Origin With láti

Coming from

Level 1

Use a suitable predicate + láti + source; a destination can follow with sí.

How It Works

Put láti before an origin phrase with a suitable predicate. With coming or returning, it identifies the source of movement. The marker stays unchanged with different subjects.

A route can include láti + origin and sí + destination. The movement verb supplies the action. With a time phrase, láti can identify when a period began, as in being out since morning.

Compare láti Ìbàdàn ‘from Ibadan’ with láti kà ‘to read’ in a licensed action complement. The governing predicate and following material determine the construction; the spelling alone does not select ‘from’.

  • Bísí ń bọ̀ láti ilé-ìwé. — Bísí is coming from school. School is the source.
  • Wọ́n wá láti Ìbàdàn. — They came from Ibadan. The source follows the coming predicate.
  • A yóò lọ láti Èkó sí Ìbàdàn. — We will go from Lagos to Ibadan. Both route boundaries are named.
  • Tósìn ti jáde láti àárọ̀. — Tósìn has been out since morning. Morning supplies the temporal starting point.

Examples (4)

  1. Bísí ń bọ̀ láti ilé-ìwé.

    Bísí is coming from school.

    The following place names the origin of the movement.

  2. Wọ́n wá láti Ìbàdàn.

    They came from Ibadan.

    Láti introduces the source place after wá.

  3. A yóò lọ láti Èkó sí Ìbàdàn.

    We will go from Lagos to Ibadan.

    Láti and sí identify the two ends of the route.

  4. Tósìn ti jáde láti àárọ̀.

    Tósìn has been out since morning.

    A time expression gives a temporal starting point.