Object wa / yín / wọn

Plural Object Pronouns

Level 1

Use wa, yín, or wọn in the object position after a verb.

How It Works

Wa means ‘us’, including the speaker; yín means ‘you’ when addressing a group; wọn means ‘them’. Preserve the high tone of yín and the mid tone of object wọn. Subject wọ́n has a different tone.

Compare Bísí rí wa, ‘Bísí saw us’, with Ẹ rí wa, ‘You all saw us’. The subject changes, but the object remains the speaker's group. The verb does not acquire an English-style plural ending. These forms also identify possessors after nouns, where their grammatical role changes. The examples here illustrate group objects; social uses of plural reference require attention to the particular construction and context.

Examples (3)

  1. Bísí rí wa.

    Bísí saw us.

    Wa identifies the speaker's group as object.

  2. Olùkọ́ rí yín.

    The teacher saw you all.

    Yín identifies the addressed group.

  3. A rí wọn.

    We saw them.

    A is the subject; wọn is the object.

How It Connects

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

Object wa / yín / wọnLevel 1Plural Object Pronouns

Learn This First

After a verb: wa means us, yín means you plural, wọn means them.