dɛn (What)
What: Dɛn
Dɛn means what: Wopɛ dɛn? (What do you want?).
How It Works
1. Dɛn stays in place. Put dɛn exactly where the answer will go, and keep normal statement order:
- Wopɛ dɛn? What do you want? Answer: Mepɛ nsuo (I want water).
- Kofi maa wo dɛn? What did Kofi give you?
2. Dɛn comes first, followed by na. This puts the spotlight on the question word. Do not leave na out. See question words with na.
- Dɛn na woreyɛ? What are you doing?
- Dɛn na wopɛ? What do you want?
Watch the past tense. When dɛn comes first, nothing follows the verb, so the verb takes the clause-final past. When dɛn stays after the verb, the verb takes the past form used before a word:
- Ɔkaa dɛn? What did she say? (kaa, because dɛn follows)
- Dɛn na ɔkaeɛ? What did she say? (kaeɛ, because nothing follows)
Before a noun, dɛn asks what kind: Woyɛ dɛn adwuma? (What work do you do?). Bɛn after the noun asks the same thing: Woyɛ adwuma bɛn?
Spelling and variety. You will see dɛn, deɛn and ɛdeɛn. All mean what. Asante speakers often use the longer forms, and the Akuapem Bible writes dɛn. To ask why, use adɛn nti.
Examples (5)
- Wopɛ dɛn?
What do you want?
Word by Word: You-want what?
Dɛn sits where the answer would go.
- Dɛn na woreyɛ?
What are you doing?
Word by Word: What na you-are-doing?
With dɛn in front, na follows it.
- Ɔkaa dɛn?
What did she say?
Word by Word: She-said what?
Kaa is the past form used when a word follows the verb.
- Dɛn na ɔkaeɛ?
What did she say?
Word by Word: What na she-said?
With dɛn in front, the verb ends the clause and takes the -eɛ past ending.
- Ɛdeɛn na ɛrekɔ so?
What is going on?
Word by Word: What na it-is-going on?
Ɛdeɛn is the longer form that Asante speakers often use.
Common Mistakes
Moving dɛn to the front without na.
Dɛn wopɛ?Dɛn na wopɛ?When a question word comes first, na must follow it. You can also leave dɛn at the end: Wopɛ dɛn?
Using the before-a-word past when dɛn comes first.
Dɛn na ɔkaa?Dɛn na ɔkaeɛ?With dɛn at the front, nothing follows the verb, so it takes the clause-final past, kaeɛ. Kaa is only for a verb with a word after it, as in Ɔkaa dɛn?
How It Connects
Learn This First
What-questions start from basic word order.
Related Patterns
- Question Word + naQuestion Words with Na
Explains the na that follows a fronted question word.
Level 2 - na (Object Focus)Focus on the Object: X Na
Dɛn na ... is object focus, which also puts the verb at the end of its clause.
Level 3 - Simple Past at the End of a Clause
The past form used in Dɛn na ɔkaeɛ?
Level 1 - Simple Past Before an Object
The past form used in Ɔkaa dɛn?
Level 1 - bɛn (Which)Which: Bɛn
Bɛn after a noun also asks which or what kind.
Level 2 - adɛn nti (Why)Why: Adɛn Nti
The question word for why, built on adɛn.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice dɛn (What) in Bubblegum
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