wɔ- (Impersonal)

Passive Meaning with Wɔ-

Level 3

Wɔwoo me wɔ Kumase means I was born in Kumasi, literally they bore me in Kumasi.

How It Works

1. The pattern
wɔ- + verb + the one affected.

  • Wɔfrɛ me Ama. (I am called Ama. Literally: they call me Ama.)
  • Wɔwoo me wɔ Kumase. (I was born in Kumasi.)

The first of these is also a set phrase: see They Call Me: Wɔfrɛ me.

2. Every tense works

  • Present: Wɔka Twi wɔ Kumase (Twi is spoken in Kumasi).
  • Past: Wɔwoo me (I was born).
  • Perfect: Wɔasi dan no (The house has been built). See Has Been Done: wɔ- + a-.
  • Future: Wɔbɛfrɛ wo (You will be called).

3. Things too
The object can be a thing: Wɔtɔn nsuo wɔ ha (Water is sold here).

4. Naming the doer
Twi has no word for by in this sense. To say who did it, make the doer the subject, often with Focus on the Subject: X na: Kofi na ɔsii dan no (It was Kofi who built the house).

5. Two different wɔ
In Wɔwoo me wɔ Kumase, the first wɔ- is the prefix and the second wɔ means at or in. See At, In: wɔ. The same impersonal they gives Reportedly: wɔse.

Examples (6)

  1. Wɔfrɛ me Ama.

    I am called Ama.

    Word by Word: they-call me Ama

  2. Wɔwoo me wɔ Kumase.

    I was born in Kumasi.

    Word by Word: they-bore me at Kumasi

    Woo is the past of wo (give birth) before an object.

  3. Wɔka Twi wɔ Kumase.

    Twi is spoken in Kumasi.

    Word by Word: they-speak Twi at Kumasi

  4. Wɔtɔn nsuo wɔ ha.

    Water is sold here.

    Word by Word: they-sell water at here

  5. Wɔasi dan no.

    The house has been built.

    Word by Word: they-have-built house the

  6. Wɔbɛfrɛ wo.

    You will be called.

    Word by Word: they-will-call you

Common Mistakes

  • Making the person affected the subject, as in English.

    Mewoo wɔ Kumase.
    Wɔwoo me wɔ Kumase.

    The intended meaning is I was born in Kumasi. Mewoo means I gave birth, so the incorrect sentence says I gave birth in Kumasi. Keep me as the object after wɔ-.

  • Using ɔ- (he or she) for an unnamed doer.

    Ɔfrɛ me Ama.
    Wɔfrɛ me Ama.

    The intended meaning is I am called Ama. Ɔfrɛ me Ama means one particular person calls me Ama. The impersonal prefix is wɔ-.

How It Connects

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

wɔ- (Impersonal)Level 3Passive Meaning with Wɔ-

Learn This First

The passive meaning uses the wɔ- prefix with no specific subject.

Words in This Pattern