The English word "the" is the definite article, the first word on the house frequency list. It stands in front of a noun and tells the listener "you know which one I mean": the book, the woman, the food. Ewe has no word that does this job in front of the noun, so the lesson teaches how Ewe says the same thing instead. The word chosen is la (/la/), a small word that stands after the noun and marks it as known to both speaker and listener: agbalẽ la "the book", nyɔnu la "the woman", nuɖuɖu la "the food". Where English puts "the" first, Ewe puts la last. If the noun has an adjective, la comes after the adjective: aƒe gã la "the big house", with house first, big second and the at the end.
Ewe has a second way of writing the same word. The article can be joined to the end of the noun as -a: agbalẽa "the book", ɖevia "the child". The two forms, the separate la and the attached -a, are both in use, and the two Ewe Bibles show them side by side: the 1913 text has kekelia "the light" in Genesis 1:4 and the Agbenya La has kekeli la (Section F). This lesson writes la as a separate word in most examples so that each word can be glossed, and it uses -a in a few so that the learner meets both. In the plural only the attached form is used: ɖevi "child", ɖeviwo "children", ɖeviawo "the children".
This is the whole shape of the lesson, and it is a good first lesson because it asks the learner to do one thing the English habit resists: say the noun first, and the "the" last.
The lesson also shows three places where English and Ewe part company:
- Ewe has no plain word for "a" or "an". The bare noun does the work: Melɔ̃ agbalẽ can be "I like a book" or "I like books", and the context decides. A word aɖe "a certain, some" follows the noun when "a certain one" is meant. - Ewe does not always mark a known thing. In the first verse of the Bible, "the heaven and the earth" is dziƒo kple anyigba, with nothing added to either noun (Section F). - La has a second job. At the end of an opening phrase it can mark that phrase as the topic of what follows, with no sense of "the": Le gɔmedzedzea me la, Mawu wɔ dziƒo kple anyigba (Genesis 1:1, Agbenya La). The 1913 Bible has the same sentence without it. The two jobs are told apart by what stands before the word: after a noun it is "the", after a whole opening phrase it is a topic marker.
Ewe la is a small, ordinary word and has nothing to do with English "the" by sound, so there is nothing to translate letter by letter. Think of it as a marker that is placed behind its noun.
Orthographic points: the added letters ɖ, ƒ, ɣ, ŋ, ɛ, ɔ and ʋ are different letters from d, f, g, n, e, o and v and must be written as such: ɖevi "child", aƒe "house". A nasal vowel carries a tilde: agbalẽ, gã, lɔ̃, hã. Tones are not written.
FAQ: What does "the" mean in Ewe?
Ewe has no word for "the" that stands before the noun. The nearest is la, which stands after the noun: agbalẽ la is "the book". It can also be joined to the noun as -a: agbalẽa. For "a book" Ewe says just agbalẽ, or agbalẽ aɖe for "a certain book".
Key Takeaways
- La means "the", and it comes after the noun and after any adjective that goes with it: agbalẽ la, agbalẽ yeye la, aƒe gã la. - The same word can be joined to the noun as -a: agbalẽa, aƒea. In the plural only the joined form is used: ɖeviawo "the children". - Ewe has no word for "a/an" and often has none for "the" either, where English needs one: dziƒo kple anyigba "the heaven and the earth". - Ewe has two verbs for English "is": nye for what a thing is, and le for where it is. A noun subject needs no prefix on the verb: Ŋutsu la le aƒe la me. - Write ɖ, ƒ, ɛ, ɔ, ŋ and ʋ, never d, f, e, o, n and v in their place, and do not forget the tilde on a nasal vowel.
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la /la/ is said like the first syllable of English "lava", short, with no glide. The word is a clitic and, in the textbooks that mark tone, it carries a high tone (lá). Tone is not written in ordinary Ewe and is not marked here; learn the tones from a speaker. Tone tells apart words that are spelled alike: tó "mountain" and tò "buffalo".
The alphabet is a, b, d, ɖ, e, ɛ, f, ƒ, g, ɣ, h, i, k, l, m, n, ŋ, o, ɔ, p, r, s, t, u, v, ʋ, w, x, y, z, with the digraphs dz, gb, kp, ny and ts. The IPA in this course is broad and orthography-level: it gives each letter its main sound and leaves out the tones. The seven vowels a, e, ɛ, i, o, ɔ, u each have a nasal counterpart.
