Language/Yoruba/Grammar/Regular-Verbs

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Yoruba → Grammar → 0 to A1 Course → Verbs and Tenses → Regular Verbs

Welcome back to our Yoruba language course! In this lesson, we will focus on regular verbs and their conjugation in different tenses. Understanding verbs is a critical step towards building your language proficiency, and it will allow you to express yourself more creatively and accurately. So let's get started!

With the completion of this lesson, consider investigating these related pages: Irregular Verbs & Nouns.

What is a verb?

A verb is a word that describes an action, state, or occurrence. For example, "run," "eat," "jump," and "sleep" are all verbs. In Yoruba, verbs appear after the subject of the sentence and before the object (if there is one).

Regular Verbs

Regular verbs are verbs that follow the same conjugation pattern in all tenses without any significant anomalies. They are relatively easy to learn and are extremely common in everyday conversations. In Yoruba, there are three types of regular verbs that end in "-a," "-e," and "-i."

Conjugation of Regular Verbs

To conjugate regular verbs in Yoruba, you must remove the verb's final "-a," "-e," or "-i" and add the appropriate suffix for the tense you want to use. The suffixes differ depending on the tense, subject, and number of the noun. Here is a table that shows the suffixes for the affirmative present tense:

Yoruba	Pronunciation	English
mo ní	mo nee	I have
o ní	oh nee	You have (singular)
ọ̀ ní	o nee	He/She/It has
a ní	ah nee	We have
wọn ní	wo nee	They have

Note that the "n" in "ní" is a nasal sound, pronounced with the tongue touching the roof of the mouth.

Also, the present tense in Yoruba does not differentiate between continuous or simple actions. To express the continuous aspect, you need to use specific phrases and markers such as "n wọn ni" for "they are having."

Here is the table for the affirmative past tense:

Yoruba	Pronunciation	English
mo rí	mo ree	I had
o rí	oh ree	You had (singular)
ọ̀ rí	o ree	He/She/It had
a rí	ah ree	We had
wọn rí	wo ree	They had

In the affirmative future tense, the suffix "yọ" is added to the infinitive verb. Here is a table for reference:

Yoruba	Pronunciation	English
mo yọ	mo yo	I will have
o yọ	oh yo	You will have (singular)
ọ̀ yọ	o yo	He/She/It will have
a yọ	ah yo	We will have
wọn yọ	wo yo	They will have

In Yoruba, there is also a subjunctive mood, which is used to express possibilities, wishes or hypotheses. This mood has two suffixes, "-ni" and "-ra." The "-ni" suffix is used for singular subjects, and the "-ra" suffix is used for plural subjects. Here is a table that demonstrates the subjunctive mood:

Yoruba	Pronunciation	English
kí ní pè	kee nee peh	let me have
kí o pè	kee oh peh	let you have (singular)
kí ọ̀ pè	kee o peh	let him/her/it have
kí wáà pè	kee wah peh	let us have
kí wọn pè	kee won peh	let them have

These are the basic rules for conjugating regular verbs in Yoruba. Let's now learn how to use them in simple sentences and different tenses.

Example Sentences

To illustrate the use of regular verbs in Yoruba, here are some examples in different tenses:

- Present tense: "O náà ọmọ àìkú" (he visits the mortuary). - Past tense: "Wọn rí ọ lọ́jà" (they went to the market). - Future tense: "A yọ lọ́gbò" (we will go to the farm). - Subjunctive mood: "Kí ní pè ẹran" (let me have meat).

In Yoruba, the subject of the sentence is often omitted when it is evident from the context. For example, instead of saying "Mo náà ilé mi" (I visit my house), you can simply say "Náà ilé mi."

Tips for Learning Regular Verbs

Learning regular verbs takes time and practice, but with the help of the following tips, you can accelerate your progress:

• Start with basic verbs such as "lọ" (go), "lè" (can), "ní" (have), and "fẹ́" (want).
• Learn the different tenses and moods to express various situations accurately.
• Practice using regular verbs in simple sentences first before moving on to more complex structures.
• Listen to Yoruba music, watch Yoruba movies, and engage in Yoruba conversations to immerse yourself in the language gradually.

By following these tips, you will gain confidence and fluency as you progress towards the A1 level.

Table of Contents - Yoruba Course - 0 to A1

• Course Presentation

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Introduction to Yoruba Language

• Alphabets and Pronunciation
• Basic Sentence Structure

  ---

Greetings and Introductions

• Common Greetings
• Introducing Yourself and Others

  ---

Everyday Life and Traditions

• Yoruba Family Structure
• Yoruba Food and Mealtime Etiquette

  ---

Numbers and Time

• Counting in Yoruba
• Telling Time

  ---

Colors and Shapes

• Colors
• Shapes

  ---

Yoruba Festivals and Celebrations

• Traditional Festivals
• Modern Celebrations

  ---

Nouns and Pronouns

• Nouns
• Pronouns

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Daily Activities

• Daily Routines
• Hobbies and Leisure Activities

  ---

Yoruba Music and Dance

• Traditional Music
• Traditional Dance

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Verbs and Tenses

• Regular Verbs
• Irregular Verbs

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Food and Drink

• Common Foods
• Beverages

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Yoruba Proverbs and Folktales

• Proverbs
• Folktales

Other Lessons

• Adjectives
• Alphabets and Pronunciation
• Give your Opinion
• Gender
• Telling Time
• Basic Sentence Structure
• Irregular Verbs
• Nouns
• Future Tense
• How to Use Be

Sources

• Yoruba Online

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