ntam (Between)

Between: Ntam

Level 4

Put ntam after the things: Kofi ne Ama ntam (between Kofi and Ama), yɛn ntam (between us).

How It Works

1. Between two things
Join the two with ne and add ntam: X ne Y ntam.

  • Kofi ne Ama ntam (between Kofi and Ama)
  • asɔre no ne sukuu no ntam (between the church and the school)

2. Among a group
After a plural possessive, ntam means among: yɛn ntam (among us, between us), mo ntam (among you), wɔn ntam (among them, between them).

3. Location with wɔ
As with other place nouns, use wɔ to say where something is: Fie no wɔ asɔre no ne sukuu no ntam (The house is between the church and the school).

4. Relationships
Ntam also describes what lies between people: Asɛm biara nni yɛn ntam (There is no problem between us).

5. Before another noun
A ntam phrase can describe a following noun: Kumase ne Nkran ntam kwan (the road between Kumasi and Accra).

6. Middle
For the exact middle of something, Twi uses mfimfini: kuro no mfimfini (the middle of the town). The word ntam in the Great Oath is a different word that is spelled the same way.

Examples (5)

  1. Tena Kofi ne Ama ntam.

    Sit between Kofi and Ama.

    Word by Word: sit Kofi and Ama between

    Ne joins the two people and ntam comes last.

  2. Fie no wɔ asɔre no ne sukuu no ntam.

    The house is between the church and the school.

    Wɔ says where something is, and the place phrase follows.

  3. Asɛm biara nni yɛn ntam.

    There is no problem between us.

    Word by Word: matter any is-not-at our between

    Yɛn ntam is between us or among us.

  4. Monkyɛ paanoo no wɔ mo ntam.

    Share the bread among yourselves.

    Mon- makes a command to a group, and mo ntam means among you.

  5. Kumase ne Nkran ntam kwan no ware.

    The road between Kumasi and Accra is long.

    The whole ntam phrase comes before kwan (road) and describes it.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting ntam first, the way English puts between first.

    Tena ntam Kofi ne Ama.
    Tena Kofi ne Ama ntam.

    Ntam is a place noun, so it comes after the things it relates to, like so (on) and mu (in).

  • Joining the two nouns with na.

    Tena Kofi na Ama ntam.
    Tena Kofi ne Ama ntam.

    Na joins clauses. Two nouns are joined with ne.

How It Connects

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

ntam (Between)Level 4Between: Ntam

Learn This First

Between is a place noun after two joined nouns.

Words in This Pattern

ntam