ɛnyɛ ... na
It Is Not ... Who: Ɛnyɛ ... Na
Ɛnyɛ + X + na + rest = it is not X that ...: Ɛnyɛ Kofi na ɔbaeɛ. (It was not Kofi who came.)
How It Works
1. From focus to denied focus
- Kofi na ɔbaeɛ. (It was Kofi who came.)
- Ɛnyɛ Kofi na ɔbaeɛ. (It was not Kofi who came.)
The rules of Focus on the Subject: X na stay the same: a person subject is picked up by a prefix after na (ɔbaeɛ), and a past verb at the end of the clause takes its final form, as in Simple Past at the End of a Clause.
2. Objects and places
An object can be denied in the same way, as in Focus on the Object: X na: Ɛnyɛ sika na mepɛ (It is not money that I want). So can a place: Ɛnyɛ Kumase na mekɔeɛ (It was not Kumasi that I went to).
3. The verb stays positive
The negative is in ɛnyɛ, not in the verb. Sika na mempɛ is a different sentence: It is money that I do not want.
4. Giving the right answer
Follow with na mmom: Ɛnyɛ Kumase na mekɔeɛ, na mmom Nkran (It was not Kumasi that I went to, but Accra).
5. As a question
Ɛnyɛ ... na can check a guess: Ɛnyɛ wo na wofrɛɛ me? (Wasn't it you who called me?) Without na, ɛnyɛ simply means it is not: Ɛnyɛ me (It is not me).
Examples (6)
- Ɛnyɛ Kofi na ɔbaeɛ.
It was not Kofi who came.
Word by Word: it-not-is Kofi FOCUS he-came
Only Kofi is denied. Someone did come.
- Ɛnyɛ sika na mepɛ.
It is not money that I want.
The object is denied, and the verb mepɛ stays positive.
- Ɛnyɛ me na mekaeɛ.
I am not the one who said it.
After na, me- points back to me.
- Ɛnyɛ Kumase na mekɔeɛ, na mmom Nkran.
It was not Kumasi that I went to, but Accra.
Na mmom gives the right answer. Nkran is Accra.
- Ɛnyɛ ntadeɛ na ɛhia.
It is not clothes that matter.
A thing takes ɛ- after na.
- Ɛnyɛ wo na wofrɛɛ me?
Wasn't it you who called me?
As a question, it checks a guess.
Common Mistakes
Making the verb negative instead of using ɛnyɛ.
Sika na mempɛ.Ɛnyɛ sika na mepɛ.Sika na mempɛ is correct Twi, but it means It is money that I do not want. To say It is not money that I want, put ɛnyɛ in front and keep the verb positive.
Leaving out the prefix after na.
Ɛnyɛ Kofi na baeɛ.Ɛnyɛ Kofi na ɔbaeɛ.After na the verb needs a prefix that points back to the focused person, here ɔ- for Kofi.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Denying the focus combines ɛnyɛ with na.
Related Patterns
- na (Object Focus)Focus on the Object: X Na
A fronted object can be denied the same way: Ɛnyɛ sika na mepɛ.
Level 3 - mmom (Rather)Rather: Mmom
Na mmom often gives the right answer after ɛnyɛ ... na.
Level 5 - Question Word + naQuestion Words with Na
Question words use the same focus frame with na.
Level 2 - Focus Across a Clause
The focused phrase can also come from inside a sɛ clause.
Level 5
Words in This Pattern
Practice ɛnyɛ ... na in Bubblegum
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