-na / -ta
My with Different Nouns
Choose -na or -ta from the noun, regardless of the speaker's gender.
How It Works
Attach -na to a masculine singular or plural noun and -ta to a feminine singular noun. Both mean my, whether a man or woman speaks. Grammatical gender determines the singular choice; a final a does not by itself establish feminine gender.
These forms can be analyzed as a linker plus first-person -a: masculine/plural -n-a and feminine -t-a. Treating -na and -ta as complete possessive endings gives the same practical forms.
Compare jakata, my bag, with jakarta, her bag. The special feminine t belongs to first-person possession. Write attached possession as one word. These forms express relationships as well as ownership. Learn complete linked forms: abokai, friends, becomes abokana, my friends. Ordinary Boko leaves tone and vowel length unmarked.
Examples (3)
- Littafina yana nan.
My book is here.
Masculine littafi takes -na.
- Jakata tana gida.
My bag is at home.
Feminine jaka takes -ta.
- Abokana suna can.
My friends are there.
The plural possessed noun takes -na in its linked form.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Recognize noun linking, first-person reference and singular or plural location predicates before describing where my item or my items are.
- -n / -rLinking a Noun to Its Possessor
Recognize noun linking, first-person reference and singular or plural location predicates before describing where my item or my items are.
Level 2 - muna / kuna / sunaOngoing Actions with Plural Subjects
Recognize noun linking, first-person reference and singular or plural location predicates before describing where my item or my items are.
Level 1
Related Patterns
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice -na / -ta in Bubblegum
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