re-N- (Negative Future)

Will Not: Re- + N-

Level 2

To say someone will not do something, put re- and the negative nasal before the verb: Merenkɔ (I will not go). The future prefix bɛ- disappears.

How It Works

How it is built. Start with the subject prefix, add re-, then the negative nasal, then the verb: merenkɔ (I will not go), worenkɔ (you will not go), ɔrenkɔ (he or she will not go), yɛrenkɔ (we will not go), morenkɔ (you all will not go), wɔrenkɔ (they will not go). A thing takes ɛ-: ɛrenkɔ (it will not go). A noun subject has no prefix, so re- attaches straight to the verb: Kofi renkɔ (Kofi will not go).

Bɛ- disappears. The affirmative uses bɛ- (Ɔbɛkɔ, he will go), but the negative has no bɛ- at all: the negative of Ɔbɛkɔ is Ɔrenkɔ. The short mɛ- belongs only to the affirmative, so Mɛkɔ (I will go) becomes Merenkɔ (I will not go).

The nasal changes with the verb. As in the present negative, the nasal is written m before b, f, m and p and n elsewhere, and it changes b to m and d to n: ba (come) gives Ɔremma (He will not come), di (eat) gives Merenni (I will not eat). See Sound Changes After the Negative.

Will not, not do not. Keep this form apart from the plain negative: Menkɔ (I do not go) has no re-, while Merenkɔ looks ahead: I will not go. Re- + N- is also the negative of rebɛ-. Some grammars and speakers also use it as the negative of the progressive re-, so Abofra no renkasa can be heard as the child will not speak or the child is not speaking. A time word such as ɔkyena (tomorrow) makes the future meaning clear.

With more than one verb. In a verb series every verb is negative, and later verbs take only the nasal: Merentumi nkɔ (I will not be able to go), Merentɔ bi mma wo (I will not buy any for you). See Negatives in Serial Verbs.

Examples (6)

  1. Merenkɔ.

    I will not go.

    me- + re- + n- + kɔ (go). There is no bɛ- in the negative.

  2. Ɔremma ɔkyena.

    He will not come tomorrow.

    After the negative nasal, ba (come) becomes mma: ɔ- + re- + mma.

  3. Sɛ nsuo tɔ a, yɛrenkɔ.

    If it rains, we will not go.

    The negative future often states what will not happen under a condition.

  4. Kofi renni nam.

    Kofi will not eat meat.

    A noun subject takes no prefix, and di (eat) becomes nni after the nasal.

  5. Merentumi nkɔ.

    I will not be able to go.

    Both verbs are negative: re-n-tumi, then n-kɔ with the nasal alone.

  6. Merenyɛ saa bio.

    I will not do that again.

    Bio after a negative verb means again or anymore.

Common Mistakes

  • Keeping bɛ- in the negative future.

    Yɛbɛnkɔ ɔkyena.
    Yɛrenkɔ ɔkyena.

    The negative future never uses bɛ-. Replace it with re- and the nasal: Yɛbɛkɔ (we will go) becomes Yɛrenkɔ (we will not go).

  • Forgetting that ba changes after the nasal.

    Ɔrenba.
    Ɔremma.

    After the negative nasal, b becomes m, so ba (come) turns into mma: ɔ- + re- + mma.

  • Making only the first verb negative.

    Merentumi kɔ.
    Merentumi nkɔ.

    In a verb series each verb carries the negative. The second verb takes the nasal alone: nkɔ.

How It Connects

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

re-N- (Negative Future)Level 2Will Not: Re- + N-

Learn This First

The negative future combines re- with the negative nasal.

Words in This Pattern

re-n-