Language/Twi/Grammar/Nouns

Twi Grammar - Nouns

Hi Twi learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will be focusing on the grammar of Twi nouns. Nouns are people, places, things, or ideas. They can be countable or uncountable, common or proper, and some nouns change form depending on their function in the sentence. Understanding Twi nouns is important for building proper sentences and speaking fluently. Let's get started!

Don't hesitate to look into these other pages after completing this lesson: Future Tense, Twi Grammar: Descriptive Adjectives, 0 to A1 Course & Present Tense.

Basics

In Twi, most nouns do not change their form depending on their function in the sentence. However, there are a few exceptions, for example, some nouns have both singular and plural forms. For example, the noun "fufuo" (foo-foo) means "mashed cassava" or "mashed yam." Its plural form is "fufuom."

Other nouns don't have different forms for singular and plural, but their quantity can be specified by using numerals or quantifiers. For example, the noun "nnwom" (en-wom) means "song." But if you want to indicate a specific number of songs, you can use the quantifier "kakra" (kah-krah) or "mma" (mmah) for "few" or "many," respectively. For example, "kakra nnwom" means "a few songs," while "mma nnwom" means "many songs."

Finally, some nouns in Twi can be used interchangeably as a countable or uncountable noun depending on the context. For example, the noun "barima" (bah-ree-mah) means "man." It can be used as a countable noun, as in "me ba mu barima" (meh-bah-moo-bah-ree-mah), which means "I saw a man." It can also be an uncountable noun, such as in "barima ne akwadu" (bah-ree-mah-neh-ah-kwah-doo) which means "man and money," where it's not necessary to use the plural form.

Let's take a look at some examples:

Twi	Pronunciation	English
nnwom	en-wom	song
kakra nnwom	kah-krah en-wom	a few songs
mma nnwom	mmah en-wom	many songs
barima	bah-ree-mah	man
me ba mu barima	meh-bah-moo-bah-ree-mah	I saw a man
barima ne akwadu	bah-ree-mah-neh-ah-kwah-doo	man and money

Plural Nouns

As mentioned earlier, some nouns in Twi have different forms for their singular and plural versions. Here are a few examples:

Singular	Plural	English
ekuona	akoana	book
nananom	nie	parents
osere	ciri	chair

In some cases, the plural form of a noun is created by simply adding "m" to the end of the singular form. For example, "ase" (ah-shey) means "proverb," and "asem" (ah-sehm) means "proverbs."

Gender in Nouns

In Twi, there are no gender distinctions in nouns. All nouns are considered gender-neutral, and the pronoun "ɔ" (oh) is used to refer to both male and female subjects.

However, some nouns in Twi can be modified with a prefix to indicate that they refer to a male or female subject. For example, the noun "nkongodo" (en-kon-goh-doh) means "spider," but "nkongodɔ" (en-kon-goh-doh) means "male spider." Meanwhile, "nkongowaa" (en-kon-goh-wah) means "female spider."

Possessive Nouns

In Twi, possessive nouns are formed by adding "ne" (neh) to the end of the noun. For example, "kasa" (kah-sah) means "box," and "kasa ne me" (kah-sah-neh-meh) means "my box."

To pluralize a possessive noun in Twi, change the "ne" to "n" and add the plural marker "m" to the noun. For example, "kasa ne me" becomes "kasanm me" (kah-sah-nmeh-meh), which means "my boxes."

Dialogue

• Dɔmaa: Wo ho te sɛn? ("woh-hoh-teh-sehn?" What is your name?)
• Me: Yɛfrɛ me Daniela ("yeh-freh-meh-dahn-yeh-lah" My name is Daniela.)
• Dɔmaa: Wo ne Daniela no maame di wo kasa ase? ("woh-neh-dahn-yeh-lah-noh-mah-ah-meh-deh-woh-kah-sah-ah-shey?" Does Daniela's mother know where your box is?)
• Me: Aane, me kasa abɛkɔ Kumasi na me pɛ sɛ me maame nti na bere bi. ("ah-ah-neh, meh-kah-sah-ah-beh-kooh-mah-si-nah-meh-peh-sah-meh-mah-mehn-tee-nah-beh-reh-bee" No, my box is in Kumasi because my mother needed some.)
• Dɔmaa: Na mebae nie maa ne nkwaseasɛmfoɔ no akyina de wo nnwom. ("nah-meh-beh-neh-meh-ma-neh-neh-kwah-seh-ah-sɛm-foh-oh-noh-ah-chee-nah-deh-woh-en-nwom" And I decided to give you some songs from my musicians.)

Conclusion

As we've seen, Twi nouns follow many of the same rules as English nouns. However, there are a few unique aspects, such as the occasional change of form and the availability of certain countable and uncountable nouns. By following the guidelines outlined in this lesson, you'll be well on your way to mastering Twi nouns.

To improve your Twi Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!

---

Sources

• Akan (Twi) Nouns | Twi Grammar | LEARNAKAN
• Proper Nouns in Twi (Edin Pa) | Twi Grammar | LEARNAKAN

Well done on mastering this lesson! Don't miss these related pages to expand your knowledge: Adjectives, Questions, Conditional Mood & Personal Pronouns.

Other Lessons

• How to Use Be
• Gender
• Questions
• Adjectives
• Plurals
• Pronouns
• Conditional Mood
• Give your Opinion
• Future Tense