Question Words and Formation in Yoruba

In Brief

Yoruba usually forms a question by placing a question expression such as ta ni “who,” kí ni “what,” níbo “where,” or báwo “how” near the beginning, often with the focus marker ni. For a yes/no question, put ṣé or ǹjẹ́ before a clause: Ṣé o ti jẹun? “Have you eaten?” There is no English-style subject–verb inversion and no added equivalent of “do.”

Overview

Questions are an A1 skill because they let you turn a small vocabulary into a real conversation. With a few reusable patterns, you can ask a person’s name, find a place, check a price, or confirm whether someone has eaten. The essential distinction is between information questions, which ask for a missing person, thing, place, time, reason, or manner, and yes/no questions, which ask whether a whole statement is true.

For English speakers, Yoruba question order requires a change of habit. English rearranges words in “Where are you going?” and inserts “do” in “What do you want?” Yoruba normally does neither. Compare the statement-like sequence o ń lọ “you are going” inside Níbo ni o ń lọ? “Where are you going?” The subject o still comes before the aspect marker ń and the verb lọ.

Written Yoruba also marks tone and uses letters with underdots. These details distinguish words and grammatical forms, so ṣé, ǹjẹ́, kí, and níbo should be learned with their marks. Unmarked writing is common in informal messages, but it is not the best model for a learner.

How It Works

Two beginner frames

A clause is a group of words containing a subject and what is said about it. Begin with these two frames:

Question type	Useful frame	Example	Meaning
Missing information	question expression + ni + clause	Níbo ni o ń lọ?	Where are you going?
Yes or no	ṣé/ǹjẹ́ + clause	Ṣé o ń lọ?	Are you going?

The first frame is a practical starting point, not a command to add a second ni everywhere. Several common expressions already include ni, and natural forms can contract in speech and writing.

The main question expressions

Yoruba expression	Core meaning	Typical example	Literal shape or note
ta ni	who	Ta ni ó ṣe é?	asks for a person’s identity
kí ni / kí nì	what	Kí ni o fẹ́?	kí nì is a common contracted form
níbo	where	Níbo ni o ń gbé?	asks for location or destination
ìgbà wo / nígbà wo	when	Ìgbà wo ni o máa dé?	literally “which time”
kí nìdí	why	Kí nìdí tí o fi lọ?	commonly followed by tí ... fi ...
kí ló dé	why / what happened	Kí ló dé tí o fi pẹ́?	common conversational alternative
báwo	how	Báwo ni o ṣe ṣe é?	often uses ṣe in the full pattern
èwo	which one	Èwo ni o fẹ́?	selection from known alternatives
èló	how much	Èló ni èyí?	price or amount
mélòó	how many	Ọmọ mélòó ni o ní?	follows the counted noun

These forms do not map word for word onto English in every sentence. Learn the complete question Báwo ni o ṣe ṣe é? as “How did you do it?” rather than trying to assign one English word to each Yoruba word.

Asking “who?” with ta ni

Use ta ni when the missing information is a person. In a simple identity question, it can stand before the person or description being identified:

• Ta ni yẹn? — Who is that?
• Ta ni olùkọ́ rẹ? — Who is your teacher?

When “who” is the subject—the person performing the action—the following subject form is commonly ó:

• Ta ni ó ṣe é? — Who did it?
• Ta ni ó pè ọ́? — Who called you?

Do not model this on English by simply putting ta in place of a name. The full ta ni ... focus pattern is the dependable learner form.

Asking “what?” with kí ni

Use kí ni for a thing, action, or identification:

• Kí ni orúkọ rẹ? — What is your name?
• Kí ni o fẹ́? — What do you want?
• Kí ni wọ́n ń ṣe? — What are they doing?

You will often see and hear kí nì, where the two words are contracted. In focused constructions, kí ni may also surface as kí ló ..., with ló reflecting ni + ó:

• Kí ló ṣẹlẹ̀? — What happened?
• Kí ló dé? — What is the matter? / Why?

For a beginner, it is useful to recognize both shapes without trying to use contractions in every new sentence.

Asking where, when, and which

Use níbo for location or destination. The rest of the clause keeps its normal internal order:

• Níbo ni o wà? — Where are you?
• Níbo ni o ń lọ? — Where are you going?

