Object Pronouns

Level 1

Object pronouns come after the verb and are written as separate words: Ɔdɔ me (She loves me), Mefrɛ no (I call him), Yɛhwɛ wɔn (We watch them).

How It Works

The forms

  • me — me: Ɔdɔ me (She loves me).
  • wo — you: Medɔ wo (I love you).
  • no — him, her: Mefrɛ no (I call him).
  • yɛn — us: Ama boaa yɛn (Ama helped us).
  • mo — you all: Merehwehwɛ mo (I am looking for you all).
  • wɔn — them: Yɛhwɛ wɔn (We watch them).

Separate words
The subject prefix is joined to the verb, but the object is not: Mefrɛ no, never Mefrɛno.

Two objects
With ma (give), the person comes first and the thing second: Ma me nsuo (Give me water), Ɔmaa me sika (He gave me money). See Give: ma.

What about "it"?
For a thing, no can mean "it" when another word follows it in the clause, such as a time word: Kofi bɛtɔn no ɔkyena (Kofi will sell it tomorrow). At the end of a clause, a known thing is usually just left out: Metɔeɛ (I bought it). A final no there is normally heard as a person: Mehunuu no means "I saw him" or "I saw her". See Leaving Out It and Simple Past at the End of a Clause.

No, ne and ɔno
Keep three forms apart: ɔno stands alone (he, she), no follows a verb (him, her), and ne comes before a noun (his, her): Mehunuu ne maame (I saw his mother). See My, Your, His and Her.

Not for "myself"
When the object is the same person as the subject, Twi uses a possessive with ho (body, self): Ɔhwɛ ne ho (She looks at herself). See Myself, Yourself: possessive + ho.

Examples (6)

  1. Ɔdɔ me.

    She loves me.

    Word by Word: She-loves me.

  2. Mefrɛ no.

    I call him. / I call her.

    Word by Word: I-call him/her.

  3. Yɛhwɛ wɔn.

    We watch them.

    Word by Word: We-watch them.

  4. Ama boaa yɛn.

    Ama helped us.

    Word by Word: Ama helped us.

  5. Ma me nsuo.

    Give me water.

    Word by Word: Give me water.

    The person (me) comes before the thing (nsuo).

  6. Kofi bɛtɔn no ɔkyena.

    Kofi will sell it tomorrow.

    Word by Word: Kofi will-sell it tomorrow.

    No can stand for a thing here because ɔkyena follows it. Out of context, it could also mean him or her.

Common Mistakes

  • Using the full form ɔno as an object.

    Mehunuu ɔno.
    Mehunuu no.

    After a verb, he or she becomes no. Ɔno is for when the pronoun stands on its own.

  • Adding no for a thing at the end of the sentence.

    Metɔɔ no. (meaning the bread)
    Metɔeɛ.

    At the end of a clause, a known thing is left out and the verb takes its clause-end past form. Metɔɔ no is normally heard as I bought him or her.

  • Joining the object pronoun to the verb.

    Mefrɛno.
    Mefrɛ no.

    Only the subject prefix is part of the verb. Object pronouns are always written as separate words.

How It Connects

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Object PronounsLevel 1

Learn This First

Object pronouns combine the pronoun set with basic word order.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

noyɛnmowɔn