Language/Yoruba/Grammar/Gender
Hi Yoruba learners! 😊
In this lesson, we will learn about the gender rules in Yoruba. We will look at the different ways to identify the gender of a noun and how to use them correctly in a sentence.
Yoruba is a gender-neutral language, meaning that nouns do not have a gender. However, there are certain rules that can help you identify the gender of a noun.
Rules
The most common way to identify the gender of a noun is by looking at the last letter of the word. If the last letter is a vowel (a, e, i, o, u), then the noun is usually masculine. If the last letter is a consonant (b, c, d, f, g, etc.), then the noun is usually feminine.
However, there are some exceptions to this rule. For example, some nouns ending in a consonant can be masculine, and some nouns ending in a vowel can be feminine.
Another way to identify the gender of a noun is by looking at the prefix or suffix of the word. For example, words with the prefix “o” are usually masculine, and words with the suffix “ni” are usually feminine.
Examples
| Yoruba | Pronunciation | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| ọmọ | oh-moh | child |
| ọmọdé | oh-moh-day | daughter |
| ọkàn | oh-kahn | husband |
| ọkànlá | oh-kahn-lah | wife |
| ọlọpá | oh-loh-pah | father |
| ọmọlẹ | oh-moh-lay | mother |
Practice
To improve your Yoruba Grammar, you can also use the Polyglot Club website. Find native speakers and ask them any questions!
Quiz
Test your knowledge of Yoruba gender rules with this quiz.
Questions
- What is the gender of the word ọmọ?
- What is the gender of the word ọkànlá?
- What is the most common way to identify the gender of a noun?
- What is the gender of the word ọlọpá?
Answers
- Masculine
- Feminine
- Looking at the last letter of the word
- Masculine
➡ 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
- Adjectives
- Conditional Mood
- Nouns
- Onka Yoruba (Counting and Numbers in Yoruba)
- Pronouns
- Future Tense
- Negation
- Oro asopo (Conjunctions)
- Questions