For time, Yoruba often asks “which time?” with ìgbà wo or nígbà wo. Wo means “which” in this expression:

• Ìgbà wo ni o máa dé? — When will you arrive?
• Nígbà wo ni ìpàdé náà? — When is the meeting?

Èwo asks “which one?” when alternatives are understood. With an overt noun, wo follows that noun:

• Èwo ni o fẹ́? — Which one do you want?
• Aṣọ wo ni o fẹ́? — Which garment do you want?

Asking why and how

Two useful ways to ask “why?” are kí nìdí and kí ló dé. A full reason question often has the frame kí nìdí tí + subject + fi + verb:

• Kí nìdí tí o fi lọ? — Why did you leave?
• Kí nìdí tí Adé fi ń rẹ́rìn-ín? — Why is Ade laughing?

Here tí introduces the following clause, while fi is part of this established reason-question construction. English has no direct equivalent, so omitting fi is a common learner error. Kí ló dé tí ...? can introduce the same kind of explanation and is very common in conversation.

Use báwo for manner or condition. The simple greeting-like question Báwo ni? means “How is it?” or “How are things?” To ask how an action was carried out, a frequent frame is báwo ni + subject + ṣe + verb:

• Báwo ni o ṣe mọ̀? — How do you know?
• Báwo ni wọ́n ṣe dé ibẹ̀? — How did they get there?

Asking how much and how many

Use èló for an amount or price:

• Èló ni èyí? — How much is this?
• Èló ni o san? — How much did you pay?

Use mélòó after a noun to ask for a count:

• Ìwé mélòó ni o rà? — How many books did you buy?
• Ọmọ mélòó ni o ní? — How many children do you have?

This order differs from English: English puts “how many” before books, while Yoruba places mélòó after ìwé.

Yes/no questions with ṣé and ǹjẹ́

Take an ordinary clause and place a question marker at the front. Keep the clause itself intact:

Statement	Yes/no question	English
O ti jẹun.	Ṣé o ti jẹun?	Have you eaten?
Ó wà nílé.	Ṣé ó wà nílé?	Is he/she at home?
Wọ́n máa wá.	Ǹjẹ́ wọ́n máa wá?	Will they come?

Ṣé is extremely common in everyday questions. Ǹjẹ́ also introduces a yes/no question and can sound more deliberate or formal in some contexts. Neither requires an auxiliary corresponding to English do, does, or did.

Answers can repeat the relevant verb or predicate rather than relying only on a universal word for “yes” or “no”:

• Ṣé o mọ̀ ọ́? — Do you know him/her?
• Mo mọ̀ ọ́. — I know him/her.
• Mi ò mọ̀ ọ́. — I do not know him/her.

This repeat-the-predicate strategy is clear and worth practising from the start.

Examples in Context

Yoruba	English	Note
Kí ni orúkọ rẹ?	What is your name?	asks for identification
Ta ni yẹn?	Who is that?	simple ta ni question
Ta ni ó ṣe é?	Who did it?	“who” is the doer
Kí ni o fẹ́ jẹ?	What do you want to eat?	no equivalent of English “do”
Níbo ni o ń lọ?	Where are you going?	destination question
Níbo ni ilé ìwòsàn wà?	Where is the hospital?	location question
Ìgbà wo ni o máa dé?	When will you arrive?	literally asks “which time”
Kí nìdí tí o fi pẹ́?	Why are you late?	full tí ... fi ... frame
Kí ló dé tí o fi ń sunkún?	Why are you crying?	conversational “why?”
Báwo ni o ṣe mọ̀?	How do you know?	manner with ṣe
Aṣọ wo ni o fẹ́?	Which garment do you want?	wo follows the noun
Ìwé mélòó ni o rà?	How many books did you buy?	mélòó follows the counted noun
Èló ni kọ́fí náà?	How much is the coffee?	asks a price
Ṣé o ti jẹun?	Have you eaten?	everyday yes/no question
Ǹjẹ́ wọ́n máa wá lọ́la?	Will they come tomorrow?	more deliberate yes/no framing

Common Mistakes

Copying English inversion

• Wrong: Níbo ni ń lọ o?
• Right: Níbo ni o ń lọ?
• Why: Inside the question, keep o ń lọ in its normal order: subject o, progressive marker ń, then verb lọ. Do not move the subject as English does in “Where are you going?”

Adding an English-style “do” idea

• Wrong approach: trying to insert an extra Yoruba verb solely because English says “What do you want?”
• Right: Kí ni o fẹ́?
• Why: English do is a grammatical helper here, not part of the meaning. Yoruba does not need a matching word.

