Recognizing Fante

Level 6

Fante ts, dz where Twi has t, d before i or e: dzin (Twi din, name), tse (Twi te), dze (Twi de).

How It Works

1. The big sound change
Where Twi has t or d before i or e, Fante has ts or dz:

  • din → dzin (name); de → dze (is called; take)
  • te → tse (live; hear); di → dzi (eat)
  • ade → adze (thing); Awurade → Ewuradze (Lord)

2. Common words that differ (Twi, then Fante)

  • aane / nyew (yes)
  • yɛn / hɛn (we, our); wɔn / hɔn (they, their); mo / hom (you all)
  • sɛ / dɛ (that)
  • ne / nye (and)
  • nti / ntsi (because of, so): Fante Ebɛnadze ntsi? for Twi Adɛn nti? (Why?), as in Why: adɛn nti
  • Agya / Egya (father); soro / sor (heaven, above)

3. The same prayer three ways

  • Asante: Yɛn Agya a wowɔ soro, wo din ho nte
  • Akuapem: Yɛn Agya a wowɔ soro, wo din ho ntew
  • Fante: Hɛn Egya a ɔwɔ sor, wo dzin ho ntsew

The words line up closely because the grammar is shared; see also Akuapem Forms in Print.

4. Greetings you may hear
Wo ho tse dɛn? is the Fante form of How Are You? Wo ho te sɛn?, and Me dzin dze Kwesi is the Fante form of My Name Is: Me din de. Day names differ a little too: Fante Kwesi, Asante Kwasi.

5. Reading tips
Fante often drops a final vowel (sor for soro, mber for berɛ) and has e- where Twi has a- at the start of some nouns (Egya, ebusua for abusua). Fante writing also has its own spelling traditions, as Older Spellings explains. Aim to recognise Fante, but speak and write Asante in this course.

Examples (6)

  1. Me dzin dze Kwesi.

    My name is Kwesi.

    Twi: Me din de Kwasi.

  2. Wo ho tse dɛn?

    How are you?

    Twi: Wo ho te sɛn?

  3. Nyew, mifi Ghana.

    Yes, I am from Ghana.

    Twi: Aane, mefiri Ghana.

  4. Hɛn Egya a ɔwɔ sor, wo dzin ho ntsew.

    Our Father in heaven, may your name be holy.

    The Fante Lord's Prayer. Asante: Yɛn Agya a wowɔ soro, wo din ho nte.

  5. Ebɛnadze ntsi na eba ha?

    Why did you come here?

    Twi: Adɛn nti na wobaa ha? Fante uses e- where Twi has wo- (you).

  6. Christ tse ase.

    Christ is alive.

    Twi: Kristo te ase. Fante tse matches Twi te.

How It Connects

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

Recognizing FanteLevel 6

Learn This First

Recognizing Fante builds on the varieties.