Language/Yoruba/Grammar/Pronouns

Yoruba Grammar - Pronouns

Hi Yoruba learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about pronouns in Yoruba grammar. Pronouns are an essential part of any language, and they can help you communicate more efficiently. In Yoruba, pronouns have different forms depending on various factors like gender and number. Let's explore the world of Yoruba pronouns!

Personal Pronouns

Personal pronouns are used in place of a noun referring to a person or thing. It is one of the most commonly used pronouns in any language. In Yoruba, the pronouns for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd person singular have different forms for males and females. Here's a table that illustrates the personal pronouns in Yoruba:

Yoruba	Pronunciation	English
Mi	Mee	I/me
Mo	Mo	You
O/un	Oh/wun	He/she/it

When addressing a group, the personal pronoun changes to the plural form:

Yoruba	Pronunciation	English
wa	Wah	We/us (male and/or mixed group)
yin	Yin	You (plural, male and/or mixed group)
won	Wun	They/them (male and/or mixed group)

When addressing a group containing only females, the personal pronoun changes to the feminine form:

Yoruba	Pronunciation	English
awon	Ah-won	They/them (female group)
yin	Yin	You (plural, female group)
wa	Wah	We/us (female group)

Dialogue:

• Person 1: Mo fe ra e. (I want to see you)
• Person 2: Epele sir (Okay sir)

Possessive Pronouns

A possessive pronoun is one that shows ownership or possession of a noun. In Yoruba, the possessive pronouns agree with the gender of the owner. Here's a table that illustrates the possessive pronouns in Yoruba:

Yoruba	Pronunciation	English
mi	Mee	My (singular)
re	Reh	Your (singular)
e	Eh	His/hers/its (singular)
wa	Wah	Our (plural)
yin	Yin	Your (plural)
won	Wun	Their/theirs (plural)

Dialogue:

• Person 1: Awon omo mi (My children)
• Person 2: Olorun a fimo eyin won. (God will keep them for you)

Reflexive Pronouns

A reflexive pronoun is one that refers back to the subject of a sentence. In Yoruba, reflexive pronouns are formed by adding "n" to the end of the personal pronouns. Here's a table that illustrates the reflexive pronouns in Yoruba:

Yoruba	Pronunciation	English
min	Meen	Myself
mon	Moh-n	Yourself
re/ekeji/unkan	Reh/eh-keh-jee/oon-kahn	Himself/herself/itself
wa/nkan	Wah/oon-kahn	Ourselves/themselves
yin/nkan	Yin/oon-kahn	Yourselves/themselves

Dialogue:

• Person 1: Mon so pe o ti de (I'm saying that you've arrived)
• Person 2: Appreciate sir. Mo n'ife re e pelu awon ore mi (Appreciate sir. I want you to meet my friends)

Interrogative Pronouns

An interrogative pronoun is one that is used to ask questions. In Yoruba, the interrogative pronouns are the same as the demonstrative pronouns. Here's a table that illustrates the interrogative pronouns in Yoruba:

Yoruba	Pronunciation	English
tani	Tah-nee	Who
nibi	Nee-bee	Where
lo	Loh	What

Dialogue:

• Person 1: Tani omo yi? (Who is this child?)
• Person 2: Omo mi ni (He/she is my child)

Relative Pronouns

A relative pronoun is one that refers to a noun or pronoun in a sentence and connects clauses. In Yoruba, the relative pronoun is "ti". It can be used to refer to either persons or things.

Dialogue:

• Person 1: Mo fe ki on fi mi sibi ti o ba ti de (I want him to offer me a place to stay when he arrives)
• Person 2: Awon eniyan wa ni awa o gbe sile ti o ba ti de o (We have people whom we have left behind who will offer you a place to stay when they come)

Demonstrative Pronouns

A demonstrative pronoun is one that points to a specific person, place, thing or concept. In Yoruba, the demonstrative pronouns are "yi" and "ni". They are used to specify something that is near or far from the speaker. "Yi" is used to refer to something that is closer to the speaker, while "ni" is used to refer to something that is farther away from the speaker.

Dialogue:

• Person 1: Mo fe ra yi (I want to buy this one)
• Person 2: E wo ni? (Which one?)
• Person 1: Yi (This one)

Indefinite Pronouns

An indefinite pronoun is one that does not refer to any specific person, place, or thing. In Yoruba, the most common indefinite pronouns are "eni" which means "anyone", "eniti" which means "anyone who", and "eniyan" which means "someone".

Dialogue:

• Person 1: Emi ni eniyan ti e fe wo ni? (Who do you want to see in me?)
• Person 2: Mo fe wo eniyan ti o gba lati wa le ri mi (I want to see someone who can guide me)

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

Sources

• Yoruba Language
• Pronoun
• Possessive Pronoun
• Interrogative Pronoun

---

➡ 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. 😎

Related Lessons

• Onka Yoruba (Counting and Numbers in Yoruba)
• Adjectives
• Future Tense
• Nouns
• Negation
• How to Use Be
• Conditional Mood
• Give your Opinion
• Oro asopo (Conjunctions)