Sounds in this lesson that English lacks or treats differently:
- ɖ = /ɖ/, a d made with the tongue curled back; it is a different letter from d and a different sound: ɖevi /ɖevi/, nuɖuɖu /nuɖuɖu/. - ƒ = /ɸ/, a soft f made with both lips and no teeth: aƒe /aɸe/, dziƒo /dziɸo/. It is a different letter from f. - ŋ = /ŋ/, as in English "sing": ŋutsu /ŋutsu/. - gb = /ɡ͡b/ and kp = /k͡p/, each said as one sound with both lips closed: agbalẽ /aɡ͡balẽ/, kpɔ /k͡pɔ/, akpe /ak͡pe/, gblɔ /ɡ͡blɔ/. - ny = /ɲ/, as in Spanish año: nyɔnu /ɲɔnu/, nyo /ɲo/, nye /ɲe/, anyigba /aɲiɡ͡ba/. - dz = /dz/: gɔmedzedzea /ɡɔmedzedzea/, dzi /dzi/. x = /x/, as in Scottish "loch": xɔ /xɔ/. - ɛ and ɔ are as in "bed" and British "thought": ɔ in nyɔnu, wɔ, kpɔ, lɔ̃, xɔ. - Nasal vowels are said through the nose, as in French bon: agbalẽ /aɡ͡balẽ/, gã /ɡã/, hã /hã/, lɔ̃ /lɔ̃/.
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Examples 1.1–1.15 are pedagogical constructions built from verified words and patterns (Acceptabile). They are not quotations. The glosses follow the Ewe word order, so book the is how agbalẽ la reads word for word. Where -a is joined to a noun, the gloss shows it after a hyphen.
1.1a Agbalẽ book la the
1.1b Agbalẽ /aɡ͡balẽ/ book la /la/ DEF
1.2a Nyɔnu woman la the
1.2b Nyɔnu /ɲɔnu/ woman la /la/ DEF
1.3a Ŋutsu man la the
1.3b Ŋutsu /ŋutsu/ man la /la/ DEF
1.4a Ɖevi child la the
1.4b Ɖevi /ɖevi/ child la /la/ DEF
1.5a Aƒea house-the
1.5b Aƒea /aɸea/ house-DEF
1.6a Agbalẽ book la the nyo is-good
1.6b Agbalẽ /aɡ͡balẽ/ book la /la/ DEF nyo /ɲo/ be.good
1.7a Tsi water la the nyo is-good
1.7b Tsi /tsi/ water la /la/ DEF nyo /ɲo/ be.good
1.8a Melɔ̃ I-like agbalẽ book la the
1.8b Melɔ̃ /melɔ̃/ 1SG.love agbalẽ /aɡ͡balẽ/ book la /la/ DEF
1.9a Ŋutsu man la the le is-at aƒe house la the me in
1.9b Ŋutsu /ŋutsu/ man la /la/ DEF le /le/ be.at aƒe /aɸe/ house la /la/ DEF me /me/ inside
1.10a Mekpɔ I-saw nyɔnu woman la the
1.10b Mekpɔ /mek͡pɔ/ 1SG.see.PFV nyɔnu /ɲɔnu/ woman la /la/ DEF
1.11a Nyɔnua woman-the ɖu ate nuɖuɖua food-the
1.11b Nyɔnua /ɲɔnua/ woman-DEF ɖu /ɖu/ eat.PFV nuɖuɖua /nuɖuɖua/ food-DEF
1.12a Ŋutsu man la the wɔ made aƒe house gã big
1.12b Ŋutsu /ŋutsu/ man la /la/ DEF wɔ /wɔ/ make.PFV aƒe /aɸe/ house gã /ɡã/ big
1.13a Agbalẽ book yeye new la the le is-at aƒe house gã big la the me in
1.13b Agbalẽ /aɡ͡balẽ/ book yeye /jeje/ new la /la/ DEF le /le/ be.at aƒe /aɸe/ house gã /ɡã/ big la /la/ DEF me /me/ inside
1.14a Ŋutsu man la the gblɔ said be that agbalẽ book la the nyo is-good
1.14b Ŋutsu /ŋutsu/ man la /la/ DEF gblɔ /ɡ͡blɔ/ say.PFV be /be/ that agbalẽ /aɡ͡balẽ/ book la /la/ DEF nyo /ɲo/ be.good
1.15a Mekpɔ I-saw be that ɖeviawo child-the-PL le are-at aƒe house la the me in
1.15b Mekpɔ /mek͡pɔ/ 1SG.see.PFV be /be/ that ɖeviawo /ɖeviawo/ child-DEF-PL le /le/ be.at aƒe /aɸe/ house la /la/ DEF me /me/ inside
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1.1 Agbalẽ la. → "The book."
