bɛ- (Future)

Future Bɛ-

Level 1

Bɛ- means "will": Ɔbɛba (He will come), Yɛbɛdidi (We will eat). With "I" it becomes mɛ-: Mɛkɔ (I will go).

How It Works

The forms

  • Mɛkɔ — I will go (me + bɛ- = mɛ-)
  • Wobɛkɔ — you will go
  • Ɔbɛkɔ — he or she will go
  • Ɛbɛkɔ — it will go
  • Yɛbɛkɔ — we will go
  • Mobɛkɔ — you all will go
  • Wɔbɛkɔ — they will go
  • Kofi bɛkɔ — Kofi will go

Time words
A time word usually comes at the end or the start: Mɛba ɔkyena (I will come tomorrow). See Today, Tomorrow and Now.

Useful phrases

  • Ɛbɛyɛ yie. — It will be fine.
  • Yɛbɛhyia. — We will meet. (See you.)

The negative future
Replace bɛ- with re- and add the negative nasal: mɛba → meremma (I will not come), ɔbɛkɔ → ɔrenkɔ (he will not go), yɛbɛboa → yɛremmoa (we will not help). See Will Not: re- + N-.

Other forms spelled with bɛ-
Rebɛ- means "about to": Merebɛkɔ (I am about to go); see About To: rebɛ-. A different bɛ- means "come and", so Ɔbɛdi can be "he will eat" or "he comes and eats". The melody and the context tell them apart. See Go and, Come and: kɔ- and bɛ- and Tone in Grammar.

Examples (6)

  1. Mɛba ɔkyena.

    I will come tomorrow.

    Word by Word: I-will-come tomorrow.

    Me + bɛ- contracts to mɛ-.

  2. Wobɛkɔ Kumase?

    Will you go to Kumasi?

    Word by Word: You-will-go Kumasi?

  3. Ɔbɛba.

    He will come. / She will come.

    Word by Word: He-will-come.

  4. Yɛbɛdidi.

    We will eat.

    Word by Word: We-will-eat.

  5. Kofi bɛfrɛ wo.

    Kofi will call you.

    Word by Word: Kofi will-call you.

    With a noun subject, bɛ- attaches straight to the verb.

  6. Merenkɔ.

    I will not go.

    Word by Word: I-will-not-go.

    The negative future uses re- and the nasal instead of bɛ-.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping me and bɛ- apart.

    Mebɛkɔ Kumase.
    Mɛkɔ Kumase.

    With I, the future is mɛ-, not mebɛ-. Mebɛkɔ is a common learner form that Asante speakers do not use.

  • Adding the negative nasal to bɛ-.

    Ɔbɛnkɔ.
    Ɔrenkɔ.

    The future bɛ- has no negative of its own. The negative future uses re- with the nasal: Ɔrenkɔ, he will not go.

How It Connects

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

bɛ- (Future)Level 1Future Bɛ-

Learn This First

The future attaches bɛ- after the subject prefix.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

bɛ-