ne or na?

And: Ne or Na?

Level 2

Ne joins things: Kofi ne Ama. Na joins clauses: Ɔbaa fie na ɔdidiiɛ.

How It Works

1. The quick test
Look at what stands on each side of and.

  • Nouns or pronouns on both sides: use ne. paanoo ne nkosua (bread and eggs), me ne wo (you and I). See And Between Nouns: ne.
  • A full clause on both sides: use na. Kofi kɔɔ sukuu na Ama kɔɔ dwam (Kofi went to school and Ama went to the market). See And Then: na.

2. Joined nouns inside a sentence
A ne-phrase works as one unit. It can be the subject or the object: Me maame ne me papa te Ghana (My mother and my father live in Ghana), Mehunuu Kofi ne Ama (I saw Kofi and Ama).

3. Two actions
Two verbs are never joined by ne. Use na, or a serial verb chain with no joining word: see Serial Verbs.

4. Or, but
Anaa can join both nouns and clauses. For but between clauses, use nanso.

5. Other words spelled ne
Ne also means his or her (ne papa, his father) and is in identity sentences (This Is: ne). Tone is not written, so the position in the sentence tells you which ne you have.

Examples (5)

  1. Metɔɔ paanoo ne nkosua.

    I bought bread and eggs.

    Word by Word: I-bought bread and eggs

    Two nouns: ne.

  2. Me maame ne me papa te Ghana.

    My mother and my father live in Ghana.

    Word by Word: my mother and my father live Ghana

    The ne-phrase is the subject.

  3. Mehunuu Kofi ne Ama.

    I saw Kofi and Ama.

    Word by Word: I-saw Kofi and Ama

  4. Kofi kɔɔ sukuu na Ama kɔɔ dwam.

    Kofi went to school and Ama went to the market.

    Word by Word: Kofi went school and Ama went market

    Two full clauses: na.

  5. Ɔbaa fie na ɔdidiiɛ.

    He came home and ate.

    Word by Word: he-came home and he-ate

    Two actions: na, never ne.

Common Mistakes

  • Joining two clauses with ne.

    Ɔbaa fie ne ɔdidiiɛ.
    Ɔbaa fie na ɔdidiiɛ.

    Each side is a full clause with its own verb, so the joining word is na.

  • Joining two nouns with na.

    Metɔɔ paanoo na nkosua.
    Metɔɔ paanoo ne nkosua.

    Paanoo and nkosua are only nouns, so they need ne. Na expects a whole clause after it.

How It Connects

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

ne or na?Level 2And: Ne or Na?

Learn This First

The choice compares ne and na.

Words in This Pattern

nena