1.2 Nyɔnu la. → "The woman."
1.3 Ŋutsu la. → "The man."
1.4 Ɖevi la. → "The child."
1.5 Aƒea. → "The house."
1.6 Agbalẽ la nyo. → "The book is good."
1.7 Tsi la nyo. → "The water is good."
1.8 Melɔ̃ agbalẽ la. → "I like the book."
1.9 Ŋutsu la le aƒe la me. → "The man is in the house."
1.10 Mekpɔ nyɔnu la. → "I saw the woman."
1.11 Nyɔnua ɖu nuɖuɖua. → "The woman ate the food."
1.12 Ŋutsu la wɔ aƒe gã. → "The man made a big house."
1.13 Agbalẽ yeye la le aƒe gã la me. → "The new book is in the big house."
1.14 Ŋutsu la gblɔ be agbalẽ la nyo. → "The man said that the book is good."
1.15 Mekpɔ be ɖeviawo le aƒe la me. → "I saw that the children are in the house."
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1.1 Agbalẽ la.
1.2 Nyɔnu la.
1.3 Ŋutsu la.
1.4 Ɖevi la.
1.5 Aƒea.
1.6 Agbalẽ la nyo.
1.7 Tsi la nyo.
1.8 Melɔ̃ agbalẽ la.
1.9 Ŋutsu la le aƒe la me.
1.10 Mekpɔ nyɔnu la.
1.11 Nyɔnua ɖu nuɖuɖua.
1.12 Ŋutsu la wɔ aƒe gã.
1.13 Agbalẽ yeye la le aƒe gã la me.
1.14 Ŋutsu la gblɔ be agbalẽ la nyo.
1.15 Mekpɔ be ɖeviawo le aƒe la me.
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These are the grammar rules for la in Ewe:
1. La stands after the noun. English puts "the" before its noun. Ewe puts la after it: agbalẽ la (1.1), nyɔnu la (1.2), ŋutsu la (1.3). The same holds when the word is joined to the noun as -a: agbalẽa, aƒea (1.5), nyɔnua (1.11). The two are the same word. The separate la is the careful form that the learner can see and gloss, and the joined -a is the common form in running text. In the opening of Genesis the 1913 Bible has kekelia and the Agbenya La has kekeli la for the same "the light".
2. La stands after the whole noun phrase. An adjective, a number or a pointing word that goes with the noun comes first, and la closes the phrase: aƒe gã la "the big house" (1.13), agbalẽ yeye la "the new book" (1.13), and in the joined form aƒe gãa "the big house". English must reverse it. The TypeCraft description of the Ewe noun phrase gives the order as noun, adjective, number, pointing word, definite marker, and the pointing words are sia "this" and ma "that": agbalẽ sia is "this book", with sia where la would be.
3. The plural. The plural of a noun is made with -wo: ɖevi "child", ɖeviwo "children"; nyɔnu, nyɔnuwo. The definite plural puts -a in front of it: ɖeviawo "the children" (1.15), agbalẽawo "the books". Only this joined form is used in the plural, and the separate la does not stand with a plural.
4. La marks a known thing; the bare noun is the unknown or the general. Use la when both speaker and listener know which one is meant: a thing already mentioned, or one that the situation shows. Kekeli la "the light" in Section F is the light that has just been made. The bare noun is used where English says "a" or "an", or says nothing: Melɔ̃ agbalẽ "I like a book / I like books", and Ŋutsu la wɔ aƒe gã "the man made a big house" (1.12). The word aɖe follows the noun for "a certain": agbalẽ aɖe "a certain book". Ewe also leaves out the marker where English puts "the" before a thing that is unique: dziƒo kple anyigba "the heaven and the earth" (Genesis 1:1) has no la at all. Do not add la just because English has "the".
