Documented explanations and examples, with their sources and review status.
22 source references · awaiting expert review. Transcriptions, glosses and explanations retain their sources and caveats. Reviewed entries are identified separately.
Source reference · awaiting expert review
Subject pronouns: who does the action?
EN Subject pronouns: who does the action?
FR Les pronoms sujets : qui fait l’action ?
Editorial gloss and explanation · awaiting review
Subject pronouns join the verb that follows them. The workbook gives the six forms below, then explains that ma and pa change their vowel with wɛwʋ “to be”. Learn the pronoun together with an attested verb form: a dictionary infinitive is not a complete sentence.
Subject pronouns: who does the action?
Person
Aspect / context
Kabɩyɛ
Meaning / note
Subject
má
I
Subject
ŋ
you, singular
Subject
ɛ̀
he / she
Subject
ɖɩ
we
Subject
ɩ
you, plural
Subject
pá
they
Transcription and translation notes
Forms were compared with the PDF. Legacy font characters are represented with the corresponding Latin Kabɩyɛ letters (ɩ, ɛ, ʋ, ɖ, ŋ), retaining printed tone marks.
Editorial exercises · awaiting review
Which listed subject pronoun means “we”?
Show answer
ɖɩ. Its form in a complete verb should be learned from the source example.
The dictionary describes a verbal core made from a root and an aspect marker. Prefixes can express the subject and other information, including negation. Separate these parts when studying a form: the person tells you who acts, while aspect describes how the action is viewed.
Editorial exercises · awaiting review
Does an infinitive alone tell you “I”, “you” or “they”?
Show answer
No. The source distinguishes the verbal core from subject prefixes.
In this dictionary example, woki is shared by all six persons of wobu “to go”. Compare the beginning of each form. These are six printed examples of one verb; they do not establish a rule for automatically conjugating every verb.
The dictionary distinguishes completed action (accompli) from an action viewed as unfolding (progressif). Its tables distinguish completed forms with and without a complement, and simple, past and descriptive progressive forms. These source categories are retained here; they do not map one-to-one to English tenses.
Completed action and progressive aspect
Person
Aspect / context
Kabɩyɛ
Meaning / note
wobu
woba
Completed form without a complement
wobu
wobi
Completed form with a complement
wobu
woki
Simple progressive core
Editorial exercises · awaiting review
Are woba and wobi interchangeable in the source table?
Show answer
No. The table distinguishes use without and with a complement.
The daily-activities lesson presents subject + verb + object + time expression. A time expression can also come first. Compare the two attested sentences: changing the position of “sometimes” keeps the same basic message.
Build a sentence about daily life
Person
Aspect / context
Kabɩyɛ
Meaning / note
Time at the end
Mulu lɩm wiɖi wiɖi
I fetch water sometimes.
Time at the beginning
Wiɖi wiɖi mulu lɩm
Sometimes I fetch water.
Transcription and translation notes
Forms were compared with the PDF. Legacy font characters are represented with the corresponding Latin Kabɩyɛ letters (ɩ, ɛ, ʋ, ɖ, ŋ), retaining printed tone marks.
Editorial exercises · awaiting review
Which expression means “sometimes” in both examples?
In the greeting examples, the final particle na marks a yes-or-no question. The workbook uses lɛ with lɩwʋ “to come out”. Learn these complete examples and their situations; question words and particles should not be added mechanically to every sentence.
Ask a yes-or-no question
Person
Aspect / context
Kabɩyɛ
Meaning / note
na
Ŋɖówá cámɩ̀yɛ̀ na?
Did you sleep well?
lɛ
Ŋlɩ̀wá lɛ́?
Did you come out from the room well? Used as a morning greeting.
Transcription and translation notes
Forms were compared with the PDF. Legacy font characters are represented with the corresponding Latin Kabɩyɛ letters (ɩ, ɛ, ʋ, ɖ, ŋ), retaining printed tone marks.
Editorial exercises · awaiting review
Which particle ends the question about sleeping well?
FR Les noms : apprendre singulier et pluriel ensemble
Editorial gloss and explanation · awaiting review
Kabɩyɛ nouns have several plural patterns. The workbook illustrates -naa, replacement of a final vowel by -aa, and other pairs. Store the plural with each noun rather than applying one ending to every word.
