biara

Every, Any: Biara

Level 2

da biara (every day), obiara (everyone), biribiara (everything), baabiara (everywhere).

How It Works

1. After a noun
Put biara after a singular noun: da biara (every day), berɛ biara (every time, any time), onipa biara (every person), okuafoɔ biara (every farmer). English puts every before the noun; Twi puts biara after it.

2. One-word forms
The indefinite words obi, biribi and baabi add -ara to make three everyday pronouns, each written as one word:

  • obi → obiara (everyone, anyone)
  • biribi → biribiara (everything, anything)
  • baabi → baabiara (everywhere, anywhere)

See Someone, Something, Somewhere. For extra stress, speakers also say obi biara (each and every one).

3. Every or any
In a statement, biara usually means every. When there is a free choice, it means any: Ebiara yɛ (Any of them is fine).

4. Each of them
After a pronoun and mu (among), biara means each: wɔn mu biara (each of them), yɛn mu biara (each of us).

5. With a negative
With a negative verb, obiara means nobody: Obiara mmaeɛ (Nobody has come). See Nobody and Nothing With Negatives.

6. In speech
The r often drops out: biara sounds like biaa, and obiara like obiaa. Written Twi keeps the r.

Examples (6)

  1. Mekɔ sukuu da biara.

    I go to school every day.

    Word by Word: I-go school day every

    Biara follows the noun da.

  2. Obiara nim no.

    Everyone knows him.

    Obiara is the subject, so the verb has no prefix.

  3. Biribiara bɛyɛ yie.

    Everything will be fine.

    Word by Word: everything will-be well

  4. Ntontom wɔ baabiara.

    There are mosquitoes everywhere.

  5. Wɔn mu biara tɔɔ nwoma baako.

    Each of them bought one book.

    Word by Word: they among each bought book one

    Wɔn mu biara means each of them.

  6. Onipa biara wɔ ne din.

    Every person has a name.

    Word by Word: person every has his/her name

    The noun before biara is singular.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting biara before the noun, as in English.

    Mekɔ sukuu biara da.
    Mekɔ sukuu da biara.

    Biara always follows the noun it goes with: da biara, every day.

  • Trying to say nobody has come with a positive verb.

    Obiara aba.
    Obiara mmaeɛ.

    Obiara aba means everyone has come. To say nobody, the verb itself must be negative: mmaeɛ.

How It Connects

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

biaraLevel 2Every, Any: Biara

Learn This First

Biara extends bi after a noun.

Words in This Pattern

biarada biaraobiarabiribiarabaabiara