← Ìrìn-àjò Èdè: Kíkọ́ Èdè Gẹ̀ẹ́sì fún àwọn Yorùbá
"We" is the first person plural pronoun of English: the speaker together with one or more other people. "We are here" means "I and the others with me are here". In Yoruba it is a or àwa:
- We are here. — A wà níbí. - We know. — A mọ̀. - We are friends. — Ọ̀rẹ́ ni wá.
Yoruba has two forms for the subject "we". The short form a stands before the verb: A ń lọ, "We are going". The full, emphatic form àwa is used for emphasis or contrast, or standing alone: Àwa ni, "It is us". English has only one subject form, "we", and it is used in both places. English shows emphasis with the voice ("WE did it") or with a phrase ("We are the ones who did it").
Yoruba has one word, wa, for two English words:
- "us" (object): Bàbá fún wa lówó. — Dad gave us money. - "our" (possessive): ilé wa — our house.
English keeps four forms apart, and a learner must choose the right one each time:
- we — the subject, before the verb: We eat. - us — the object, after a verb or a preposition: She saw us. Come with us. - our — before a noun: our house, our teacher. - ours — alone, without a noun: The house is ours. (Yoruba tiwa)
What does "we" mean in Yoruba? It means a (before the verb) or àwa (emphatic). It never means wa: wa is "us" or "our".
Key Takeaways:
- "We" is the subject: "We are here" = A wà níbí. Never "Us are here". - English has one subject form, "we", for both Yoruba a and àwa. - Yoruba wa is English "us" (object) or "our" (before a noun): "Dad gave us money", "our house". - After "we" the verb has no -s: we go, we know, we eat. With "be": we are, we were. - English always says "we" in front of the verb, even when the person is clear: "We will come tomorrow", never "Will come tomorrow".
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we — strong form /wiː/ (stressed, or at the end: "It's we who…"); weak form /wi/ in fast speech ("We are going" /wi ə ˈɡəʊɪŋ/)
us — /ʌs/, weak /əs/; our — /ˈaʊə/ (British), /aʊr/ (American); ours — /ˈaʊəz/
we're (we are) — /wɪə/ (British), /wɪr/ (American); we'll (we will) — /wiːl/; we've (we have) — /wiːv/; we'd (we would, we had) — /wiːd/
The /w/ of "we" is the same as Yoruba w in wá and wà: round the lips and open them into the vowel.
The vowel /iː/ is long: hold it longer than the Yoruba i of wí. English has no tones, so "we" has no high, mid or low tone; it is louder and longer when stressed, quieter and shorter when not.
The vowel /ʌ/ of "us" is not a Yoruba sound. It is short and open, with unrounded lips, between Yoruba a and ọ: /ʌs/, not "os" and not "as".
"Our" sounds the same as "hour" (the h of "hour" is silent): /ˈaʊə/. It begins with Yoruba a and glides towards u. Do not confuse "our" with "are" /ɑː/: "our house", "we are home".
"We're" /wɪə/ and "were" /wɜː/ sound different: "We're happy" (now), "We were happy" (before).
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21.1 We a are wà here níbí
21.2 We (wá) are ni friends ọ̀rẹ́
21.3 We a are eating ń jẹun
21.4 We a know mọ̀
21.5 We (wá) are ni Yoruba Yorùbá
21.6 We a live ń gbé in ní Ibadan Ìbàdàn
21.7 We a do not kò know mọ his rẹ̀ name orúkọ
21.8 We a will ó come wá tomorrow lọ́la
21.9 We a have finished ti parí our wa work iṣẹ́
21.10 Where níbo ni are we a going ń lọ
21.11 We a were wà at ní the market ọjà yesterday lánàá
21.12 We àwa students akẹ́kọ̀ọ́ want fẹ́ to learn kọ́ English èdè Gẹ̀ẹ́sì
21.13 We àwa are ni the ones who a cooked se the soup ọbẹ̀ náà
21.14 When nígbà tí we a arrived dé our wa mother màmá was sleeping ń sùn
21.15 If bí we a work ṣiṣẹ́ together papọ̀ we a will ó finish parí quickly kíákíá
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21.1 We are here. A wà níbí.
