Introduction: In this second lesson we study "be", the second most frequent word in English and the most important verb. "Be" is the verb of existence and description. It joins a subject to what it is, where it is, or how it is: "Kofi is a teacher", "The book is on the table", "I am well". In English it has eight forms: be, am, is, are, was, were, been, being. Of these, five are used all the time: am, is, are (present) and was, were (past).
Ewe does not have one verb for this. It has several, and each has its own job. This is the first thing for an Ewe speaker to notice:
- nye says who or what someone or something is: Kofi nye nufiala (Kofi is a teacher), Esia nye agbalẽ (this is a book). - le says where something is, and how someone is: Mele afisia (I am here), Mele nyuie (I am well). It also carries the action that is happening now: Kofi le agbalẽ la xlẽm (Kofi is reading the book). - nɔ says where someone was: Menɔ aƒea me (I was in the house). - li says that something exists. The Ewe Bible uses it for "was" in John 1:1 (Part F).
English uses one verb, with the forms am, is, are, was, were, for all of these. Part A shows which Ewe word answers each "be", and this is the most important thing in the lesson: where Ewe chooses between nye, le, nɔ and li, English has only "be", and it must change its form for the person and the time.
The lesson is mostly about the places where the two languages part:
- English "be" has different forms for different people: I am, you are, he is, we are, they are. Ewe le is the same for all, and only the small pronoun on the front changes: mele, nele, ele, miele, wole. In the past English has two forms: I was, you were, he was, we were, they were. - Ewe ele means "he is", "she is" and "it is", because Ewe has no grammatical gender. English must choose: he, she or it. - English must always say a subject and a verb. "Is here" is wrong; say "He is here" or "It is here". Ewe carries the subject on the verb: Ele afisia. - English needs "be" before many words where Ewe has no separate word. Ewe nyo is itself the verb "be good" (Lesson 1, rule 10), but English good is only a describing word and needs "is": "The book is good". - English needs "a" before a job or kind: "Kofi is a teacher". Ewe has no "a": Kofi nye nufiala. - English makes questions by moving "is" or "are" to the front: "Is Kofi in the house?". Ewe keeps the order and puts à at the end: Kofi le aƒea me à? - English makes the negative by putting "not" after "be": "Aku is not a teacher". Ewe puts menye in front and o at the end: Aku menye nufiala o. - English says "there is" and "there are" to introduce a thing in a place: "There is a dog in the room". Ewe says Avu aɖe le xɔ la me, with no word for "there". - English uses "be" and a verb with -ing for what is happening now: "Kofi is reading". Ewe uses le before the object and -m on the verb. - The sounds are new: /w/, /z/ at the end of a word, and the weak forms of "am", "are", "was", "were".
Etymology: "be" is an old word, and its forms come from different roots that came together. Am and is come from the root that also gave Latin est; are comes from a northern form brought in from Old Norse; was and were come from Old English wesan, "to remain"; and be, been and being come from Old English bēon. This is why the forms look so unlike each other. Ewe has a similar picture: nye, le, nɔ and li are four different verbs that share the work English gives to one word.
"Be" has a partner in the verb "have", which makes the perfect tense: "I have been here" (see Part D). "Have" has its own lesson; in this lesson it appears only in the examples. In the next lessons "be" will return in every sentence.
What does "be" mean in Ewe? The nearest are nye (to be something) and le (to be somewhere, to be in some state). When English says "I am a student" the Ewe verb is nye; when it says "I am at home" the Ewe verb is le. English says "am" for both.
Key Takeaways:
- Learn the forms by person: I am, you are, he/she/it is, we are, they are. Past: I was, you were, he/she/it was, we were, they were. Never "I is", "you is" or "we is". - English always has a subject: "It is here", never "Is here". Ewe ele can be "he is", "she is" or "it is". - Say "a" before a job: "Kofi is a teacher", not "Kofi is teacher". - Questions and negatives use "be" itself: "Is Kofi here?", "Aku is not a teacher". Do not use "do". - "There is" and "there are" introduce a thing: "There is a dog in the room". The verb agrees with the noun after it.
