ne (This Is)

Ne is the "is" of identifying. It stands between two expressions that refer to the same particular person or thing: Eyi ne me maame (This is my mother), Ɔno ne ɔhene no (He is the chief), Nkran ne Ghana ahenkuro (Accra is the capital of Ghana).

Introducing and pointing out. Ne is the word you use to present someone: Eyi ne me nua Kofi (This is my brother Kofi). The first part is usually a full word, such as eyi or ɛno, ɔno or a noun, rather than a subject prefix.

Ne or yɛ? Yɛ says what kind of person or thing someone is, or what something is like: Ɔyɛ ɔkyerɛkyerɛfoɔ (She is a teacher), Ɛyɛ fɛ (It is pretty). Ne picks out one particular person or thing: Ɔno ne ɔkyerɛkyerɛfoɔ no (She is the teacher, the one we mean). You will also hear yɛ in identifying sentences, such as Nkran yɛ Ghana ahenkuro, but ne never comes before a describing word. See Yɛ, Ne or Wɔ?

The negative is nyɛ. Ne has no negative of its own: Eyi nyɛ me maame (This is not my mother), Ɛnyɛ ɔno (It is not him). See nyɛ.

Three words spelled ne. The same spelling also means "and" between nouns (Kofi ne Ama, Kofi and Ama) and "his, her" before a noun (ne maame, his or her mother). Position tells you which one you have: Eyi ne ne maame means "This is his mother".