Mine and Yours: nke
Nke m, nke gị, nke ya: mine, yours, his or hers.
How It Works
Nke works like English “the one”. With an owner it gives “mine”, “yours” or “Ada's”.
| Form | Meaning |
|---|---|
| nke m | mine |
| nke gị | yours |
| nke ya | his, hers |
| nke anyị | ours |
| nke Ada | Ada's, the one belonging to Ada |
It often follows bụ: Akwụkwọ a bụ nke m. “This book is mine.” It can also stand alone as the subject: Nke gị dị mma. “Yours is good.”
A pronoun straight after a noun (akwụkwọ m) means “my book”. Use nke when you drop the noun, because the owner alone cannot stand for a thing.
Examples (4)
- Akwụkwọ a bụ nke m.
This book is mine.
Nke m replaces akwụkwọ m.
- Ụlọ ahụ bụ nke Ada.
That house is Ada's.
Nke is followed by a name.
- Nke gị dị mma.
Yours is good.
Nke gị is the subject.
- Ego a bụ nke ya.
This money is his or hers.
Nke ya after bụ.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Nke plus a pronoun uses the pronoun after a noun, so that row comes first.
Related Patterns
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Words in This Pattern
nkem