a ... no (Relative Clause)

Relative Clauses: A ... No

Level 3

Noun + a + clause + no: abofra a ɔbaeɛ no means the child who came.

How It Works

1. The frame
noun + a + clause + no.

  • abofra a ɔbaeɛ no (the child who came)
  • nwoma a metɔeɛ no (the book that I bought)

2. The subject keeps its prefix
When the noun is the subject inside the clause, the verb still takes a prefix: ɔ- or wɔ- for people, ɛ- for things. abofra a ɔbaeɛ no (the child who came), aduane a ɛwɔ hɔ no (the food that is there). For objects, see Pronouns Inside Relative Clauses.

3. The verb before no
If the clause ends in the verb, the past takes its clause-final form before no: ɔbaeɛ no, metɔeɛ no. If a word follows the verb, it doubles: wode maa me no (that you gave me).

4. With or without no
The closing no marks a person or thing you can both identify. For someone new or unspecified, leave it out: Mepɛ obi a ɔbɛboa me (I want someone who will help me). See Clause-Final no.

5. Using the whole phrase
The finished phrase works like any noun. It can be the subject: Abofra a ɔbaeɛ no yɛ me nua (The child who came is my sibling). The noun can also carry its own no before a: aduro no a wode maa me no (the medicine that you gave me).

6. More relative frames
For the one who, what, see What, The One Who: nea. For whose, see Whose: a ne ... no. For where, see Where in Relative Clauses: baabi a.

Examples (6)

  1. abofra a ɔbaeɛ no

    the child who came

    Word by Word: child REL he/she-come-PAST the

    The subject prefix ɔ- stays inside the clause.

  2. nwoma a metɔeɛ no

    the book that I bought

    Word by Word: book REL I-buy-PAST the

    Tɔeɛ is the clause-final past, used just before no.

  3. Abofra a ɔbaeɛ no yɛ me nua.

    The child who came is my sibling.

    The whole phrase is the subject of yɛ.

  4. Aduane a wonoaeɛ no yɛ dɛ.

    The food that you cooked is tasty.

    Word by Word: food REL you-cook-PAST the be sweet

  5. Mepɛ obi a ɔbɛboa me.

    I want someone who will help me.

    No closing no: the person is not yet known.

  6. Aduro no a wode maa me no asa.

    The medicine that you gave me is finished.

    Word by Word: medicine the REL you-take give-PAST me the PERF-finish

    A word follows the verb, so ma doubles to maa.

Common Mistakes

  • Dropping the subject prefix inside the relative clause.

    abofra a baeɛ no
    abofra a ɔbaeɛ no

    A subject inside a relative clause must keep its prefix. English says who came, but Twi says a ɔbaeɛ (that he or she came).

  • Leaving out a.

    Abofra ɔbaeɛ no yɛ me nua.
    Abofra a ɔbaeɛ no yɛ me nua.

    Without a, nothing marks the clause as describing abofra, and the sentence falls apart. The particle a is needed to open the relative clause.

How It Connects

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

a ... no (Relative Clause)Level 3Relative Clauses: A ... No

Learn This First

Relative clauses combine a, a verb form and the closing no.

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Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

ano