21.2 We are friends. Ọ̀rẹ́ ni wá.
21.3 We are eating. A ń jẹun.
21.4 We know. A mọ̀.
21.5 We are Yoruba. Yorùbá ni wá.
21.6 We live in Ibadan. A ń gbé ní Ìbàdàn.
21.7 We do not know his name. A kò mọ orúkọ rẹ̀.
21.8 We will come tomorrow. A ó wá lọ́la.
21.9 We have finished our work. A ti parí iṣẹ́ wa.
21.10 Where are we going? Níbo ni a ń lọ?
21.11 We were at the market yesterday. A wà ní ọjà lánàá.
21.12 We students want to learn English. Àwa akẹ́kọ̀ọ́ fẹ́ kọ́ èdè Gẹ̀ẹ́sì.
21.13 We are the ones who cooked the soup. Àwa ni a se ọbẹ̀ náà.
21.14 When we arrived, our mother was sleeping. Nígbà tí a dé, màmá wa ń sùn.
21.15 If we work together, we will finish quickly. Bí a bá ṣiṣẹ́ papọ̀, a ó parí kíákíá.
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21.1 We are here.
21.2 We are friends.
21.3 We are eating.
21.4 We know.
21.5 We are Yoruba.
21.6 We live in Ibadan.
21.7 We do not know his name.
21.8 We will come tomorrow.
21.9 We have finished our work.
21.10 Where are we going?
21.11 We were at the market yesterday.
21.12 We students want to learn English.
21.13 We are the ones who cooked the soup.
21.14 When we arrived, our mother was sleeping.
21.15 If we work together, we will finish quickly.
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These are the grammar rules for "we" in English:
1. "We" is the subject. It stands before the verb and does the action: "We know" (21.4), "We live in Ibadan" (21.6), "We will come tomorrow" (21.8). Yoruba: a before the verb (A mọ̀, A ń gbé ní Ìbàdàn, A ó wá lọ́la).
2. One English word for a and àwa. Yoruba chooses a in an ordinary sentence and àwa for emphasis: Àwa akẹ́kọ̀ọ́ (21.12), Àwa ni a se ọbẹ̀ náà (21.13). English uses "we" in both places and shows emphasis in other ways:
- with the voice: "WE cooked the soup" (stress on "we") - with a phrase: "We are the ones who cooked the soup" (21.13), "It was we who cooked it" (formal), "It was us who cooked it" (everyday) - with a noun after it: "We students" (21.12), "We Yoruba people", "We teachers"
3. The four forms. English changes the word by its place in the sentence:
- we — subject: We see the teacher. - us — object: The teacher sees us. Come with us. Dad gave us money. - our — before a noun: our mother (21.14), our work (21.9) - ours — alone: This house is ours. (Yoruba: Ilé yìí jẹ́ tiwa.) - ourselves — the same people as the subject: We did it ourselves. We enjoyed ourselves.
Yoruba wa covers "us" and "our" (Bàbá fún wa lówó; iṣẹ́ wa). A Yoruba speaker must not carry wa into the English subject: not "Us are here", but "We are here".
4. "We are" with a noun. "We are friends" (21.2), "We are Yoruba" (21.5). Yoruba often says this with ni: Ọ̀rẹ́ ni wá, Yorùbá ni wá, putting the noun first. English keeps the order subject + verb + noun: We + are + friends. Never "Friends are we" in ordinary English.
