Learn Yoruba for Beginners – Lesson 1 : How to say the verb “to be”
1 min read

Learn Yoruba for Beginners – Lesson 1 : How to say the verb “to be”

Brief explanation

if you want to say, someone is at a particular location, use the following template:

[person] wà ni [location]

The opposite would look like :

[person] kò sí ni [location]

On the other hand, if the person is going to another location, use:

[person] lọ sí [location]

Similarly, the opposite take this format :

[person] kò lọ sí [location]

Yes, ni is identical to “at” or “in” in English, while sí is used comparably to “to” .

Examples

Kevin is at home

Kevin wà ń’lé

Kevin is not at home

Kevin kò sí ń’lé

Temi goes to work

Temi lọ sí iṣẹ́

Temi is not going to work

Temi kò lọ sí iṣẹ́

Funmi’s friend is in church

Ọ̀rẹ́ Funmi wà ń’le Ọlọrun

Funmi’s friend is not in church

Ọ̀rẹ́ Funmi kò sí ń’le Ọlọrun

References

Book Recommendations

  • Colloquial Yoruba: The Complete Course for Beginners ( UNIT 1, pg 3 )

 

Please keep in mind that I am also learning Yoruba. Meaning I am going to make unintentional mistakes, so do provide your corrections and suggestions. I look forward to your feedback.