5. La after an opening phrase. Le gɔmedzedzea me la, Mawu wɔ dziƒo kple anyigba (Genesis 1:1, Agbenya La) begins with the phrase le gɔmedzedzea me "in the beginning", and la follows it. Here la is not "the": it closes the phrase and makes it the setting of what follows. The 1913 Bible has Le gɔmedzedzea me Mawu wɔ dziƒo kple anyigba, with no la. The article in the phrase is the joined -a of gɔmedzedzea.
6. The verb carries its subject, and the aspect is not a tense. A pronoun subject is a short form on the front of the verb: me- "I" (melɔ̃ 1.8, mekpɔ 1.10), e- "he, she, it" (ele), mi- "we" (miele), wo- "they". A noun subject needs no prefix: Ŋutsu la wɔ aƒe gã (1.12), Mawu wɔ dziƒo (F.1). The bare verb is used for the completed action: Mekpɔ nyɔnu la "I saw the woman" (1.10), Nyɔnua ɖu nuɖuɖua "the woman ate the food" (1.11), Ŋutsu la gblɔ be "the man said that" (1.14). Ewe marks aspect, completed or habitual, and not tense, so the same bare verb is also the one the English translator renders as "has seen".
7. Being: nye, le and nyo. Ewe has two verbs for English "is". Nye says what a thing is: Kɔsi nye ŋutsuvi "Kɔsi is a boy". Le says where it is: Ŋutsu la le aƒe la me (1.9). Nyo "be good" is a verb of its own, so Agbalẽ la nyo (1.6) has no word for "is": the verb itself means "is good". The same shape is in the Bible: kekeli la nyo "the light is good" (F.2). Note that nye is also the word for "my" and for "I", spelled alike (rule 10, 1.24).
8. Postpositions. Where English puts "in" or "on" before the noun, Ewe uses le with a word after the noun: le aƒe la me "in the house" (1.9, 1.13), le tsia dzi "on the water" (Genesis 1:2). The Ewe order is at house the inside.
9. Subordinate clauses with be. Be "that" opens the clause that follows a verb of saying or seeing: gblɔ be … "said that …" (1.14), kpɔ be … "saw that …" (1.15, F.2). The clause has its own subject and its own la.
10. Possession. The possessor stands before the thing possessed: nye agbalẽ "my book", wò aƒe "your house", eƒe xɔ "his room". The Genre Section has nye "my" in 1.24.
Common Mistakes
- Putting la before the noun. Wrong: la agbalẽ. Right: agbalẽ la. - Putting la before the adjective. Wrong: aƒe la gã for "the big house". Right: aƒe gã la. - Translating every English "the". "The earth", "the heaven", "I like books" and "the people in general" do not need la: dziƒo kple anyigba, Melɔ̃ agbalẽ. - Looking for "a". Ewe has no plain one: "a house" is the bare aƒe, or aƒe aɖe "a certain house". - La with a plural noun. Wrong: ɖevi wo la. Right: ɖeviawo. - Spelling. Do not write d, f, v or n where the word needs ɖ, ƒ, ʋ or ŋ: ɖevi, not devi; aƒe, not afe; ŋutsu, not nutsu. Do not drop the tilde: gã, not ga. - Confusing the two nye. Nye is "my" before a noun and "be" between two nouns: nye agbalẽ "my book", and Emae nye nye agbalẽ "that is my book" (1.24 has the same pattern with food).
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Frequency and register. La belongs to every register, from the market to the pulpit. It is not a literary word: it stands in the first verse of Genesis in the Agbenya La, and it closes the nouns of the creation story one after another (kekeli la, viviti la).
One language, many dialects, one written standard. Ewe is spoken in many dialects, coastal and inland, and villages two or three kilometres apart can differ. A written standard was formed in the nineteenth century, with strong coastal influence, and it is the Ewe of schools, churches, radio and the press in both Ghana and Togo. The Ewe Bible of 1913 and the modern Agbenya La are in that standard, and they differ in small things such as the way they write the article, kekelia against kekeli la.
