nyinaa

All: Nyinaa

Level 2

Put nyinaa at the very end: mmofra no nyinaa (all the children), yɛn nyinaa (all of us).

How It Works

1. Last in the phrase
Nyinaa comes after everything else in the noun phrase, even after no:

  • mmofra no → mmofra no nyinaa (all the children)
  • nnua atenten no → nnua atenten no nyinaa (all the tall trees)
  • aduane no → aduane no nyinaa (all the food)

2. After pronouns
Nyinaa follows a pronoun directly: yɛn nyinaa (all of us), mo nyinaa (all of you), wɔn nyinaa (all of them). Ne nyinaa means all of it, the whole thing. After a count of people it means both or all: wɔn baanu nyinaa (both of them).

3. A known group or everyone?
For all of a particular group, keep no before nyinaa: Mmofra no nyinaa aba (All the children have come). For people or things in general, nyinaa can follow the bare noun: nnipa nyinaa (all people, everyone).

4. Nyinaa or biara?
Nyinaa takes the group as a whole. Biara takes the members one at a time: abofra biara (every child). Use nyinaa with a plural noun or a whole amount, and biara with a single noun.

5. Spelling
You will sometimes see it written nyina. It is the same word.

Examples (6)

  1. Mmofra no nyinaa aba.

    All the children have come.

    Word by Word: children the all have-come

    Nyinaa comes after no.

  2. Medɔ mo nyinaa.

    I love you all.

    Nyinaa right after the pronoun mo.

  3. Ɔdii aduane no nyinaa.

    He ate all the food.

    Dii is the past of di before an object; nyinaa closes the object.

  4. Wadi ne nyinaa.

    He has eaten all of it.

    Ne nyinaa means all of it.

  5. Wɔn nyinaa yɛ akyerɛkyerɛfoɔ.

    They are all teachers.

    Wɔn nyinaa is the subject.

  6. Nnipa nyinaa pɛ asomdwoeɛ.

    Everyone wants peace.

    Word by Word: people all want peace

    For people in general, nyinaa follows the bare noun.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting nyinaa before the noun, as in English.

    Nyinaa mmofra no aba.
    Mmofra no nyinaa aba.

    Nyinaa never comes first. It goes at the end of the noun phrase.

  • Putting nyinaa before no.

    Mmofra nyinaa no aba.
    Mmofra no nyinaa aba.

    No closes the noun and its describing words; nyinaa comes after it.

How It Connects

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

nyinaaLevel 2All: Nyinaa

Learn This First

Nyinaa follows the full noun phrase.

Words in This Pattern