Subject Pronouns

Level 1

Pronouns: ọ/o, ị/i, anyị, unu, ha. For I, say Aga m or Ana m.

How It Works

PersonSecond-group verbFirst-group verb
he, she, itỌ gara.O riri.
you (one)Ị bịara.I mere.
weAnyị na-agụ.
you (many)Unu na-eri.
theyHa gara.

Before the helpers na- and ga- the pronoun is ọ or ị, because the helper begins with a. For I, standard Igbo puts m after the verb or helper: Aga m “I will go”, Ana m eri nri “I am eating”. Lessons teach this standard order; dialects and informal writing may differ.

Examples (5)

  1. Ọ gara ahịa.

    He or she went to the market.

    Gara has second-group vowels, so the pronoun is ọ.

  2. O riri nri.

    He or she ate food.

    Riri has first-group vowels, so the pronoun is o.

  3. Ị bịara.

    You came.

    Ị goes with bịara.

  4. Anyị na-agụ akwụkwọ.

    We are reading.

    Anyị does not change.

  5. Aga m abịa.

    I will come.

    M follows the helper ga-.

How It Connects

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Subject PronounsLevel 1

Learn This First

The subject forms are the short versions of the independent pronouns and ị and ọ change by harmony, so learners need both first.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

ọịanyịham