Names. The two speakers in the Genre Section, Kofi and Akɔsua, bear common Ghanaian names. Kofi is the name of a boy born on a Friday, one of the day-names that are given in Ewe and Akan culture alike. A personal name takes no la, as in English: Kofi, Akɔsua.
Courtesies. Akpe is "thanks", E is "yes" and Ao is "no". The courtesies recur in every register.
English "the". A learner whose first language is English meets Ewe la as the small word that English puts in front of the noun and Ewe puts behind it. That reversal is the whole lesson.
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Mose I (Genesis) 1:1 and 1:4, first sentence, in the Agbenya La (Ewe Contemporary Scriptures), as printed on bible.com. The English is the King James Version (1611). The two sentences are the first act of creation and the first thing God sees in it.
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Le at gɔmedzedzea beginning-the me inside la topic Mawu God wɔ made dziƒo heaven kple and anyigba earth
F.1b Le /le/ at gɔmedzedzea /ɡɔmedzedzea/ beginning-DEF me /me/ inside la /la/ TOP Mawu /mawu/ God wɔ /wɔ/ make.PFV dziƒo /dziɸo/ heaven kple /k͡ple/ and anyigba /aɲiɡ͡ba/ earth
F.2a Mawu God kpɔ saw be that kekeli light la the nyo is-good
F.2b Mawu /mawu/ God kpɔ /k͡pɔ/ see.PFV be /be/ that kekeli /kekeli/ light la /la/ DEF nyo /ɲo/ be.good
F-B: Original → Translation
Le gɔmedzedzea me la, Mawu wɔ dziƒo kple anyigba.
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth."
Mawu kpɔ be kekeli la nyo.
"And God saw the light, that it was good."
F-C: Original Only
Le gɔmedzedzea me la, Mawu wɔ dziƒo kple anyigba.
Mawu kpɔ be kekeli la nyo.
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
- Le gɔmedzedzea me: "in the beginning", with at, the noun, and the postposition inside (rule 8). The -a on gɔmedzedzea is the joined article of rule 1, and it makes the beginning a known one. The 1913 Bible has the same words. - la after me: the topic marker of rule 5, not "the". It is the only place in the verse where la does not follow a noun, and the 1913 text leaves it out. The glosses mark it topic. - Mawu wɔ dziƒo kple anyigba: the subject is a name and a noun, so the verb has no prefix (rule 6). Wɔ is the bare verb "made", the completed action. English has "the" twice, and Ewe has nothing: the heaven and the earth are unique, and Ewe does not mark them (rule 4). Kple is "and". - kekeli la: "the light". The light is a known thing, and la follows it (rule 1). The 1913 Bible has kekelia, with the article joined, in the same verse: Eye Mawu kpɔ kekelia bena enyo. - kpɔ … be … nyo: "saw … that … is good". The English has "saw the light, that it was good", with the light as the object of "saw"; the Agbenya La has the light as the subject of the clause that follows be. Nyo is the verb "be good" and needs no separate "is" (rule 7). The 1913 Bible has bena enyo, with e- "it" as the prefix on nyo.
The Agbenya La text is quoted as printed on bible.com (version AL, Ewe Contemporary Scriptures), where the 1913 text (EWERV) can also be read.
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A short conversation between two people, Kofi and Akɔsua, one morning in the house. Akɔsua speaks in 1.16, 1.18, 1.20, 1.22, 1.24, 1.26, 1.28 and 1.30. Kofi speaks in 1.17, 1.19, 1.21, 1.23, 1.25, 1.27 and 1.29. It is a pedagogical text built from verified patterns, with la in every line but 1.24.