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Pronunciation Guide:
be — /biː/, weak /bi/ before another word: to be /tə ˈbiː/, I will be here /aɪ wɪl bi ˈhɪə/. am — /æm/, weak /əm/: I am /aɪ ˈæm/ when stressed, and I am here /aɪ əm ˈhɪə/ in an ordinary sentence. Short form I'm /aɪm/. is — /ɪz/, weak /z/ or /s/ after a short sound: it is /ɪt ˈɪz/ when stressed. Short form it's /ɪts/, he's /hiːz/. are — /ɑː/, weak /ə/: you are /juː ˈɑː/ when stressed, and you are here /ju ə ˈhɪə/ in an ordinary sentence. Short form you're /jɔː/ or /jʊə/. was — /wɒz/, weak /wəz/: he was /hi wəz/. were — /wɜː/, weak /wə/: they were /ðeɪ wə/. been — /biːn/ in British English, /bɪn/ in American English and often in fast speech. being — /ˈbiːɪŋ/.
The two last letters of "is" and "was" are pronounced /z/, not /s/: is /ɪz/, was /wɒz/. Ewe has z, so the sound itself is not new, but Ewe words nearly always end in a vowel, and learners often add one: "is-i" or "was-a". Stop the sound at the z; do not give it a vowel.
The sound /w/ in "was" and "were" is made with the lips rounded, as in the first sound of the Ewe word wo (they). It is not English /v/. Say "was" and "were" with round lips from the first moment: not "vas", not "ver".
The vowel in "is" is short and relaxed, /ɪ/, not the long /iː/ of "be" and "been". Practise the pairs: is /ɪz/ and ease /iːz/; sit /sɪt/ and seat /siːt/. Ewe has the vowel i but does not set a short and a long one against each other.
In an ordinary sentence "be" is weak, like "the" in Lesson 1: The book is on the table /ðə ˈbʊk əz ɒn ðə ˈteɪbl/. The stress falls on "book" and "table". But in a short answer, "be" is strong, because it is the last word: Yes, he is /jes hi ˈɪz/. Do not say Yes, he's.
Do not say "be" with the full tone and force of Ewe le, as if it were the main word of the sentence. Say it small and fast, and let the stress fall on the important words.
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Part A (English and Ewe text, word by word):
2.1 I-am-at Mele here afisia.
2.2 You-are-at Nele here afisia.
2.3 He-is-at Ele here afisia.
2.4 We-are-at Miele here afisia.
2.5 They-are-at Wole here afisia.
2.6 This Esia is nye a – book agbalẽ.
2.7 That Ema is nye a – house aƒe.
2.8 Kofi Kofi is nye a – teacher nufiala.
2.9 Aku Aku is-not menye a – teacher nufiala – o.
2.10 The la→ book agbalẽ is-at le on dzi→ the la→ table kplɔ̃.
2.11 I-am Mele well nyuie.
2.12 My Nye name ŋkɔ-e is nye Kofi Kofi.
2.13 Is-at le Kofi Kofi in me→ the -a→ house aƒe – à?
2.14 The -a→ children ɖevi-wo were-at nɔ in me→ the -a→ house aƒe.
2.15 There – is-at le a – dog avu aɖe→ in me→ the la→ room xɔ.
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Part B (Full English sentence followed by the Ewe translation):
