Noun Prefixes and Their Plurals
A noun's plural usually swaps its prefix: ɔhene → ahene (chiefs), abofra → mmofra (children), bepɔ → mmepɔ (mountains).
How It Works
1. The main patterns
- ɔ- → a-: ɔhene → ahene (chiefs), ɔsono → asono (elephants). See plurals with a-.
- a- → nasal: abofra → mmofra (children), akokɔ → nkokɔ (chickens), ataadeɛ → ntaadeɛ (clothes). See nasal plurals.
- ɔ- → nasal, mostly for people: ɔbaa → mmaa (women), onipa → nnipa (people). See person nouns with a nasal plural.
- no prefix → nasal or a-: bepɔ → mmepɔ (mountains), dua → nnua (trees), fie → afie (houses).
2. People and family
Kin words take -nom (agya → agyanom, fathers), and words for doers take -foɔ (ɔkyerɛkyerɛfoɔ → akyerɛkyerɛfoɔ, teachers).
3. Nouns with no plural
Mass nouns such as nsuo (water) and mogya (blood) have one form only. Many of them already begin with a nasal.
4. No class agreement
In Swahili, a class prefix is repeated on adjectives and verbs. Twi does not do this: Ahene no ne mmaa no aba (The chiefs and the women have come) uses the same verb for both kinds of plural. Some adjectives do take a plural form, as in nketewa (small ones), but that follows number, not the noun's group.
5. How to learn them
The plural cannot always be guessed from the singular, so learn each noun as a pair: abofra, mmofra.
Examples (6)
- abofra, mmofra
child, children
a- becomes a nasal, and b becomes m after it.
- ɔhene, ahene
chief, chiefs
ɔ- becomes a-.
- ɔbaa, mmaa
woman, women
A person noun with ɔ- that takes the nasal plural.
- bepɔ, mmepɔ
mountain, mountains
A noun with no prefix gains a nasal in the plural.
- Nsuo no ayɛ fi.
The water has become dirty.
Nsuo is a mass noun with no plural form.
- Ahene no ne mmaa no aba.
The chiefs and the women have come.
The verb aba does not change for the a- or nasal plural of its subjects.
Common Mistakes
Adding -nom to a noun that makes its plural with a prefix.
abofranommmofraAbofra forms its plural by changing its prefix. The ending -nom is mainly for kin words and names, as in agyanom (fathers).
How It Connects
Learn This First
Prefix groups organize the plural patterns.
Related Patterns
- N- (Plural)Plurals with a Nasal Prefix
The nasal plural is the most common prefix pattern.
Level 1 - a- (Plural)Plurals with a-
Many ɔ- and ɛ- nouns take a- in the plural.
Level 1 - -nom (Plural)Plural Suffix -nom
Kin words use the suffix -nom instead of a prefix.
Level 3 - -foɔPeople Who Do: -foɔ
Nouns for doers pair a prefix with the suffix -foɔ.
Level 2 - Plural Adjectives
Some adjectives show plural, but not noun class.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
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