deɛ ɔyɛeɛ nyinaa, na hwɛ, ɛyɛ pa ara.
"And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good."
F-C: Original Only
Na Onyankopɔn kaa sɛ: Ɛnyɛ hann!
Na ɛyɛɛ hann.
Na Onyankopɔn hunuu deɛ ɔyɛeɛ nyinaa, na hwɛ, ɛyɛ pa ara.
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
- Ɛnyɛ hann: "Let there be light". The English is a command in the third person. The Akan form has the prefix ɛ- "it" and an n- that looks like the negative of Section D, rule 6. Here it does not deny anything: the translation shows that the sense is "let it be". This lesson only notes the form, and a later lesson will take it up. - ɛyɛɛ hann: "there was light", word for word "it became light". The lengthened yɛɛ (Section D, rule 8) has the sense of "came to be". The light is not yet a known thing, and so it takes no no, but in Lesson 1 (Genesis 1:4) hann no is "the light" once it has been made. - Na: both of the first two sentences, and the third, open with na "and". It is the "and" of Section D, rule 7, with a past action after it (kaa, ɛyɛɛ, hunuu). The second na in F.3, before hwɛ, is again "and". - deɛ ɔyɛeɛ nyinaa: "everything that he had made". Deɛ is "that which", and ɔyɛeɛ is ɔ- "he" with yɛ "do, make" and the past ending -eɛ: the verb of the lesson in its meaning of "make". Akan marks the past in more than one way: by the lengthened vowel (yɛɛ, bɔɔ) and by an ending such as -eɛ (ɔyɛeɛ). Nyinaa "all" follows the whole phrase. - ɛyɛ pa ara: "it was very good". The verb is the plain yɛ with the prefix ɛ-, and the adjective pa "good" follows, as in Section D, rule 1. Ara adds "very, indeed". The Akan has a present form where the English has "was", as it does in Genesis 1:4 (sɛ ɛyɛ, Lesson 1): the state is told as it was seen.
The Asante text is quoted from the New Revised Asante Twi Bible as printed on bible.com (version ASW): https://www.bible.com/bible/1861/GEN.1.ASW
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A short account of Kofi, a teacher in a town, told in the third person. The child who speaks to him in 2.21, 2.24 and 2.26 is a pupil, and Kofi speaks in 2.22, 2.23 and 2.25. It is a pedagogical text built from verified patterns, with yɛ in nearly every line.
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
2.16a Kofi Kofi yɛ is kyerɛkyerɛni teacher wɔ at kuro town no the mu in
2.16b Kofi /kofi/ Kofi yɛ /jɛ/ be kyerɛkyerɛni /tɕeɾɛtɕeɾɛni/ teacher wɔ /wɔ/ at kuro /kuɾo/ town no /no/ DEF mu /mu/ inside
2.17a Na was ɔyɛ he-is abɔfra child ketewa small
2.17b Na /na/ PAST ɔyɛ /ɔjɛ/ 3SG.be abɔfra /abɔfɾa/ child ketewa /ketewa/ small
2.18a Na was nwoma book no the yɛ is kɛseɛ big nanso but na was ɔpɛ he-likes no it
2.18b Na /na/ PAST nwoma /ɲwoma/ book no /no/ DEF yɛ /jɛ/ be kɛseɛ /kɛseɛ/ big nanso /nanso/ but na /na/ PAST ɔpɛ /ɔpɛ/ 3SG.like.STAT no /no/ 3SG.OBJ
2.19a Seisei now nnipa people nyinaa all pɛ like no him
2.19b Seisei /seisei/ now nnipa /nnipa/ people nyinaa /ɲinaa/ all pɛ /pɛ/ like.STAT no /no/ 3SG.OBJ
2.20a Ɛnnɛ today ɔyɛ he-does adwuma work wɔ at sukuu school no the mu in
2.20b Ɛnnɛ /ɛnnɛ/ today ɔyɛ /ɔjɛ/ 3SG.do adwuma /adwuma/ work wɔ /wɔ/ at sukuu /sukuu/ school no /no/ DEF mu /mu/ inside
2.21a Abɔfra child no the kaa said sɛ that nwoma book no the yɛ is den hard