2.1 I am here. Mele afisia.
2.2 You are here. Nele afisia.
2.3 He is here. Ele afisia.
2.4 We are here. Miele afisia.
2.5 They are here. Wole afisia.
2.6 This is a book. Esia nye agbalẽ.
2.7 That is a house. Ema nye aƒe.
2.8 Kofi is a teacher. Kofi nye nufiala.
2.9 Aku is not a teacher. Aku menye nufiala o.
2.10 The book is on the table. Agbalẽ la le kplɔ̃ la dzi.
2.11 I am well. Mele nyuie.
2.12 My name is Kofi. Nye ŋkɔe nye Kofi.
2.13 Is Kofi in the house? Kofi le aƒea me à?
2.14 The children were in the house. Ɖeviawo nɔ aƒea me.
2.15 There is a dog in the room. Avu aɖe le xɔ la me.
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Part C (English text only):
2.1 I am here.
2.2 You are here.
2.3 He is here.
2.4 We are here.
2.5 They are here.
2.6 This is a book.
2.7 That is a house.
2.8 Kofi is a teacher.
2.9 Aku is not a teacher.
2.10 The book is on the table.
2.11 I am well.
2.12 My name is Kofi.
2.13 Is Kofi in the house?
2.14 The children were in the house.
2.15 There is a dog in the room.
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Part D (Grammar explanation):
These are the grammar rules for "be" in English:
1. "Be" changes for the person. English has five forms in the present and the past: am, is, are, was, were. In the present: I am (2.1, 2.11), you are (2.2), he, she or it is (2.3), we are (2.4), they are (2.5). In the past: I was, you were, he/she/it was, we were, they were (2.14). Ewe le does not change in this way: only the pronoun before it changes, mele, nele, ele, miele, wole. For the past Ewe uses nɔ in the same way (menɔ, wonɔ). The forms must be learned by heart. Never "I is", "you is", "he are", "we is" or "they is". The other forms are be (to be, will be), being and been (I have been here).
2. "You are" is one form for one person and for many. Ewe has nele for one person and mile for more than one. English has only "you are": "You are my friend" to one person, and "You are my friends" to many. Never "you is" and never "you am".
3. Ewe has no gender; English does. Ewe ele is "he is", "she is" or "it is" (2.3). English says "he" for a man or boy, "she" for a woman or girl, and "it" for a thing or an animal: "The dog is here. It is good." Never "is here" without a subject.
4. English uses the same "be" for who, where and how; Ewe uses a different verb. Ewe nye is for who or what someone is (2.6, 2.7, 2.8, 2.12), and le is for where and how (2.1, 2.10, 2.11, 2.13). English uses "is" for both: "Kofi is a teacher" (2.8) and "Kofi is in the house" (2.13). Never put two verbs together: ✗ "Kofi is be a teacher".
5. English needs "a" before a job or a kind. Ewe Kofi nye nufiala (2.8) has no word for "a". English: "Kofi is a teacher", "This is a book" (2.6), "That is a house" (2.7). Never "Kofi is teacher". With a describing word and a noun the "a" goes first: "Kofi is a good person" (2.30), not "Kofi is good person". With a plural noun there is no "a": "They are teachers".
6. The place comes after "be", and the preposition comes first. Ewe puts the place before the postposition: kplɔ̃ la dzi (table the on) in 2.10, and aƒea me (house the in) in 2.13 and 2.14. English puts the preposition first: on the table, in the house. The usual prepositions of place are in, on and at: in the house, on the table, at home. Never "table the on".
7. The past of "be" is was or were. Ewe uses nɔ for where someone was: Menɔ aƒea me (2.14). English uses was for I, he, she, it and for a single noun, and were for you, we, they and for a plural noun: "Kofi was in the room" (2.22), "The children were in the room" (2.21). Never "the children was", "we was" or "I were". The perfect tense is "have been" or "has been": "I have been here since Monday". Do not say "I am here since Monday".
8. The negative: "not" comes after "be". Ewe puts menye in front and o behind: Aku menye nufiala o (2.9), Agbalẽ yeye la mele aƒea me o (2.17). English does it with one word, "not", after "be": "Aku is not a teacher", "The book is not in the house". The Ewe final o has no English word, and in Part A it has a dash. The short forms are is not = isn't, are not = aren't, was not = wasn't, were not = weren't. The short form of "am not" is "I'm not". Never "amn't", and never use "do": ✗ "Aku does not be a teacher".
9. The question: "be" goes in front of the subject. Ewe keeps the order and puts à at the end: Kofi le aƒea me à? (2.13, 2.23). English moves "is" to the front: "Is Kofi in the house?", "Are you well?", "Were the children here?". Never "Kofi is in the house?" in writing, and never "Does Kofi be in the house?". A question word goes first: "Where is Kofi?".
