Dropping a Vowel: n'

Foundations

N' before a vowel, na before a consonant: n'ụlọ, na Lagos.

How It Works

The small word na means “in”, “at” or “on”. When the next word starts with a vowel, standard spelling cuts the vowel and adds an apostrophe, and the two are written together as one block.

Before a vowelBefore a consonant
n'ụlọ “at home”na Lagos “in Lagos”
n'ahịa “at the market”na mmiri “in the water”
n'Aba “in Aba”

The apostrophe is for the preposition. The word na meaning “and” usually stays whole. Some writers join na to the next word with no apostrophe (nụlọ), but the standard spelling keeps the apostrophe. A dictionary or search treats n'ụlọ as na plus ụlọ.

Examples (4)

  1. n'ụlọ

    at home, in the house

    Na loses its vowel before ụ.

  2. Ọ nọ n'ahịa.

    He or she is at the market.

    N' joins the vowel-first word ahịa.

  3. Obi bi n'Enugwu.

    Obi lives in Enugu.

    A capital letter follows the apostrophe.

  4. Ọ nọ na Lagos.

    He or she is in Lagos.

    Before a consonant, na stays whole.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing na and the vowel word apart

    Ọ nọ na ụlọ.
    Ọ nọ n'ụlọ.

    Before a vowel, standard spelling writes n' joined to the next word.

How It Connects

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Dropping a Vowel: n'Foundations

Learn This First

The vowel is dropped only before another vowel, so learners need the vowels first.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

na