5. The verb after "we". "We" takes the plural form of the verb, the same as "they":
- be: we are (now), we were (before) — not "we is", not "we was" - have: we have — not "we has" - other verbs: no -s: we go, we know, we eat — not "we goes"
6. Tense and the helping verbs. Yoruba puts a small word between a and the verb; English does the same with "we":
- A ń lọ — We are going (21.10) - A ti parí — We have finished (21.9) - A ó wá — We will come (21.8) - A kò mọ̀ — We do not know (21.7)
Yoruba ó, ti, ń and kò come after a; English will, have, are and do not come after "we". The order is the same: we + helping word + verb.
7. "We" cannot be dropped. In the second part of a sentence English repeats "we": "If we work together, we will finish quickly" (21.15). Yoruba also repeats a here (Bí a bá ṣiṣẹ́ papọ̀, a ó parí). Do not leave it out in English: not "If we work together, will finish quickly".
8. "We" and "let's". To invite others, English says "Let's go" (let us go), not "We go" and not "We should go" alone. Yoruba: Ẹ jẹ́ ká lọ. Here "us" (in "let's") is the object of "let".
9. "We" and "you and I". "We" includes the speaker. "You and I" can replace it: "You and I are friends" = "We are friends". In the object place say "you and me": "She saw you and me" = "She saw us". When "we" includes others, English puts "I" last: "Kẹ́mi and I went", not "I and Kẹ́mi went".
Common Mistakes:
- "Us are going home." Correct: We are going home. "Us" is never the subject. - "We was at the market." Correct: We were at the market. - "We goes to school." Correct: We go to school. - "This is we house." Correct: This is our house. Before a noun use "our". - "The house is our." Correct: The house is ours. - "Me and Túndé went." Correct: Túndé and I went (= We went). - "Will come tomorrow." Correct: We will come tomorrow. The subject "we" must be said. - "We are going to home." Correct: We are going home. After "go" and "come", "home" takes no "to": A ń lọ sílé.
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"We" is among the twenty-five most frequent words of English. It is the word of families, teams, classes and nations: "We won", "We are proud of our country".
The general "we". Yoruba proverbs often use a for people in general: A kì í… "One does not…". English uses "we", "you" or (formally) "one" in the same way: "We learn by doing", "You never know", "One must be patient". When translating a Yoruba saying, "we" is often the most natural choice.
Unity in Yoruba thought. A well-known proverb says: Àgbájọ ọwọ́ la fi ń sọ̀yà, "It is with the hands joined together that we beat the chest", that is, there is strength in unity. Here la is the contraction of ni a, "it is…that we". English has no such contraction for "we", but it has its own short forms: we're, we've, we'll, we'd.
Respect. Yoruba shows respect with the plural pronouns: ẹ to an elder (Ẹ kú àárọ̀), wọ́n when speaking of one. English does not do this. "We" in English is always more than one person, and respect is shown with titles (Mr, Mrs, Sir, Ma) and words such as "please", not with the plural.
The "we" of authority. Two special uses:
- The "royal we": a monarch or very formal speaker once said "we" for "I". It is rare today and sounds old-fashioned or comic. - The "editorial we" and the "teacher's we": writers and teachers say "we" to include the reader or class: "In this lesson we learn the word 'we'." "Now we turn to page ten."
Nigerian English. In Nigerian English "we" is used exactly as in British and American English. Learners should take care with "our" and "hour" (said the same) and with "we're" /wɪə/ against "were" /wɜː/.
Common expressions with "we":
- We're on our way. — A ti ń bọ̀. - We'll see. — A ó rí i. (We will see what happens.) - Here we go! — said when something begins - We're in this together. — We share the same problem. - Let's go. — Ẹ jẹ́ ká lọ.
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1 John 1:7. English: King James Version (1611). Yoruba: Bíbélì Mímọ́ ní Èdè Yorùbá Òde-Òní (BMYO), 1 Johanu 1:7.
