Language/Ewe/Grammar/How-to-Use-Have

Ewe Grammar - How to Use "Have"

Hi Ewe learners! 😊

In this lesson, we will learn how to use "have" in Ewe. Understanding how to use "have" is essential in developing your Ewe language skills.

Once you've mastered this lesson, take a look at these related pages: Questions & Adjectives.

What is "Have" in Ewe?

"Have" in Ewe is expressed by the verb "me". It is used to show possession or ownership of something. For example:

Ewe	Pronunciation	English
Mawu me woma.	MAH-wu meh WOH-ma	I have a book.
Agbe me tɔ gbɔ.	AH-gbeh meh tɔ gbo	You have a car.
Yeye me atse.	YEH-yeh meh AH-che	She has a cat.
ŋmɔtɔ me nya.	Ŋ-mɔtɔ meh NYA	He has a goat.

As with other verbs in Ewe, "me" changes depending on the subject pronoun used. The different subject pronouns are:

	Pronoun	Example
1st person singular	mi	Mawu me woma. (I have a book.)
2nd person singular	wo	Agbe me tɔ gbɔ. (You have a car.)
3rd person singular (male)	ɔ	ŋmɔtɔ me nya. (He has a goat.)
3rd person singular (female)	a	Yeye me atse. (She has a cat.)

Using "Have" in Questions

When asking a question with "Have" in Ewe, we use the question word "nye", which means "do you have...?" or "does he/she/it have...?" For example:

Ewe	Pronunciation	English
Mi nye atɔe?	MEE nyeh ah-TOE-eh?	Do I have a phone?
Wo nye ayigba?	WOH nyeh ah-YE-gbah?	Do you have a bicycle?
Ɔ nye nufia?	OH nyeh noo-FEE-ah?	Does he have money?
A nye afia?	AH nyeh ah-FEE-ah?	Does she have food?

Using "Have" in Negative Sentences

When using "have" in negative sentences, we use the word "ena" which means "do not have". For example:

Ewe	Pronunciation	English
Mi ena yome.	MEE EH-nah yo-MEH	I do not have money.
Wo ena afia.	WOH EH-nah ah-FEE-ah	You do not have food.
Ɔ ena atɔe.	OH EH-nah ah-TOE-eh	He does not have a phone.
A ena abobo.	AH EH-nah ah-BOH-boh	She does not have a pen.

Example Dialogue

Here is an example dialogue between two people, illustrating the use of "Have" in Ewe:

• Person 1: Mi nye nuto? (Do I have a hat?)
• Person 2: Ɛɖe mi wo kɛ. (No, you do not have it.)
• Person 1: Wo nye egbɔdɔ ɖo? (Do you have a pencil?)
• Person 2: Aɖo wo ena ameɖe. (Sorry, I do not have one.)

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have just learned how to use "have" in Ewe. Practice makes perfect, so be sure to keep using the language as much as possible. If you have any questions, feel free to seek out native speakers and ask them any questions you may have. Additionally, you can always refer back to the Grammar section of the Ewe page for guidance.

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➡ If you have any questions, please ask them in the comments section below.
➡ Feel free to edit this wiki page if you think it can be improved. 😎

Now that you've completed this lesson, don't stop learning! Check out these related topics: Conditional Mood & Negation.

Other Lessons

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

Sources

• Ewe language - Wikipedia
• Ewe Grammar - How to Use "Have"
• Ewe Serial Verb Constructions in their Grammatical Context

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