achọrọ m: Present States

Level 2

a-/e- + verb + m: want, know, think.

How It Works

A few verbs are used in the form that looks like a past, but they describe how things are now.

ExampleMeaning
Achọrọ m mmiri.I want water.
Amaara m ya.I know it.
Echere m na ọ ga-abịa.I think he or she will come.

That is why Igbo does not use na- here, just as English does not say “I am wanting”. Use the same form for a present want or a present belief. The negative is made with -ghị, as in Amaghị m “I do not know”.

Examples (4)

  1. Achọrọ m mmiri.

    I want water.

    Chọrọ describes a present want.

  2. Amaara m ya.

    I know it.

    Mara gives the present state.

  3. Echere m na ọ ga-abịa.

    I think he or she will come.

    Chere with na.

  4. Achọrọ m nri.

    I want food.

    The same pattern.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

achọrọ m: Present StatesLevel 2

Learn This First

Present states put a- or e- in front and m after the verb, so Aga m and Ana m come first.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

chọmam