me- / wo- / ɔ- / yɛ- / mo- / wɔ-

Subject Prefixes

Level 1

Twi puts a pronoun subject on the front of the verb: Mekɔ (I go), Wokɔ (you go), Ɔkɔ (he or she goes), Yɛkɔ (we go), Mokɔ (you all go), Wɔkɔ (they go).

How It Works

The prefixes

  • me- — I: Mekɔ (I go)
  • wo- — you: Wokɔ (you go)
  • ɔ- — he, she: Ɔkɔ (he or she goes)
  • yɛ- — we: Yɛkɔ (we go)
  • mo- — you all: Mokɔ (you all go)
  • wɔ- — they: Wɔkɔ (they go)

For things, the prefix is ɛ-: Ɛyɛ dɛ (It is nice). See The Subject Prefix ɛ- for Things.

Write it as one word
The prefix, any marker and the verb make a single word: me- + re- + kɔ = merekɔ (I am going), wo- + bɛ- + ba = wobɛba (you will come), ɔ- + n- + kɔ = ɔnkɔ (he does not go). Only the subject is joined on; an object is a separate word: Ɔdɔ me (She loves me). See Progressive re- and Negative Prefix N-.

Wo- or wɔ-?
Wokɔ (you go) and Wɔkɔ (they go) look almost the same. The vowel is different, o against ɔ, so read and write it carefully. Wɔ- can also mean people in general: Wɔfrɛ me Ama (They call me Ama; my name is Ama). See Passive Meaning With wɔ-.

Small changes to learn

  • me- + bɛ- = mɛ-: Mɛkɔ (I will go). See Future bɛ-.
  • me- + a- = ma- and ɔ- + a- = wa-: Maba (I have come), Waba (he has come). See Perfect a-.
  • Vowel harmony: before some verbs the prefix vowel shifts, and you will see both spellings in print: menim or minim (I know), ɔnim or onim (he knows). Both are fine. See Vowel Harmony.

When there is no prefix
A name or noun subject takes the place of the prefix: Kofi kɔ, not Kofi ɔkɔ. See Noun Subjects Take No Prefix. The full pronouns (me, wo, ɔno …) stand apart from the verb; see Independent Pronouns.

Examples (6)

  1. Mefiri Nkran.

    I am from Accra.

    Word by Word: I-come-from Accra.

  2. Wonim me?

    Do you know me?

    Word by Word: You-know me?

  3. Ɔtɔn nkwan.

    She sells soup.

    Word by Word: She-sells soup.

    Ɔ- is he or she; the context tells you which.

  4. Yɛkɔ sukuu koro.

    We go to the same school.

    Word by Word: We-go school same.

  5. Mote he?

    Where do you all live?

    Word by Word: You-all-live where?

  6. Wɔhwɛ bɔɔl Memeneda.

    They watch football on Saturday.

    Word by Word: They-watch football Saturday.

Common Mistakes

  • Writing the prefix as a separate word.

    Me kɔ sukuu.
    Mekɔ sukuu.

    In standard spelling, a subject prefix is part of the verb. Me standing alone is the full pronoun (me) or the possessive (my).

  • Using wɔ- (they) when you mean you.

    Wɔrekɔ he? (asking one friend)
    Worekɔ he?

    Wɔrekɔ he? asks where they are going. To ask your friend, use wo- with the vowel o: Worekɔ he?

How It Connects

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

me- / wo- / ɔ- / yɛ- / mo- / wɔ-Level 1Subject Prefixes

Learn This First

The subject prefixes are short forms of the pronouns.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

yɛmo