sɛdeɛ (As, The Way)
As, The Way: Sɛdeɛ
Yɛ sɛdeɛ wopɛ means Do as you like. Sɛdeɛ links an action to the way something is done.
How It Works
1. The way that
- Yɛ no sɛdeɛ meka kyerɛɛ wo no. (Do it the way I told you.)
- Kyerɛ me sɛdeɛ wɔnoa nkwan yi. (Show me how this soup is cooked.)
2. As
- Yɛ sɛdeɛ wopɛ. (Do as you like.)
- Sɛdeɛ mehunu no, ɔbɛba. (As I see it, he will come.)
3. Sɛdeɛ ɛsɛ: properly
Yɛ adwuma no sɛdeɛ ɛsɛ means do the work as it should be done, that is, properly.
4. Just as ... so
Pair sɛdeɛ with saa ara na to match two situations: Sɛdeɛ w'agya yɛ no, saa ara na wo nso yɛ (Just as your father does, so do you). See saa.
5. Sɛdeɛ or sɛ?
Sɛdeɛ needs a clause with its own verb. To compare with a plain noun, use sɛ, as in te sɛ: Ɔkasa sɛ Asanteni (He speaks like an Asante). Or give the noun a verb: Ɔkasa sɛdeɛ Asanteni kasa no (He speaks the way an Asante speaks).
6. So that
The same word begins sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a (so that).
Examples (5)
- Yɛ no sɛdeɛ meka kyerɛɛ wo no.
Do it the way I told you.
Word by Word: do it as I-say showed you the
No closes the clause because it points to what was already said.
- Yɛ sɛdeɛ wopɛ.
Do as you like.
Word by Word: do as you-like
- Kyerɛ me sɛdeɛ wɔnoa nkwan yi.
Show me how this soup is cooked.
Word by Word: show me as they-cook soup this
Wɔnoa uses the impersonal wɔ-: how people cook it.
- Sɛdeɛ mehunu no, ɔbɛba.
As I see it, he will come.
Word by Word: as I-see the, he-will-come
- Yɛ adwuma no sɛdeɛ ɛsɛ.
Do the work properly.
Word by Word: do work the as it-is-fitting
Common Mistakes
Using sɛdeɛ before a plain noun.
Ɔkasa sɛdeɛ Asanteni.Ɔkasa sɛ Asanteni.Sɛdeɛ must be followed by a clause with a verb. Before a plain noun, use sɛ, or add a verb: Ɔkasa sɛdeɛ Asanteni kasa no.
How It Connects
Learn This First
The way that closes like a relative clause.
Related Patterns
- te sɛ (Like)Like, Resemble: Te Sɛ
Sɛ and te sɛ compare with a noun; sɛdeɛ compares with a whole clause.
Level 3 - saa (So, Like That)So, Like That: Saa
Sɛdeɛ ... saa ara na means just as ... so.
Level 2 - sɛnea ɛbɛyɛ a (So That)So That: Sɛnea Ɛbɛyɛ a
The same word opens purpose clauses: so that.
Level 5 - no (Clause-Final)Clause-Final No
The closing no of sɛdeɛ ... no marks the clause as known information.
Level 5 - ka kyerɛ (Tell)Tell: Ka Kyerɛ
Sɛdeɛ meka kyerɛɛ wo no uses ka kyerɛ (tell).
Level 3 - Akuapem Forms in Print
Printed Twi often writes sɛnea where Asante writes sɛdeɛ.
Level 5
Words in This Pattern
Practice sɛdeɛ (As, The Way) in Bubblegum
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