Possession by Placement
Owner + thing: Kofi fie (Kofi's house), Ama maame (Ama's mother). No extra word is needed.
How It Works
The pattern
- Kofi fie (Kofi's house)
- Ama maame (Ama's mother)
- ɔhene no ahemfie (the chief's palace)
Where no goes
If the owner has no, the no stays with the owner, before the thing owned: abofra no maame (the child's mother). A no at the very end belongs to the whole phrase: Kofi fie no (Kofi's house, the one we are talking about).
Chains
You can stack owners. Start with the first owner and move toward the thing: Kofi maame fie (Kofi's mother's house), me papa kaa (my father's car).
The same order elsewhere
- Place words are nouns that belong to a thing: pon no so (on the table, literally the table's top). See location nouns.
- Some pairs have become single words: Asantehene (King of Asante). See compound nouns and -hene (chief of).
When the thing is not named
To say Kofi's without naming the thing, use dea: Kofi dea (Kofi's one).
Examples (6)
- Kofi fie wɔ Kumase.
Kofi's house is in Kumasi.
Word by Word: Kofi house is-at Kumasi
- Ama maame tɔn nkosua.
Ama's mother sells eggs.
Word by Word: Ama mother sells eggs
The whole phrase Ama maame is a noun subject, so the verb takes no prefix.
- Abofra no maame aba.
The child's mother has come.
Word by Word: child the mother has-come
No stays with abofra, the owner, before maame.
- Ɔhene no ahemfie yɛ kɛseɛ.
The chief's palace is big.
Word by Word: chief the palace is big
- Kofi maame fie wɔ he?
Where is Kofi's mother's house?
Word by Word: Kofi mother house is-at where
Two owners in a row: Kofi owns maame, and Kofi maame owns fie.
- Me papa kaa no yɛ foforɔ.
My father's car is new.
Word by Word: my father car the is new
A possessive pronoun can start the chain: me papa is my father.
Common Mistakes
Putting the owner after the thing, like the house of Kofi.
Fie Kofi wɔ Kumase.Kofi fie wɔ Kumase.The owner always comes first: Kofi fie.
Adding dea between the owner and the thing.
Kofi dea fie wɔ Kumase.Kofi fie wɔ Kumase.Dea stands in for the thing owned (Kofi dea, Kofi's one). When you name the thing, put it straight after the owner.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Possession by placement extends the possessive pronouns.
Related Patterns
- me dea (Mine)Mine and Yours: Me Dea
Dea replaces the thing owned: Kofi dea (Kofi's).
Level 2 - Location With Place Nouns
Place words such as so and mu follow their noun in the same way: pon no so.
Level 2 - no (The)The Article No
Shows where no goes when the owner or the whole phrase is definite.
Level 1 - Compound Nouns
Some owner-thing pairs have joined into one word, such as ahemfie.
Level 5 - -hene (Chief Of)Chief of: -hene
Place + hene names a ruler: Asantehene.
Level 5
Learn Next
Patterns that build on this one.
Practice Possession by Placement in Bubblegum
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