Omitting the question marker in a beginner yes/no question

• Unclear for a beginner: O ti jẹun?
• Clear: Ṣé o ti jẹun?
• Why: Intonation and context may make short spoken clauses interrogative, but ṣé gives you an explicit, reliable question. Use it while building control of natural speech.

Leaving fi out of a full “why?” construction

• Wrong: Kí nìdí tí o lọ?
• Right: Kí nìdí tí o fi lọ?
• Why: In the standard full pattern kí nìdí tí ... fi ..., fi belongs before the main verb. Learn the frame as a unit.

Putting mélòó before the noun

• Wrong: Mélòó ìwé ni o rà?
• Right: Ìwé mélòó ni o rà?
• Why: Unlike English “how many books,” Yoruba normally places mélòó after the noun being counted.

Treating tone marks as decoration

• Wrong: Se o ti jeun? in careful learner writing
• Right: Ṣé o ti jẹun?
• Why: ṣ is a distinct letter, and tone marks help identify pronunciation and meaning. Informal unmarked text exists, but fully marked Yoruba is the safer learning model.

Usage Notes

Ṣé is the best general-purpose marker to learn for everyday yes/no questions. Ǹjẹ́ is also standard, especially when the speaker frames the proposition more explicitly or deliberately. Exact preferences vary with speaker, setting, and style; you do not need to force a sharp English translation difference between them.

Question expressions can have short and expanded forms. You may encounter kí ni, contracted kí nì, and kí ló in closely related environments. Likewise, Báwo ni? can stand as a brief social question, while Báwo ni o ṣe ...? asks how a particular action happens. Listen for the whole construction rather than memorizing isolated vocabulary.

Respect is important in Yoruba interaction. When speaking to an elder or addressing more than one person, the respectful/plural subject ẹ may replace singular informal o: Ṣé ẹ ti jẹun? “Have you eaten?” The question pattern stays the same, but the form of address changes.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master this section at A1, but it explains why Yoruba information questions have the shapes they do. Words such as ni are tied to focus—the way a sentence highlights the piece of information being identified or contrasted. A question word naturally represents the unknown focused information. Compare:

• Adé ni ó ṣe é. — It was Ade who did it.
• Ta ni ó ṣe é? — Who did it?

In the answer, Adé fills the same focused position that ta occupies in the question. This is why ni is not merely a punctuation-like question particle: it also appears in emphatic statements.

Contractions reveal the same structure. Ló can result from ni + ó, as in Kí ló ṣẹlẹ̀? “What happened?” Advanced analysis also distinguishes questions about a subject from questions about an object or another part of the clause, because Yoruba focus and pronoun patterns respond to that difference. At beginner level, learning complete models such as Ta ni ó ...?, Kí ni o ...?, and Níbo ni o ...? gives you the correct foundation.

Real conversation may use intonation, context, shortened forms, or follow-up particles in ways that a two-frame beginner rule cannot capture. Regional and individual speech also varies. Recognize these forms when listening, but keep ṣé/ǹjẹ́ + clause and the full information-question patterns as your dependable production models.

Practice Tips

1. Transform one clause five ways. Start with o ń lọ sí ọjà “you are going to the market.” Ask Níbo ni o ń lọ?, Ìgbà wo ni o ń lọ?, Kí nìdí tí o fi ń lọ?, Báwo ni o ṣe ń lọ?, and Ṣé o ń lọ sí ọjà? This trains structure rather than isolated words.
2. Learn question-and-answer pairs aloud. Say Ṣé o ti jẹun? — Mo ti jẹun. Then make the answer negative: Mi ò tíì jẹun. Repeating the relevant predicate builds a natural response habit.
3. Copy marks carefully. Keep a small list of ṣé, ǹjẹ́, kí ni, níbo, báwo, èló, mélòó and type each form with tones and underdots. Good spelling will support both listening and pronunciation.

Related Concepts

• Foundation: Tonal System (High, Mid, Low) — helps you read and pronounce question forms accurately.
• Foundation: Personal Pronouns — needed for subjects such as o, ó, ẹ, and wọ́n inside questions.
• Foundation: Basic Sentence Structure (SVO) — shows the statement order that remains inside many questions.
• Later study: Focus and Cleft Constructions — explains the wider information-structure system behind ni questions.