10. A short answer repeats "be". Ewe says Ẽ, ele afisia (2.24). English says "Yes, he is here" or just "Yes, he is." Never "Yes, is" and never "Yes, he's" (the short form cannot stand at the end). In the negative: "No, he is not" or "No, he isn't".
11. "There is" and "there are" introduce a thing in a place. Ewe Avu aɖe le xɔ la me (2.15) starts with the dog and has no word for "there". English starts with "there" and puts the new thing after the verb: "There is a dog in the room". The verb agrees with the noun that follows: "There is a book" and "There are two books". Never "There is two books" and never "It is a dog in the room". The short form is "there's".
12. "Be" and the -ing form: what is happening now. Ewe uses le before the object and -m on the verb: Kofi le agbalẽ la xlẽm (2.25). English uses "is" and the -ing form: "Kofi is reading the book". The Ewe le here is the English "is", so this is easy to translate, but English must say the right form: "I am reading", "you are reading", "they are reading". Never "Kofi reading the book" and never "Kofi is read the book".
13. "Nye" can mean "my" in Ewe, and not only "be". In Nye ŋkɔe nye Kofi (2.12) the first nye is "my" and the second is "is". English has two different words: "My name is Kofi". Never "I am name Kofi" and never "My name am Kofi".
14. Short forms. In speech and in friendly writing, "be" joins the word before it: I'm, you're, he's, she's, it's, we're, they're, and isn't, aren't, wasn't, weren't. In formal writing use the long forms. The short form is not used at the end of a sentence: ✗ "Yes, I'm" → ✓ "Yes, I am".
15. How Part A reads. A hyphen in the English gloss joins the English words that answer one Ewe word: I-am-at Mele, is-not menye, were-at nɔ. The ending -at on the English gloss shows that the Ewe verb is le or nɔ in the sense "be at a place"; without it, the verb is nye or le in the sense "be something" or "be in some state" (2.11). In the Ewe, ɖevi-wo and ŋkɔ-e show an ending apart; the real words are ɖeviwo (with the article ɖeviawo) and ŋkɔe, "the name itself" (the -e picks out the word). The arrow after la, -a, dzi, me and aɖe marks a word that follows its noun in the real Ewe sentence, and Part B shows the true Ewe order. A dash (–) marks an English word with no Ewe counterpart (as with "a" in 2.6), or an Ewe word with no English counterpart (the o in 2.9, and the à in 2.13).
Common mistakes:
- ✗ I is here. ✓ I am here. (Ewe: Mele afisia.) - ✗ You is my friend. ✓ You are my friend. - ✗ Is here. ✓ He is here. / It is here. - ✗ Kofi is teacher. ✓ Kofi is a teacher. - ✗ Kofi is be a teacher. ✓ Kofi is a teacher. - ✗ The book good. ✓ The book is good. - ✗ Table the on. ✓ On the table. - ✗ The children was in the house. ✓ The children were in the house. - ✗ We was here. ✓ We were here. - ✗ I am here since Monday. ✓ I have been here since Monday. - ✗ Aku does not be a teacher. ✓ Aku is not a teacher. - ✗ Kofi is in the house? (in writing) ✓ Is Kofi in the house? - ✗ Does Kofi be in the house? ✓ Is Kofi in the house? - ✗ Yes, he's. ✓ Yes, he is. - ✗ There is two dogs. ✓ There are two dogs. - ✗ It is a dog in the room. ✓ There is a dog in the room. - ✗ Kofi reading the book. ✓ Kofi is reading the book. - ✗ I am name Kofi. ✓ My name is Kofi. - ✗ vas, ver, is-i ✓ was /wɒz/, were /wɜː/, is /ɪz/
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Part E (Cultural context):
"Be" is the word English speakers use most when they talk about people, and it is the word of greeting: "How are you?" "I am fine, thank you. And you?". In Ghana, where English is the official language and the language of school, this exchange is heard all day. "How are you?" is not a question about health; it is a greeting, and the answer is short and polite: "I am fine." The Ewe speaker already has the verb le for how someone is, and the answer "I am well" is Mele nyuie (2.11).