Part A: Interlinear Construed Text
1.16a Kofi Kofi afikae where agbalẽ book la the le is-at
1.16b Kofi /kofi/ Kofi afikae /afikae/ where.FOC agbalẽ /aɡ͡balẽ/ book la /la/ DEF le /le/ be.at
1.17a Agbalẽ book la the le is-at aƒe house la the me in
1.17b Agbalẽ /aɡ͡balẽ/ book la /la/ DEF le /le/ be.at aƒe /aɸe/ house la /la/ DEF me /me/ inside
1.18a Aƒe house gã big la the me in
1.18b Aƒe /aɸe/ house gã /ɡã/ big la /la/ DEF me /me/ inside
1.19a E yes agbalẽ book yeye new la the le is-at aƒe house gã big la the me in
1.19b E /e/ yes agbalẽ /aɡ͡balẽ/ book yeye /jeje/ new la /la/ DEF le /le/ be.at aƒe /aɸe/ house gã /ɡã/ big la /la/ DEF me /me/ inside
1.20a Melɔ̃ I-like agbalẽ book yeye new la the
1.20b Melɔ̃ /melɔ̃/ 1SG.love agbalẽ /aɡ͡balẽ/ book yeye /jeje/ new la /la/ DEF
1.21a Agbalẽ book la the nyo is-good
1.21b Agbalẽ /aɡ͡balẽ/ book la /la/ DEF nyo /ɲo/ be.good
1.22a Eye and afikae where nuɖuɖu food la the le is-at
1.22b Eye /eje/ and afikae /afikae/ where.FOC nuɖuɖu /nuɖuɖu/ food la /la/ DEF le /le/ be.at
1.23a Mekpɔ I-saw be that ɖevi child la the ɖu ate nuɖuɖu food la the
1.23b Mekpɔ /mek͡pɔ/ 1SG.see.PFV be /be/ that ɖevi /ɖevi/ child la /la/ DEF ɖu /ɖu/ eat.PFV nuɖuɖu /nuɖuɖu/ food la /la/ DEF
1.24a Ao no emae that-FOC nye is nye my nuɖuɖu food
1.24b Ao /ao/ no emae /emae/ that-FOC nye /ɲe/ be nye /ɲe/ 1SG.POSS nuɖuɖu /nuɖuɖu/ food
1.25a Nuɖuɖu food la the le is-at xɔ room la the me in
1.25b Nuɖuɖu /nuɖuɖu/ food la /la/ DEF le /le/ be.at xɔ /xɔ/ room la /la/ DEF me /me/ inside
1.26a Akpe thanks Kofi Kofi mekpɔ I-saw nuɖuɖu food la the
1.26b Akpe /ak͡pe/ thanks Kofi /kofi/ Kofi mekpɔ /mek͡pɔ/ 1SG.see.PFV nuɖuɖu /nuɖuɖu/ food la /la/ DEF
1.27a Ŋutsu man la the wɔ made aƒe house gã big la the
1.27b Ŋutsu /ŋutsu/ man la /la/ DEF wɔ /wɔ/ make.PFV aƒe /aɸe/ house gã /ɡã/ big la /la/ DEF
1.28a Afikae where ŋutsu man la the le is-at
1.28b Afikae /afikae/ where.FOC ŋutsu /ŋutsu/ man la /la/ DEF le /le/ be.at
1.29a Ŋutsu man la the le is-at aƒe house gã big la the me in
1.29b Ŋutsu /ŋutsu/ man la /la/ DEF le /le/ be.at aƒe /aɸe/ house gã /ɡã/ big la /la/ DEF me /me/ inside
1.30a Akpe thanks Kofi Kofi melɔ̃ I-like aƒe house gã big la the hã also
1.30b Akpe /ak͡pe/ thanks Kofi /kofi/ Kofi melɔ̃ /melɔ̃/ 1SG.love aƒe /aɸe/ house gã /ɡã/ big la /la/ DEF hã /hã/ also
Part B: Natural Sentences
1.16 Kofi, afikae agbalẽ la le? → "Kofi, where is the book?"
1.17 Agbalẽ la le aƒe la me. → "The book is in the house."
1.18 Aƒe gã la me? → "In the big house?"
1.19 E, agbalẽ yeye la le aƒe gã la me. → "Yes, the new book is in the big house."
1.20 Melɔ̃ agbalẽ yeye la. → "I like the new book."
1.21 Agbalẽ la nyo. → "The book is good."
1.22 Eye afikae nuɖuɖu la le? → "And where is the food?"
1.23 Mekpɔ be ɖevi la ɖu nuɖuɖu la. → "I saw that the child ate the food."
1.24 Ao, emae nye nye nuɖuɖu. → "No, that is my food."
1.25 Nuɖuɖu la le xɔ la me. → "The food is in the room."
1.26 Akpe, Kofi, mekpɔ nuɖuɖu la. → "Thanks, Kofi, I have seen the food."
1.27 Ŋutsu la wɔ aƒe gã la. → "The man made the big house."