"But ṣùgbọ́n if bí we àwa walk bá ń rìn in nínú the light ìmọ́lẹ̀ as gẹ́gẹ́ bí he òun is ti ń wà in nínú the light ìmọ́lẹ̀ we àwa have ní fellowship ìdàpọ̀ one with another pẹ̀lú ara wa and àti pé the blood ẹ̀jẹ̀ of Jesus Christ Jesu Kristi his Son Ọmọ rẹ̀ cleanseth wẹ̀…nù us wá from all sin kúrò nínú ẹ̀ṣẹ̀ gbogbo" - 1 John 1:7 (KJV)
"But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." "Ṣùgbọ́n bí àwa bá ń rìn nínú ìmọ́lẹ̀, gẹ́gẹ́ bí òun ti ń wà nínú ìmọ́lẹ̀, àwa ní ìdàpọ̀ pẹ̀lú ara wa, àti pé ẹ̀jẹ̀ Jesu Kristi, Ọmọ rẹ̀, wẹ̀ wá nù kúrò nínú ẹ̀ṣẹ̀ gbogbo." (1 Johanu 1:7, BMYO)
The First Letter of John is written to a community, and its key word is "we". The writer does not stand above his readers; he includes himself with them. In this verse "we" appears twice and "us" once. The first "we" sets a condition: "if we walk in the light". The second gives the result: "we have fellowship one with another". "Us" receives the action: the blood "cleanseth us". The whole verse moves from what we do to what is done for us. The Yoruba follows the same shape, and it chooses the emphatic àwa each time (bí àwa bá ń rìn, àwa ní ìdàpọ̀), as the Yoruba Bible often does in solemn style, where everyday speech would say bí a bá ń rìn and a ní ìdàpọ̀. For "us" it has wá, and for "one with another" it has ara wa, "our bodies, ourselves".
- "We walk", "we have": "we" is the subject both times, before the verb. Yoruba àwa (emphatic); in everyday speech a. - "Cleanseth us": "us" is the object, after the verb. Yoruba wẹ̀ wá nù: the object pronoun wá stands after the verb, as English "us" does. - "One with another" means "with each other". Yoruba pẹ̀lú ara wa. Modern English says "we have fellowship with one another" or "with each other". Note that English "ourselves" is not right here: "we have fellowship with ourselves" would mean something different. - "Cleanseth" is old English for "cleanses": in 1611 the -eth ending marked he, she, it. Modern English: "the blood of Jesus… cleanses us". - "If we walk": after "if", English uses the present tense for a condition, even when the meaning is general or future: "If we work together, we will finish quickly" (21.15). Yoruba: bí… bá.
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21.16 Kẹ́mi Kẹ́mi Túndé Túndé are ṣé we a going ń lọ to sí Grandma's house ilé Ìyá àgbà on ní Saturday Ọjọ́ Àbámẹ́ta
21.17 Túndé Túndé Yes bẹ́ẹ̀ ni we a are going ń lọ Mum Màmá and àti Dad Bàbá are coming ń bọ̀ too náà
21.18 Kẹ́mi Kẹ́mi What time aago mélòó ni will ó we a leave kúrò
21.19 Túndé Túndé We a will ó leave kúrò at ní seven méje o'clock aago in the morning àárọ̀
21.20 Kẹ́mi Kẹ́mi What kí ni will ó we a take mú… lọ to her fún un
21.21 Túndé Túndé We a will ó take mú… lọ yams iṣu and àti oranges ọsàn
21.22 Kẹ́mi Kẹ́mi Do ṣé we a have ní enough tó tó money owó
21.23 Túndé Túndé Yes bẹ́ẹ̀ ni we a have ní Dad Bàbá gave fún us wa money lówó yesterday lánàá
21.24 Kẹ́mi Kẹ́mi We a have not seen kò tíì rí her i since láti Christmas Kérésìmesì
21.25 Túndé Túndé That is true òótọ́ ni She will be very happy inú rẹ̀ yóò dùn gan-an when nígbà tí we a arrive bá dé
21.26 Kẹ́mi Kẹ́mi Shall ṣé kí we a greet kí her i in ní Yoruba èdè Yorùbá or tàbí in ní English èdè Gẹ̀ẹ́sì
21.27 Túndé Túndé In ní Yoruba Yorùbá of course dájúdájú We (wá) are ni her rẹ̀ grandchildren ọmọ-ọmọ
21.28 Kẹ́mi Kẹ́mi Good ó dára I èmi will yóò kneel kúnlẹ̀ you ìwọ will yóò prostrate dọ̀bálẹ̀ and sì we àwa will yóò both méjèèjì say sọ pé Good morning Ẹ kú àárọ̀ Grandma Ìyá
21.29 Túndé Túndé Then lẹ́yìn náà we a will ó eat jẹun and sì we a will ó listen to gbọ́ her rẹ̀ stories ìtàn
21.30 Kẹ́mi Kẹ́mi I am happy inú mi dùn We a will ó enjoy gbádùn the day ọjọ́ náà together jọ
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21.16 Kẹ́mi: Túndé, are we going to Grandma's house on Saturday? Kẹ́mi: Túndé, ṣé a ń lọ sí ilé Ìyá àgbà ní Ọjọ́ Àbámẹ́ta?
