Learn Yoruba for Beginners – Lesson 4 : Pronouns in Yoruba—Object pronouns
Introduction Object pronouns are pronouns that are often used as the direct or indirect object of the verb in the sentence. They are also defined as the pronouns on the receiving end of the action done by the verb. These pronouns are me, you, him, her, us and them. There are others, but only these will […]
Introduction
Object pronouns are pronouns that are often used as the direct or indirect object of the verb in the sentence. They are also defined as the pronouns on the receiving end of the action done by the verb. These pronouns are me, you, him, her, us and them. There are others, but only these will be addressed in this post. Let’s go!
Me
Mi
As always, simple and straightforward.
Example
She saw me.
Wó̩n rí mi.
You
Ẹ
Example
It will eat you.
Wó̩n jẹun ẹ.
Him/her/it
á, ó, i, é, ẹ̀
I do not think I will be able to understand and differentiate between all these possibilities, but let’s see how the book, Colloquial Yoruba, explains it.
The word for the object pronoun meaning “him,” “her” or “it” is usually the same as the vowel of the preceding verb, if the verb has only one syllable—Colloquial Yoruba textbook
Example
I saw him/her/it
Mo rí i.
You tell her.
O sọ fún ẹ̀.
They love it.
Wó̩n fẹ́ràn ẹ̀.
Us
Wa
I was a bit shocked by this because I frequently assumed “wa” stood for the verb “to come”. But now I know.
Example
They love us.
Wó̩n fẹ́ràn wa.
You
This should be easy to remember.
Yín
Example
I know you.
Mo mọ yín.
Them
Last, but not the least.
Wọn
Example
He/she/it meets them.
Wó̩n pàdé wọn.
Hope you enjoyed this very informal post. Please, every suggestion or correction is welcomed and appreciated. Thank you! See you in the next post.
Editor notes
As I am also a beginner in Yoruba, my sentences will be very short and boring. So please bear with me.
References
Colloquial Yoruba: The Complete Course for Beginners
