de ... to (Put)

Put: De ... to

Level 4

de + thing + to + place = put: Ɔde nwoma no too pon no so (She put the book on the table).

How It Works

1. The frame
Subject + de + thing + to + place.

  • Ɔde nwoma no too pon no so. (She put the book on the table.)
  • Mede sika no too hɔ. (I put the money there.)

2. Tense goes on to
Before a place, the past is too: ɔde no too mmoa adididaka mu (she laid him in the manger), from the Christmas story. At the end of a clause, the past is toeɛ: Ɛhe na wode toeɛ? (Where did you put it?). The future goes on to as well: Mede bɛto hɔ (I will put it there). See Simple Past Before an Object.

3. Commands use fa
In a command, fa takes the place of de, just as in Give To: de ... ma: Fa sika no to hɔ (Put the money there).

4. Negatives use fa
In the negative, fa takes the place of de, and both verbs are negative, as in Negatives in Serial Verbs: Wamfa anto hɔ (He did not put it there), Mfa wo nan nto pon no so (Don't put your feet on the table), Meremfa nto hɔ (I will not put it there).

5. Leaving out it
When the thing is already known, leave it out, as in Leaving Out It: Mede too pon no so (I put it on the table).

6. Other ways to put

  • de ... gu: pour or add something loose: Fa nkyene gu nkwan no mu (Put salt in the soup).
  • de ... sie: put away, keep: Ɔde sika no sieeɛ (He put the money away).

On its own, to also means throw: Kofi too boɔ (Kofi threw a stone). With de in front, it means put.

Examples (6)

  1. Ɔde nwoma no too pon no so.

    She put the book on the table.

    Word by Word: she-takes book the put table the top

    De stays the same; too shows the past.

  2. Fa sika no to hɔ.

    Put the money there.

    In a command, fa takes the place of de.

  3. Mede bɛto hɔ.

    I will put it there.

    The known thing is left out, and the future bɛ- goes on to.

  4. Ɛhe na wode me safoa toeɛ?

    Where did you put my key?

    At the end of the clause, the past of to is toeɛ.

  5. Wamfa anto hɔ.

    He did not put it there.

    In the negative, fa replaces de, and both verbs are negative.

  6. Mfa wo nan nto pon no so.

    Don't put your feet on the table.

Common Mistakes

  • Leaving out de (intended: She put the book on the table).

    Ɔtoo nwoma no pon no so.
    Ɔde nwoma no too pon no so.

    Without de, the book becomes the direct object of to, which suggests throwing it. To say put, take the thing with de first.

  • Leaving to in the present form in a past sentence.

    Ɔde nwoma no to pon no so nnɛra.
    Ɔde nwoma no too pon no so nnɛra.

    De never shows the past, so the past must go on to: too.

  • Making only to negative.

    Ɔde sika no anto hɔ.
    Wamfa sika no anto hɔ.

    In the negative, both verbs are negative, and de becomes fa.

How It Connects

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

de ... to (Put)Level 4Put: De ... to

Learn This First

Put combines de, to and a place.

Words in This Pattern

tofa