21.17 Túndé: Yes, we are going. Mum and Dad are coming too. Túndé: Bẹ́ẹ̀ ni, a ń lọ. Màmá àti Bàbá náà ń bọ̀.
21.18 Kẹ́mi: What time will we leave? Kẹ́mi: Aago mélòó ni a ó kúrò?
21.19 Túndé: We will leave at seven o'clock in the morning. Túndé: A ó kúrò ní aago méje àárọ̀.
21.20 Kẹ́mi: What will we take to her? Kẹ́mi: Kí ni a ó mú lọ fún un?
21.21 Túndé: We will take yams and oranges. Túndé: A ó mú iṣu àti ọsàn lọ.
21.22 Kẹ́mi: Do we have enough money? Kẹ́mi: Ṣé a ní owó tó tó?
21.23 Túndé: Yes, we have. Dad gave us money yesterday. Túndé: Bẹ́ẹ̀ ni, a ní. Bàbá fún wa lówó lánàá.
21.24 Kẹ́mi: We have not seen her since Christmas. Kẹ́mi: A kò tíì rí i láti Kérésìmesì.
21.25 Túndé: That is true. She will be very happy when we arrive. Túndé: Òótọ́ ni. Inú rẹ̀ yóò dùn gan-an nígbà tí a bá dé.
21.26 Kẹ́mi: Shall we greet her in Yoruba or in English? Kẹ́mi: Ṣé kí a kí i ní èdè Yorùbá tàbí ní èdè Gẹ̀ẹ́sì?
21.27 Túndé: In Yoruba, of course! We are her grandchildren. Túndé: Ní Yorùbá, dájúdájú! Ọmọ-ọmọ rẹ̀ ni wá.
21.28 Kẹ́mi: Good. I will kneel, you will prostrate, and we will both say, "Ẹ kú àárọ̀, Ìyá." Kẹ́mi: Ó dára. Èmi yóò kúnlẹ̀, ìwọ yóò dọ̀bálẹ̀, àwa méjèèjì yóò sì sọ pé, "Ẹ kú àárọ̀, Ìyá."
21.29 Túndé: Then we will eat, and we will listen to her stories. Túndé: Lẹ́yìn náà, a ó jẹun, a ó sì gbọ́ ìtàn rẹ̀.
21.30 Kẹ́mi: I am happy. We will enjoy the day together. Kẹ́mi: Inú mi dùn. A ó jọ gbádùn ọjọ́ náà.
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21.16 Kẹ́mi: Túndé, are we going to Grandma's house on Saturday?
