ase (Under)

Under: Ase

Level 2

Say the thing, then ase: pon no ase means under the table. Tena ase means sit down.

How It Works

1. The pattern
Noun + ase.

  • pon no ase (under the table)
  • mpa no ase (under the bed)
  • dua no ase (under the tree)

2. Where something is
Ɔkraman no wɔ pon no ase (The dog is under the table). After verbs like tena (sit) the place follows directly: Yɛtenaa dua no ase (We sat under the tree).

3. Down
With no noun before it, ase often means down: Tena ase (Sit down). The same word appears in fixed expressions such as Meda wo ase (thank you), te ase (understand) and firi ase (begin). Learn those as whole expressions.

4. Spelling
Asante writing often adds a final ɛ: aseɛ, especially at the end of a sentence. Both spellings are the same word.

Examples (5)

  1. Ɔkraman no wɔ pon no ase.

    The dog is under the table.

    Word by Word: dog the be.at table the under

  2. Me mpaboa wɔ mpa no ase.

    My shoes are under the bed.

    Word by Word: my shoes be.at bed the under

  3. Yɛtenaa dua no ase.

    We sat under the tree.

    Word by Word: we.sat tree the under

    Tenaa is the past of tena (sit) before another word.

  4. Hwɛ akonnwa no ase.

    Look under the chair.

  5. Tena ase.

    Sit down.

    Word by Word: sit under

    With no noun before it, ase means down.

Common Mistakes

  • Putting ase before the noun, like English under.

    Ɔkraman no wɔ ase pon no.
    Ɔkraman no wɔ pon no ase.

    Ase always follows the noun: pon no ase is literally the table's underside.

  • Leaving out wɔ in a location sentence.

    Ɔkraman no pon no ase.
    Ɔkraman no wɔ pon no ase.

    Saying where something is needs the verb wɔ. Without it the sentence has no verb.

How It Connects

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

ase (Under)Level 2Under: Ase

Learn This First

Ase is a location noun.

Words in This Pattern

aseaseɛ