má / máa Contrast

In Standard Nigerian Yoruba, put má before an action to tell someone not to perform it. A singular instruction commonly leaves the addressee unstated. Plural or respectful ẹ precedes the marker. The verb receives no person or number ending.

Máa has two written vowels. With ń and recurring-time context, it commonly describes a habit. A future time expression can establish a prospective reading. In a positive instruction, it can encourage continuation: compare Máa ka ìwé, “Keep reading,” with Má ka ìwé, “Do not read.” Habitual negation uses kìí; shortening affirmative máa does not produce it. The comparative reference separately documents positive continuing má in Ẹ̀gbá. That regional use is grammatical within its variety and does not replace the standard prohibition pattern taught here.