1.28 Afikae ŋutsu la le? → "Where is the man?"
1.29 Ŋutsu la le aƒe gã la me. → "The man is in the big house."
1.30 Akpe, Kofi, melɔ̃ aƒe gã la hã. → "Thanks, Kofi, I like the big house too."
Part C: Target Language Only
1.16 Kofi, afikae agbalẽ la le?
1.17 Agbalẽ la le aƒe la me.
1.18 Aƒe gã la me?
1.19 E, agbalẽ yeye la le aƒe gã la me.
1.20 Melɔ̃ agbalẽ yeye la.
1.21 Agbalẽ la nyo.
1.22 Eye afikae nuɖuɖu la le?
1.23 Mekpɔ be ɖevi la ɖu nuɖuɖu la.
1.24 Ao, emae nye nye nuɖuɖu.
1.25 Nuɖuɖu la le xɔ la me.
1.26 Akpe, Kofi, mekpɔ nuɖuɖu la.
1.27 Ŋutsu la wɔ aƒe gã la.
1.28 Afikae ŋutsu la le?
1.29 Ŋutsu la le aƒe gã la me.
1.30 Akpe, Kofi, melɔ̃ aƒe gã la hã.
Part D: Grammar Notes for the Genre Section
- Where-questions. A question about a place uses afikae "where" at the front and le "be at" at the end: Afikae agbalẽ la le? (1.16), Afikae nuɖuɖu la le? (1.22), Afikae ŋutsu la le? (1.28). The thing asked about stands in the middle, with its la. A question with no question word, such as Aƒe gã la me? (1.18), is marked by the voice alone. - Noun, adjective, la. The order of Section D, rule 2, runs through the dialogue: aƒe gã la (1.18, 1.19, 1.27, 1.29, 1.30) and agbalẽ yeye la (1.19, 1.20). - Answer and place. Agbalẽ la le aƒe la me (1.17) and Nuɖuɖu la le xɔ la me (1.25) give the place with le … me, one la for the thing and one for the place. Xɔ is "room" or "house", the inside of a building. - Saw that. In 1.23 Mekpɔ be ɖevi la ɖu nuɖuɖu la has the shape of Genesis 1:4 (F.2): the verb "saw", then be "that" and a whole clause with its own la. - Two nye. In 1.24 Emae nye nye nuɖuɖu has nye twice: the first is the verb "be", the second is "my". The sentence reads that-FOC be my food. The pattern is the one for "That is my book". - Courtesy. Akpe "thanks" is followed by the name, as in English (1.26, 1.30). E "yes" and Ao "no" answer a question. - Hã. Hã "also" stands at the end of the clause (1.30). - Names. Kofi takes no la.
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Check these in every sentence:
- la /la/: one short syllable, no glide. After a noun it is "the", after an opening phrase it is a topic marker. It is never written before the noun. The joined form is -a: agbalẽa. - ɖ, ƒ, ŋ, ʋ, ɛ and ɔ. Every one of these letters must be present: ɖevi, nuɖuɖu, aƒe, dziƒo, ŋutsu, nyɔnu, kpɔ, wɔ, xɔ, gblɔ, lɔ̃. Replacing them with plain d, f, n, o writes another word, or a misspelling. - The tilde. Agbalẽ, gã, hã and melɔ̃ each have a nasal vowel, written with a tilde. - Digraphs. dz, gb, kp, ny and ts: gɔmedzedzea, agbalẽ, kpɔ, nyɔnu, tsi, anyigba, akpe. Each is a single sound. - Tone is not written. The IPA here shows the sounds of the letters and not the tones. - Standards and Bibles. The 1913 Bible writes kekelia where the Agbenya La writes kekeli la. When a book uses another spelling, it is the same word and not an error. - Capital letters begin sentences and names (Kofi, Akɔsua, Mawu), and the added letters have capitals Ɖ, Ŋ, Ɔ and Ɛ at the start of a sentence: Ɖevi la.
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Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)