Nouns: learn the singular and plural together
Person
Aspect / context
Kabɩyɛ
Meaning / note
Singular → plural
cíca → cícanaa
teacher → teachers
Singular → plural
kólú → kólaa
blacksmith → blacksmiths
Singular → plural
wiyaw → awiya
chief → chiefs
Transcription and translation notes
Forms were compared with the PDF. Legacy font characters are represented with the corresponding Latin Kabɩyɛ letters (ɩ, ɛ, ʋ, ɖ, ŋ), retaining printed tone marks.
Family terms also show several plural patterns. Compare the printed pairs instead of assuming that every family word takes -naa. Tone marks are kept where the workbook prints them.
Family words and their plurals
Person
Aspect / context
Kabɩyɛ
Meaning / note
Singular → plural
wálʋ̀ → wálaa
husband → husbands
Singular → plural
hálʋ̀ → hálaa
wife / woman → wives / women
Singular → plural
pɛlɔ → pɛlaa
daughter → daughters
Singular → plural
pʋa → piya
child → children
Transcription and translation notes
Forms were compared with the PDF. Legacy font characters are represented with the corresponding Latin Kabɩyɛ letters (ɩ, ɛ, ʋ, ɖ, ŋ), retaining printed tone marks.
Possessive marking attaches to the noun. The workbook explains that the vowel of the first-person prefix follows the noun’s vowel, and a nasal consonant may appear before certain initial consonants. Compare these attested pairs; the change can affect the beginning of the noun as well.
Say “my”: possessive prefixes
Person
Aspect / context
Kabɩyɛ
Meaning / note
Noun → possessive
pɛlɔ → mɛmbɛlɔ
daughter → my daughter
Noun → possessive
ɖòò → monɖòò
mother → my mother
Noun → possessive
cɔzɔ → mɔnjɔzɔ
grandfather → my grandfather
Noun → possessive
koow → moŋgoow
nephew → my nephew
Transcription and translation notes
Forms were compared with the PDF. Legacy font characters are represented with the corresponding Latin Kabɩyɛ letters (ɩ, ɛ, ʋ, ɖ, ŋ), retaining printed tone marks.
The workbook relates wɛnaʋ “to have” to wɛwʋ “to be”, using a form with -na. Its negative construction is special: the example uses mfɛɩ in the first person and fɛɩ elsewhere. Keep this construction separate from the vowel-doubling examples for other verbs.
Having and not having
Person
Aspect / context
Kabɩyɛ
Meaning / note
Affirmative
Mɛ̀wɛ̀na càà
I have a father.
Negative
Mɛmfɛɩna càà
I do not have a father.
Affirmative
Ŋwɛ̀na càà
You have a father.
Negative
Ŋfɛɩna càà
You do not have a father.
Transcription and translation notes
Forms were compared with the PDF. Legacy font characters are represented with the corresponding Latin Kabɩyɛ letters (ɩ, ɛ, ʋ, ɖ, ŋ), retaining printed tone marks.
Editorial exercises · awaiting review
What negative element appears after Ŋ in the attested example?
For the eating examples, the workbook shows lengthening in the subject portion of negative forms. Compare Ŋdɔkɩ with Ŋŋdɔkɩ. The first-person example changes more than just one letter, so study the entire printed pair instead of inventing a universal conversion rule.
Compare affirmative and negative forms
Person
Aspect / context
Kabɩyɛ
Meaning / note
Affirmative
Mɔndɔkɩ koliko
I eat koliko (fried yam).
Negative
Máádɔkɩ koliko
I do not eat koliko.
Affirmative
Ŋdɔkɩ koliko
You eat koliko.
Negative
Ŋŋdɔkɩ koliko
You do not eat koliko.
Transcription and translation notes
Forms were compared with the PDF. Legacy font characters are represented with the corresponding Latin Kabɩyɛ letters (ɩ, ɛ, ʋ, ɖ, ŋ), retaining printed tone marks.
The workbook calls these words postpositions: they follow the noun. With pronouns, they may attach to the pronoun. First learn the meanings below, then read the complete source examples to see their position in a sentence.