English speakers also use "be" in many fixed phrases. "Be careful!" and "Be quiet!" are commands. "Be my guest" means "please, go ahead". "To be or not to be" is a famous line from Shakespeare's Hamlet. "Time is money" is a proverb. These phrases are learnt as wholes.
West African English has its own use of "be" and its neighbours. In Ghana, "I am coming" is often said when a person is going out for a short while and means "I will be right back". An English speaker from another country may take it to mean that the person is on the way, so in a formal setting say "I will be back soon". This is not a mistake; it is a different convention.
Remember, too, that Ewe divides the work of "be" among nye, le, nɔ and li, so an Ewe speaker may reach for the wrong form in English: "Kofi is in the teacher" for "Kofi is a teacher", or "The book is table" for "The book is on the table". The cure is to ask two questions before every "be": is the sentence about who or what (Kofi is a teacher), or about where or how (Kofi is in the house, Kofi is well)? And is the thing in front of "be" one or more than one (is, are; was, were)?
The Ewe names in this lesson are again the day-names: Kofi is a boy born on a Friday and Aku is a girl born on a Wednesday. They take no "the" and no "a" in English, and in "My name is Kofi" the name stands alone after "is".
Ewe is written in a standard form with many dialects, and the small forms of the pronouns on the verb are not the same everywhere. This lesson uses the standard written forms mele, nele, ele, miele and wole; a book or a speaker from another town may print or say them a little differently. This is not an error.
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Part F (Literary citation):
John 1:1, in the English King James Version (1611); Ewe text from the Ewe Revised Version (1913).
F-A (English and Ewe text, word by word):
"In le the -a→ beginning gɔmedzedze me→ the la→ Word Nya was li, and eye the la→ Word Nya was li with kple God Mawu, and eye the la-e→ Word Nya was nye God Mawu."
F-B (Original text followed by the Ewe translation):
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
"Le gɔmedzedzea me Nya la li, eye Nya la li kple Mawu, eye Nya lae nye Mawu."
F-C (English text only):
"In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God."
F-D (Grammar and literary commentary):
These are the first words of the Gospel of John in the King James Version, the English translation of 1611. The sentence is built on one word, "was", used three times, and each time the meaning is different. English uses the same verb for all three. The Ewe translators had to choose, because Ewe has different verbs for them.
- "was" (1): "In the beginning was the Word". Here "was" means "existed", and the verb comes before its subject, which is old English order. Ewe uses li, which here means "exist, be", and puts it after the subject: Nya la li. Modern English would say "The Word was there", or "There was the Word". Compare 2.15 and Part D, rule 11. - "was" (2): "the Word was with God". Here "was" means "was in the company of". Ewe uses li again, with kple, "with": li kple Mawu. English needs "was" and the preposition "with"; Ewe needs li and the word kple, which stands in front of God in the same way as English "with" (and not behind it, as dzi and me do). - "was" (3): "the Word was God". Here "was" joins two names, and it states what the Word is. Ewe changes the verb: nye, as in Kofi nye nufiala (2.8). The word lae is la ("the") with the picking-out ending -e (compare ŋkɔe in 2.12): "it is the Word that is God". English does not mark this; the order "the Word was God" is enough. - "the beginning" and "the Word": English has "the" in front, and Ewe has -a and la after the noun, as in Lesson 1. The Ewe word gɔmedzedzea, "the beginning", is the one that opens Genesis 1:1 in Lesson 1, and the two verses ("In the beginning God created…" and "In the beginning was the Word…") begin in the same way. - Notice that the English has no "a": "God" and "the Word" are names here, and need no "a". And "was" is the same for "the Word" in all three places: a single noun, so was, never were.
The King James Version is of 1611, and many modern English versions write "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" in the same way. The Ewe text is quoted as it is printed in the Ewe Revised Version of 1913.
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Aku is looking for the new book. The narrator tells the story in 2.16 to 2.22, 2.25 and 2.28 to 2.30. Aku speaks in 2.23 and 2.26; a woman answers in 2.24; Kofi speaks in 2.27. Kofi, Aku, the man and the children live in the big house.