2.21b Abɔfra /abɔfɾa/ child no /no/ DEF kaa /kaa/ say.PAST sɛ /sɛ/ that nwoma /ɲwoma/ book no /no/ DEF yɛ /jɛ/ be den /den/ hard
2.22a Kofi Kofi kaa said sɛ that nwoma book no the nyɛ is-not den hard
2.22b Kofi /kofi/ Kofi kaa /kaa/ say.PAST sɛ /sɛ/ that nwoma /ɲwoma/ book no /no/ DEF nyɛ /ɲɛ/ NEG.be den /den/ hard
2.23a Kofi Kofi kaa said sɛ that wobɛyɛ you-will-be kyerɛkyerɛni teacher nso also
2.23b Kofi /kofi/ Kofi kaa /kaa/ say.PAST sɛ /sɛ/ that wobɛyɛ /wobɛjɛ/ 2SG.FUT.be kyerɛkyerɛni /tɕeɾɛtɕeɾɛni/ teacher nso /nso/ also
2.24a Abɔfra child no the kaa said sɛ that aane yes mebɛyɛ I-will-be kyerɛkyerɛni teacher
2.24b Abɔfra /abɔfɾa/ child no /no/ DEF kaa /kaa/ say.PAST sɛ /sɛ/ that aane /aane/ yes mebɛyɛ /mebɛjɛ/ 1SG.FUT.be kyerɛkyerɛni /tɕeɾɛtɕeɾɛni/ teacher
2.25a Kofi Kofi kaa said sɛ that woyɛ you-are abɔfra child pa good
2.25b Kofi /kofi/ Kofi kaa /kaa/ say.PAST sɛ /sɛ/ that woyɛ /wojɛ/ 2SG.be abɔfra /abɔfɾa/ child pa /pa/ good
2.26a Abɔfra child no the kaa said sɛ that medaase thank-you
2.26b Abɔfra /abɔfɾa/ child no /no/ DEF kaa /kaa/ say.PAST sɛ /sɛ/ that medaase /medaase/ thank.you
2.27a Nnipa people no the kaa said sɛ that Kofi Kofi yɛ is kyerɛkyerɛni teacher pa good
2.27b Nnipa /nnipa/ people no /no/ DEF kaa /kaa/ say.PAST sɛ /sɛ/ that Kofi /kofi/ Kofi yɛ /jɛ/ be kyerɛkyerɛni /tɕeɾɛtɕeɾɛni/ teacher pa /pa/ good
2.28a Kofi Kofi nua sibling yɛ is kyerɛkyerɛni teacher nso also
2.28b Kofi /kofi/ Kofi nua /nua/ sibling yɛ /jɛ/ be kyerɛkyerɛni /tɕeɾɛtɕeɾɛni/ teacher nso /nso/ also
2.29a Wɔyɛ they-do adwuma work pa good
2.29b Wɔyɛ /wɔjɛ/ 3PL.do adwuma /adwuma/ work pa /pa/ good
2.30a Kuro town no the yɛ is kɛseɛ big na and nnipa people no the yɛ are nnipa people pa good
2.30b Kuro /kuɾo/ town no /no/ DEF yɛ /jɛ/ be kɛseɛ /kɛseɛ/ big na /na/ and nnipa /nnipa/ people no /no/ DEF yɛ /jɛ/ be nnipa /nnipa/ people pa /pa/ good
Part B: Natural Sentences
2.16 Kofi yɛ kyerɛkyerɛni wɔ kuro no mu. → "Kofi is a teacher in the town."
2.17 Na ɔyɛ abɔfra ketewa. → "He was a small child."
2.18 Na nwoma no yɛ kɛseɛ, nanso na ɔpɛ no. → "The book was big, but he liked it."
2.19 Seisei nnipa nyinaa pɛ no. → "Now all the people like him."
2.20 Ɛnnɛ ɔyɛ adwuma wɔ sukuu no mu. → "Today he works at the school."
2.21 Abɔfra no kaa sɛ nwoma no yɛ den. → "The child said that the book is hard."
2.22 Kofi kaa sɛ nwoma no nyɛ den. → "Kofi said that the book is not hard."
2.23 Kofi kaa sɛ wobɛyɛ kyerɛkyerɛni nso. → "Kofi said that you will be a teacher too."
2.24 Abɔfra no kaa sɛ aane, mebɛyɛ kyerɛkyerɛni. → "The child said, 'Yes, I will be a teacher.'"
2.25 Kofi kaa sɛ woyɛ abɔfra pa. → "Kofi said, 'You are a good child.'"
2.26 Abɔfra no kaa sɛ medaase. → "The child said, 'Thank you.'"
2.27 Nnipa no kaa sɛ Kofi yɛ kyerɛkyerɛni pa. → "The people said that Kofi is a good teacher."
2.28 Kofi nua yɛ kyerɛkyerɛni nso. → "Kofi's sibling is a teacher too."
2.29 Wɔyɛ adwuma pa. → "They do good work."
2.30 Kuro no yɛ kɛseɛ, na nnipa no yɛ nnipa pa. → "The town is big, and the people are good people."
Part C: Target Language Only
2.16 Kofi yɛ kyerɛkyerɛni wɔ kuro no mu.
2.17 Na ɔyɛ abɔfra ketewa.
2.18 Na nwoma no yɛ kɛseɛ, nanso na ɔpɛ no.
2.19 Seisei nnipa nyinaa pɛ no.
2.20 Ɛnnɛ ɔyɛ adwuma wɔ sukuu no mu.