Describe where something is
Person
Aspect / context
Kabɩyɛ
Meaning / note
Location
da
in
Location
cɔlɔ
near / beside
Location
wayɩ
behind
Location
dɛ̀ɛ̀
under
Location
ɛsɩnda
in front of
Location
hɛ̀kʋda
in the middle of
Location
pɛ̀hɛ̀kʋda
between
Location
yɔɔ
on
Transcription and translation notes
Forms were compared with the PDF. Legacy font characters are represented with the corresponding Latin Kabɩyɛ letters (ɩ, ɛ, ʋ, ɖ, ŋ), retaining printed tone marks.
Editorial exercises · awaiting review
In this source, does the location word normally come before or after the noun?
The workbook attaches an object pronoun to an imperative. Its example sɩna “help” becomes sɩnaɖʋ “help us”. These endings tell you who receives the action; they are different from the subject forms at the beginning of a verb.
Object pronouns: help me, help us
Person
Aspect / context
Kabɩyɛ
Meaning / note
Object ending
-m
me
Object ending
-ŋ
you, singular
Object ending
-ɩ
him / her
Object ending
-ɖʋ
us
Object ending
-mɩ
you, plural
Object ending
-wɛ
them
Complete example
sɩnaɖʋ
Help us.
Transcription and translation notes
Forms were compared with the PDF. Legacy font characters are represented with the corresponding Latin Kabɩyɛ letters (ɩ, ɛ, ʋ, ɖ, ŋ), retaining printed tone marks.
The food lesson prints imperative phrases separately from dictionary infinitives. Use the attested command, followed by its object. These short cooking instructions show why the infinitive cannot simply be reused as every command.
Give a simple instruction
Person
Aspect / context
Kabɩyɛ
Meaning / note
Instruction
Naŋ kpanzʋ
Grind pepper.
Instruction
Ɖʋ ɖɔm
Put salt.
Instruction
Sɔzɩ̀ num
Add oil.
Transcription and translation notes
Forms were compared with the PDF. Legacy font characters are represented with the corresponding Latin Kabɩyɛ letters (ɩ, ɛ, ʋ, ɖ, ŋ), retaining printed tone marks.
The work lesson builds a future expression with subject + gaɣ + infinitive + complement. It identifies gaɣ as a form of kawʋ “to be going to”. The examples below retain the infinitive after this element instead of conjugating it as an English or French future tense.
Talk about a future action
Person
Aspect / context
Kabɩyɛ
Meaning / note
Future example
Mangaɣ labʋ tʋmɩyɛ nɛ halʋbiya
I will work with girls.
Future example
Sue gaɣ sɔwʋ tɩŋ
Sue will plant trees.
Future example
Ɖɩgaɣ kpeeluu wɩlɩyaa
We will meet teachers.
Transcription and translation notes
Forms were compared with the PDF. Legacy font characters are represented with the corresponding Latin Kabɩyɛ letters (ɩ, ɛ, ʋ, ɖ, ŋ), retaining printed tone marks.
Editorial exercises · awaiting review
In the source construction, what form follows gaɣ?
The Academy’s report of its July 2024 session, published in December, recommends marking high tone only; an unmarked syllable is read with low tone. Our examples retain each publication’s notation. Always compare the form with its cited page.
30 December 2024 · orthography and grammar section
Source reference · awaiting expert review
Inviting: going together or asking someone to come
EN Inviting: going together or asking someone to come
FR Inviter : partir ensemble ou faire venir quelqu’un
Editorial gloss and explanation · awaiting review
The workbook presents two invitation constructions. The first is used when the person inviting and the invitees go somewhere together. The second invites someone to come to the speaker’s home or to a meeting place. The speaker’s wish comes before the proposed action. Compare the two complete examples on page 52: translating each English word separately does not determine the construction.
Transcription and translation notes
Teaching summary of the cited page. No new Kabɩyɛ example was produced; complete forms remain available in the original document.
Editorial exercises · awaiting review
What difference in meaning distinguishes the two constructions?
Show answer
Going somewhere together, or asking someone to come to the speaker’s home or a meeting place.