Part A (English and Ewe text, word by word):
2.16 Aku Aku is-at le in me→ the la→ big gã house aƒe.
2.17 The la→ new yeye book agbalẽ is-not-at mele in me→ the -a→ house aƒe – o.
2.18 Aku Aku is-at le in me→ the la→ room xɔ, but gake the la→ book agbalẽ is-not-at mele in me→ the la→ room xɔ – o.
2.19 The la→ man ŋutsu says gblɔ that be the la→ book agbalẽ is-at le on dzi→ the la→ table kplɔ̃.
2.20 The la→ table kplɔ̃ was-at nɔ in me→ the la→ room xɔ.
2.21 The -a→ children ɖevi-wo were-at nɔ in me→ the la→ room xɔ.
2.22 Kofi Kofi was-at nɔ in me→ the la→ room xɔ.
2.23 Is-at le Kofi Kofi here afisia – à?
2.24 Yes, Ẽ he-is-at ele here afisia.
2.25 Kofi Kofi is le the la→ book agbalẽ reading xlẽm.
2.26 You-are-at Nele here, afisia Kofi Kofi!
2.27 I-am-at Mele here, afisia Aku Aku!
2.28 Aku Aku and kple Kofi Kofi are nye friends xɔ̃-wo.
2.29 They-are Wole well nyuie.
2.30 Kofi Kofi is nye a – good nyui person ame.
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Part B (Full English sentence followed by the Ewe translation):
2.16 Aku is in the big house. Aku le aƒe gã la me.
2.17 The new book is not in the house. Agbalẽ yeye la mele aƒea me o.
2.18 Aku is in the room, but the book is not in the room. Aku le xɔ la me, gake agbalẽ la mele xɔ la me o.
2.19 The man says that the book is on the table. Ŋutsu la gblɔ be agbalẽ la le kplɔ̃ la dzi.
2.20 The table was in the room. Kplɔ̃ la nɔ xɔ la me.
2.21 The children were in the room. Ɖeviawo nɔ xɔ la me.
2.22 Kofi was in the room. Kofi nɔ xɔ la me.
2.23 Is Kofi here? Kofi le afisia à?
2.24 Yes, he is here. Ẽ, ele afisia.
2.25 Kofi is reading the book. Kofi le agbalẽ la xlẽm.
2.26 You are here, Kofi! Nele afisia, Kofi!
2.27 I am here, Aku! Mele afisia, Aku!
2.28 Aku and Kofi are friends. Aku kple Kofi nye xɔ̃wo.
2.29 They are well. Wole nyuie.
2.30 Kofi is a good person. Kofi nye ame nyui.
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Part C (English text only):
2.16 Aku is in the big house.
2.17 The new book is not in the house.
2.18 Aku is in the room, but the book is not in the room.
2.19 The man says that the book is on the table.
2.20 The table was in the room.
2.21 The children were in the room.
2.22 Kofi was in the room.
2.23 Is Kofi here?
2.24 Yes, he is here.
2.25 Kofi is reading the book.
2.26 You are here, Kofi!
2.27 I am here, Aku!
2.28 Aku and Kofi are friends.
2.29 They are well.
2.30 Kofi is a good person.
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Part D (Grammar explanation):
The narrative is in the present and the simple past, and every sentence has a form of "be". Its grammatical thread is the choice of the form: am, is, are in the present, was and were in the past, and "not" and the question order for the negative and the question (Lesson Part D, rules 1, 7, 8 and 9).
