Reading Joined Verb Expressions
Compare ra aṣọ → raṣọ, kọ orin → kọrin and gbá ilẹ̀ → gbálẹ̀.
How It Works
Some action-object combinations have established joined forms. Raṣọ contains ra aṣọ, ‘buy cloth’; kọrin contains kọ orin, literally ‘recite a song’, and means ‘sing’; gbálẹ̀ contains gbá ilẹ̀, ‘sweep the floor’. Boundary vowel changes contribute to their surface forms. Preverbal ń stays before the verbal expression.
An expanded object can carry a modifier: Adé ń ra aṣọ pupa means ‘Adé is buying red cloth’. Understanding the components helps identify both the action and its object. However, the textbook distinguishes splittable verb-nominal combinations from longer verbs with unacceptable proposed expansions. Learn each established pairing rather than assigning an invented object to every multisyllabic verb. These contractions do not themselves name an activity or its performer; separate nominal constructions express those meanings.
Examples (3)
- Kẹ́mi ń raṣọ.
Kẹ́mi is buying cloth.
Raṣọ contains the buying-and-cloth combination.
- Tádé fẹ́ kọrin.
Tádé wants to sing.
Kọrin is an established joined expression.
- Àwọn ọmọ ń gbálẹ̀.
The children are sweeping the floor.
Gbálẹ̀ follows progressive ń.
How It Connects
Learn This First
An established joined verb can contain an action and its object.
Related Patterns
Practice Reading Joined Verb Expressions in Bubblegum
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