EN Asking about the fare or the means of transport
FR Demander le prix ou le moyen de transport
Editorial gloss and explanation · awaiting review
Page 70 distinguishes a question about the fare from a question about the means of transport. The workbook gives a complete formulation for each request and retains a common verb construction. The question word changes with the information requested. First identify whether you expect a price or the name of a means of transport, then consult the matching example.
Transcription and translation notes
Teaching summary of the cited page. No new Kabɩyɛ example was produced; complete forms remain available in the original document.
Editorial exercises · awaiting review
Why do the two transport questions call for different answers?
Show answer
One asks for an amount; the other asks which means of transport to use.
The workbook contrasts a verb used with a bicycle, motorbike, horse and canoe with another used with a vehicle, ship, train, plane or taxi. It also notes that a related expression can describe sitting inside a taxi rather than travelling in it. Learn the complete verb-and-transport expression in context; the verbs cannot be substituted automatically.
Transcription and translation notes
Teaching summary of the cited page. No new Kabɩyɛ example was produced; complete forms remain available in the original document.
Editorial exercises · awaiting review
Why should the context of the taxi example be retained?
Show answer
Because the example can describe sitting in the taxi rather than the journey.
An impersonal construction and the person affected
EN An impersonal construction and the person affected
FR Une construction impersonnelle et la personne concernée
Editorial gloss and explanation · awaiting review
In the grammar notes on page 77, the workbook presents an impersonal pronoun before the verb stem. Some examples are translated into English with a person as the subject, while the workbook’s analysis retains an impersonal construction. The table on page 78 then shows how the person affected varies. Compare these complete examples without replacing the beginning of the verb with an ordinary subject pronoun.
Transcription and translation notes
Teaching summary of the cited page. No new Kabɩyɛ example was produced; complete forms remain available in the original document.
Editorial exercises · awaiting review
Does the person used as the subject in the French or English translation always identify the grammatical subject of the source example?
Show answer
No. The workbook analyses these examples as an impersonal construction and separately indicates the person affected.
The dictionary places a describing adjective directly after its noun. The adjective’s ending agrees with the noun class. Compare the printed examples for a mountain and mountains, then for a dog and an amount of water: the part expressing smallness is related, but the ending differs. Learn these complete examples; the table is not a rule for automatically constructing every adjective.
Why adjective endings change
Person
Aspect / context
Kabɩyɛ
Meaning / note
Class kI
Mountain
pʋʋ cikpeluu
the small mountain
Class I
Mountains
pʋŋ cikpeŋ
the small mountains
Class kA
Dog
haɣ cikpelaɣ
the small dog
Class pI
Water
lɩm cikpem
the small quantity of water
Transcription and translation notes
French example meanings come from the cited dictionary. English meanings, lesson explanations and practice questions are editorial teaching adaptations, pending independent expert review.
Examples were visually compared with the PDF. Legacy font codes are represented by the corresponding Latin Kabɩyɛ characters; no tone or new example has been added.
Original extracted text
pûû cikpeluu
pû÷ cikpe÷
ha… cikpela…
lùm cikpem
Editorial exercises · awaiting review
In the two mountain examples, which words express “small” for one mountain and for several mountains?
The grammar sketch treats its listed numerals for two through nine as fixed quantity words. Quantity words do not take the noun-class endings used by describing adjectives. In the three printed sentences below, the word meaning many stays the same with people, trees and dogs. The source treats one separately among determiners (preceding page), and ten, one hundred and one thousand as nouns with plural forms. These distinctions are reasons to learn the attested forms rather than generate new combinations.
Counting and expressing quantity
Person
Aspect / context
Kabɩyɛ
Meaning / note
Class pA
People
Ɛyaa sakɩyɛ kɔma mɛn-tɛ.
Many people came here.
Class I
Trees
Tɩŋ sakɩyɛ wɛ laʋ taa.
There are many trees in the forest.
Class sI
Dogs
Hasɩ sakɩyɛ wɛ mɛn-tɛ.
There are many dogs here.
Transcription and translation notes
French example meanings come from the cited dictionary. English meanings, lesson explanations and practice questions are editorial teaching adaptations, pending independent expert review.
Examples were visually compared with the PDF. Legacy font codes are represented by the corresponding Latin Kabɩyɛ characters; no tone or new example has been added.