21.17 Túndé: Yes, we are going. Mum and Dad are coming too.
21.18 Kẹ́mi: What time will we leave?
21.19 Túndé: We will leave at seven o'clock in the morning.
21.20 Kẹ́mi: What will we take to her?
21.21 Túndé: We will take yams and oranges.
21.22 Kẹ́mi: Do we have enough money?
21.23 Túndé: Yes, we have. Dad gave us money yesterday.
21.24 Kẹ́mi: We have not seen her since Christmas.
21.25 Túndé: That is true. She will be very happy when we arrive.
21.26 Kẹ́mi: Shall we greet her in Yoruba or in English?
21.27 Túndé: In Yoruba, of course! We are her grandchildren.
21.28 Kẹ́mi: Good. I will kneel, you will prostrate, and we will both say, "Ẹ kú àárọ̀, Ìyá."
21.29 Túndé: Then we will eat, and we will listen to her stories.
21.30 Kẹ́mi: I am happy. We will enjoy the day together.
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The dialogue is a conversation between a sister and a brother, Kẹ́mi and Túndé, planning a visit. It uses "we" in every kind of sentence:
- Statements: "We are going" (21.17), "We will leave at seven o'clock" (21.19), "We have not seen her since Christmas" (21.24). - Questions: English puts the helping verb before "we": "Are we going…?" (21.16), "What time will we leave?" (21.18), "What will we take to her?" (21.20), "Do we have enough money?" (21.22). Yoruba keeps a in its place and adds ṣé, or a question word with ni: Ṣé a ń lọ…? Aago mélòó ni a ó kúrò? - "Shall we…?" (21.26) asks for agreement about what to do together. It is polite and a little formal; in everyday speech people also say "Should we…?" Yoruba: Ṣé kí a…? or, shorter, Ṣé ká…? - Short answers: "Yes, we are going" (21.17), "Yes, we have" (21.23). English repeats "we" and the helping verb; Yoruba repeats a and the verb (a ń lọ, a ní).
"We" and "us" side by side. In 21.23 Túndé says "Dad gave us money": "Dad" is the subject, so the object is "us", not "we". Yoruba wa (Bàbá fún wa lówó). In 21.27, "We are her grandchildren", Yoruba says Ọmọ-ọmọ rẹ̀ ni wá with the noun first; English keeps "we" first.
"We" with "both". In 21.28 "we will both say" means "the two of us will say". Yoruba àwa méjèèjì. English puts "both" after the helping verb ("we will both say") or after "we" ("we both say"). "All" works the same way: "We are all here", "We all know".
The future. Every plan in the dialogue uses "will": "we will leave", "we will take", "we will eat". Yoruba a ó (in speech also a máa). In speech English shortens "we will" to "we'll": "We'll leave at seven."
"When we arrive" (21.25). After "when", English uses the present tense for a future event: "when we arrive", not "when we will arrive". Yoruba also marks it without the future: nígbà tí a bá dé.
Greeting elders. The children greet their grandmother in Yoruba with Ẹ kú àárọ̀, the plural of respect. If they greeted her in English, they would say "Good morning, Grandma": English has no respect plural, so "you" and "good morning" are the same for an elder and a friend.
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- Weak and strong: "We are going" /wi ə ˈɡəʊɪŋ/ — "we" weak at the start; "It was we who cooked it" /ɪt wəz ˈwiː huː ˈkʊkt ɪt/ — strong when stressed. - "We're" /wɪə/, "were" /wɜː/ and "where" /weə/ are three different words: "We're here." "We were there." "Where are we?" - "Our" /ˈaʊə/ and "hour" are said the same; "our" and "are" are not: "our house" /ˈaʊə ˈhaʊs/, "we are" /wi ˈɑː/. - Spelling: we, us, our, ours, ourselves. "Ours" has no apostrophe: never "our's". - Contractions: we're (we are), we've (we have), we'll (we will), we'd (we would / we had). The apostrophe stands for the missing letters: we are → we're. Do not confuse "we'll" with "well" or "we'd" with "weed". - "We" is written with a small w except at the start of a sentence. Only "I" is always capital. - In formal writing use the full forms: "We are pleased to inform you…"; in messages to friends and in speech, "We're on our way."
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