2.21 Abɔfra no kaa sɛ nwoma no yɛ den.
2.22 Kofi kaa sɛ nwoma no nyɛ den.
2.23 Kofi kaa sɛ wobɛyɛ kyerɛkyerɛni nso.
2.24 Abɔfra no kaa sɛ aane, mebɛyɛ kyerɛkyerɛni.
2.25 Kofi kaa sɛ woyɛ abɔfra pa.
2.26 Abɔfra no kaa sɛ medaase.
2.27 Nnipa no kaa sɛ Kofi yɛ kyerɛkyerɛni pa.
2.28 Kofi nua yɛ kyerɛkyerɛni nso.
2.29 Wɔyɛ adwuma pa.
2.30 Kuro no yɛ kɛseɛ, na nnipa no yɛ nnipa pa.
Part D: Grammar Notes for the Genre Section
- Be in the present and the past. The present yɛ (2.16, 2.27) and the past with na (2.17, 2.18) run through the account. Compare Kofi yɛ kyerɛkyerɛni (2.16) with Na ɔyɛ abɔfra ketewa (2.17): the verb is the same, and only na is added. In 2.18 na is added to two verbs, yɛ and pɛ (na ɔpɛ no), and the nanso "but" stands between them. - Be and do. In 2.20 and 2.29 yɛ is "do": ɔyɛ adwuma "he works", wɔyɛ adwuma "they work". The noun adwuma tells it. In 2.16, 2.27 and 2.28, with kyerɛkyerɛni, it is "be". - Said that. Reports of speech use kaa sɛ "said that", as in Lesson 1 (kaa sɛ). What was said follows sɛ as a clause with its own subject. In 2.24 the child's own words are aane, mebɛyɛ kyerɛkyerɛni "yes, I will be a teacher", with the speaker's own prefix me-. - Negative. Nwoma no nyɛ den (2.22) is the negative of Nwoma no yɛ den (2.21): n- is added to yɛ, and the noun subject needs no prefix. - Future. Wobɛyɛ (2.23) and mebɛyɛ (2.24) have bɛ- after the subject prefix. The nso "also" at the end of 2.23 and 2.28 comes last in the clause. - A person's quality. 2.25 says woyɛ abɔfra pa "you are a good child" with the noun abɔfra and the adjective pa "good" after it. For a person's looks and condition, Akan uses ho "body, self" (Me ho yɛ, Section E), and this lesson keeps to nouns that say what a person is. - Possession. Kofi nua (2.28) puts the possessor first, as the possessives of Lesson 1 do. - Plural. Nnipa is a plural noun, "people", and nnipa no is "the people" (2.27, 2.30). Nnipa pa (2.30) is "good people". The verb after a plural noun subject is the same yɛ. - Names. Kofi takes no no.
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Check these in every sentence:
- yɛ /jɛ/: the y is /j/, the ɛ is the vowel of "bed", and yɛ must never be written ye. The prefix is joined to it: meyɛ, woyɛ, ɔyɛ, ɛyɛ. - ɛ and ɔ. Every ɛ and ɔ must be present: yɛ, ɛyɛ, ɔyɛ, ɔhene, abɔfra, kɛseɛ, sɛ, fɛ, hwɛ, dɛ, wɔ, hɔ, Onyankopɔn, mepɛ, ɔbarima, kyerɛkyerɛni. Replacing them with plain e and o writes another word, or a misspelling. - Doubled vowels. Yɛɛ, kaa, hunuu, sukuu, aane, ɔbaa, medaase and nyinaa each have two letters for a long vowel. Hann and ɛnnɛ have a doubled n, and nnipa begins with one. - Digraphs. ny, ky, dw, hw, nw: menyɛ, ɛnyɛ, kyerɛkyerɛni, adwuma, hwɛ, nwoma. They are single sounds. - Syllabic nasals. Nnipa, ɛnnɛ and nso begin, or have inside, a nasal that is a syllable of its own. - Tone is not written. The IPA here shows the sounds of the letters and not the tones. - Asante spelling. This course writes foforo and deɛ as in Lesson 1. Other books may write them foforɔ and dea: that is another spelling and not an error. - Capital letters begin sentences and names (Kofi, Onyankopɔn), and Ɛ and Ɔ are the capitals of ɛ and ɔ at the start of a sentence: Ɛyɛ aboa., Ɔhene no kaa sɛ…
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