fa ... ho (About)

About: Fa ... Ho

Level 3

Nwoma no fa Ghana abakɔsɛm ho means The book is about Ghanaian history. The topic sits between fa and ho.

How It Works

1. The frame
Subject + fa + topic + ho.

  • Nwoma no fa Ghana abakɔsɛm ho. (The book is about Ghanaian history.)
  • Asɛm yi fa wo ho. (This matter concerns you.)

2. Pronouns take the possessive
Before ho, use the possessive forms from My, Your, His and Her: Ɛfa ne ho (It concerns him or her), Ɛfa yɛn ho (It concerns us). This is the same shape as Myself, Yourself: possessive + ho.

3. Negative and questions
The negative puts N- on fa, written m before f: Ɛmfa wo ho (It does not concern you, it is none of your business). See Negative Prefix N-. Ask with dɛn: Sini no fa dɛn ho? (What is the film about?)

4. Describing a noun
Use a relative clause to say a book about something: Ɔtwerɛɛ nwoma bi a ɛfa Asante ho (She wrote a book about Asante). See Relative Clauses: a ... no.

5. Ho alone after some verbs
With verbs of thinking and talking, ho alone often carries about: Meredwene wo ho (I am thinking about you).

6. Not take
This fa is different from fa (take) in Bring and Take: fa ... bra, fa ... kɔ. The ho at the end tells you it means concern.

Examples (6)

  1. Nwoma no fa Ghana abakɔsɛm ho.

    The book is about Ghanaian history.

    Word by Word: book the concerns Ghana history around

  2. Asɛm yi fa wo ho.

    This matter concerns you.

  3. Ɛmfa wo ho.

    It is none of your business.

    Word by Word: it-not-concern your around

    The negative of fa is written mfa.

  4. Sini no fa dɛn ho?

    What is the film about?

  5. Ɔtwerɛɛ nwoma bi a ɛfa Asante ho.

    She wrote a book about Asante.

    A ɛfa ... ho after the noun works like English about.

  6. Meredwene wo ho.

    I am thinking about you.

    After dwene (think), ho alone means about.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out the closing ho.

    Nwoma no fa Ghana abakɔsɛm.
    Nwoma no fa Ghana abakɔsɛm ho.

    Without ho, fa is read as take, and the sentence does not say what the book is about. The frame needs both fa and ho.

  • Using the object pronoun no before ho.

    Ɛfa no ho.
    Ɛfa ne ho.

    Before ho, a pronoun takes its possessive form: ne ho (him or her), as in the reflexive.

Words in This Pattern

fadwene