Contracted ní

Contracted Location Forms

Level 3

Compare ní ilé → nílé and ní orí → lórí.

How It Works

High-tone locative ní occurs in established contractions. Nílé means ‘at home/in the house’. Lórí corresponds to ní orí and expresses ‘on’. Its surface consonant is l, and its initial vowel carries high tone. Learn the complete expression rather than treating contraction as simply deleting a letter.

A complement after lórí identifies the supporting surface: lórí àga, ‘on a chair’. These phrases locate a participant or an activity; their form does not change with the subject's person or number. Contrast nílé, ‘at home’, with destination sílé, ‘to the house/home’. Keep locative high-tone ní distinct from mid-tone identification and focus ni. Learn these complete forms individually; they do not create a complete contraction chart for every following vowel.

Examples (3)

  1. Bàbá wà nílé.

    Father is at home.

    Nílé states location.

  2. Fìlà náà wà lórí àga.

    The hat is on a chair.

    Àga identifies the supporting surface.

  3. Àwọn ọmọ ń jó nílé.

    The children are dancing at home.

    Nílé locates the activity.

How It Connects

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

Contracted níLevel 3Contracted Location Forms

Learn This First

Nílé locates something at home; lórí locates it on a surface.