hia (Need)

Need: Hia

Level 3

Hia means need: Mehia sika (I need money), Mehia wo mmoa (I need your help). Ɛho hia means it is important.

How It Works

1. Need something
Hia works like other verbs: a subject prefix goes on the front and the object follows. See Basic Word Order.

  • Mehia sika. (I need money.)
  • Ɔhia nsuo. (She needs water.)
  • Mehia wo mmoa. (I need your help.)

2. Not need
Add the negative nasal: Menhia (I do not need). With hwee it means need nothing: Menhia hwee (I do not need anything). See Negative Prefix N-.

3. Important: ho hia
Put ho (self, body) after a possessive or a noun, then hia. Word for word it says the thing itself is needed, which is how Twi says important.

  • Ɛho hia. (It is important.)
  • Sukuu ho hia. (School is important.)
  • Wo ho hia me. (You are important to me. I need you.)

4. Needing to do something
Before a whole clause, say Ɛhia sɛ (it is necessary that): Ɛhia sɛ yɛboa no (We need to help him). For a plain duty, ɛsɛ sɛ is the everyday choice.

5. Related words
The noun ohia means poverty or need, and ahiadeɛ means a necessity. The phrase Nea ɛhia ne sɛ (what matters is that) is built on the same verb.

Examples (6)

  1. Mehia sika.

    I need money.

  2. Mehia wo mmoa.

    I need your help.

    Word by Word: I-need your help

    Mmoa (help) is a noun, so wo (your) comes before it.

  3. Ɔhia nsuo.

    She needs water.

  4. Menhia hwee.

    I do not need anything.

    Word by Word: I-not-need nothing

    Hwee (nothing) only appears with a negative verb.

  5. Sukuu ho hia.

    School is important.

    Word by Word: school self is-needful

    A noun + ho + hia says that the thing is important.

  6. Wo ho hia me.

    You are important to me.

    Word by Word: your self is-needful (to) me

    A warm, common way to say I need you or you matter to me.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting sɛ between hia and a noun.

    Mehia sɛ sika.
    Mehia sika.

    Sɛ introduces a clause, not a noun. The thing you need follows hia directly.

How It Connects

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

hia (Need)Level 3Need: Hia

Learn This First

Need is an ordinary verb.

Words in This Pattern

hiaɛho