- "Aku is in the big house." (2.16): "is" + a place. Ewe uses le, and aƒe gã la me puts the postposition at the end. English puts "in" first. "Aku" is a name, so no "the" or "a". - "The new book is not in the house." (2.17): "is not" is the negative of "is" (Part D, rule 8). Ewe has mele … o. "The new book" has "the" in front of the describing word, and Ewe has la behind it: agbalẽ yeye la. - "Aku is in the room, but the book is not in the room." (2.18): two sentences with "be" joined by "but" (Ewe gake). Each has its own subject and its own "be". English cannot leave "be" out of the second part: ✗ "but the book not in the room". - "The man says that the book is on the table." (2.19): the second clause has its own "is": "that the book is on the table". Ewe be is "that", and le is "is at" (Lesson 1, rule 10). The verb "says" has -s because the subject "the man" is he. The preposition "on" comes before "the table" in English and after it in Ewe (kplɔ̃ la dzi). - "The table was in the room." (2.20) and "Kofi was in the room." (2.22): "was" for a single noun. Ewe uses nɔ for both. - "The children were in the room." (2.21): "were" for a plural noun, in the same way as "they were". Ewe ɖeviawo is plural, and nɔ does not change. Compare 2.20 and 2.21: English changes the verb when the noun changes from one to many; Ewe does not. - "Is Kofi here?" (2.23): the question puts "is" in front of the subject. Ewe adds à at the end. Never "Does Kofi be here?". - "Yes, he is here." (2.24): "he" is Kofi; Ewe ele can mean he, she or it, and English chooses "he" because it is a boy. The answer can be shortened: "Yes, he is." - "Kofi is reading the book." (2.25): "is" and the -ing form. Ewe uses le before the object and -m on the verb (Part D, rule 12). "The book": now it is a book that the listener knows (Lesson 1). - "You are here, Kofi!" (2.26) and "I am here, Aku!" (2.27): "you are" and "I am" in a short exclamation. A name that is spoken to comes at the end, with a comma before it. - "Aku and Kofi are friends." (2.28): two names make a plural subject, so "are". Ewe nye is used for who someone is, and xɔ̃wo is the plural, "friends". English has no "a" before a plural noun. - "They are well." (2.29): "they are" + a describing word of state, "well". In English "well" is the word for health; "good" is for quality. In careful English, "How are they?" is answered "They are well", not "They are good". Ewe nyuie is "well". - "Kofi is a good person." (2.30): "is" + "a" + the describing word + the noun. Ewe nye is the verb for who someone is, and the describing word follows the noun: ame nyui.
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Pronunciation and Orthography Notes:
- be — /biː/ when stressed, /bi/ when weak. am /æm/ or /əm/. is /ɪz/. are /ɑː/ or /ə/. was /wɒz/ or /wəz/. were /wɜː/ or /wə/. been /biːn/ (British) or /bɪn/. being /ˈbiːɪŋ/. - The final sound of "is" and "was" is /z/. Stop at /z/; do not add a vowel. The /w/ of "was" and "were" is made with round lips; it is not /v/. - Spelling: am, is, are, was, were, be, been, being, always with these letters. "Are" ends in a silent e. "Were" and "where" sound different: were /wɜː/, where /weə/. "Was" is written w-a-s but pronounced /wɒz/ (the a is not /æ/). "Been" is written with two e's but is pronounced /biːn/ or /bɪn/. - Short forms are written with an apostrophe: I'm, you're, he's, she's, it's, we're, they're, there's, isn't, aren't, wasn't, weren't. The apostrophe is not a letter; it only shows that sounds have been left out. Do not write "Im", "its" for "it's" (its is "belonging to it"), or "arent". - Ewe letters to watch when you compare: Ewe ɛ, ɔ, ɖ, ƒ, ŋ and ʋ are separate letters, and English has none of them. English writes the sound ŋ as "ng" (being), the sound of Ewe ŋ in the last syllable of "being" /ˈbiːɪŋ/. English writes /w/ as w; Ewe has w too (wo, wole), and this is the same letter. - The Ewe tones are not written in this course, but the question particle à is printed with its accent. English has no such mark: the question is shown by the word order and the question mark. - English writes the names of people, days and languages with capital letters: Kofi, Aku, Monday, English. It writes "I" with a capital letter always: I am, I was, I'm. It does not write "be" with a capital letter except at the start of a sentence: Be careful! - Ewe nye means both "be" and "my" (2.12). English keeps them apart: am, is, are for "be", and my for "of me".
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