Conjunctions and Connectors in Yoruba

In Brief

Use àti for “and” between nouns, tàbí for “or,” and ṣùgbọ́n or àmọ́ for “but.” Nítorí pé introduces a reason, while torí náà introduces a result. One major difference from English is that Yoruba usually links actions directly or with another construction rather than putting àti between verbs.

Overview

Conjunctions and connectors are words that show how people, things, actions, or complete thoughts relate to one another. They let you add information, offer a choice, contrast two facts, give a reason, state a result, or introduce a condition. At A2, a small set of Yoruba connectors is enough to build much richer sentences.

The most useful items are àti “and,” tàbí “or,” ṣùgbọ́n and àmọ́ “but,” nítorí “because of,” nítorí pé “because,” and torí náà “therefore/so.” Conditions and time clauses commonly use bí or tí, often as part of a larger pattern such as bí ... bá “if ...” and nígbà tí ... “when ...”.

English speakers should pay special attention to àti. English and can join almost anything: nouns, verbs, descriptions, or whole clauses. Yoruba àti is most straightforward between nouns and noun phrases (groups of words that function like a person or thing). Actions are commonly placed in sequence instead. Learning which relationship you want to express is more reliable than replacing every English and with àti.

How It Works

Adding nouns with àti

Àti joins nouns or noun phrases:

noun + àti + noun

• Adé àti Bọ́lá — Ade and Bola
• ìrẹsì àti ẹ̀wà — rice and beans
• ìwé tuntun àti àpò dúdú — a new book and a black bag

The same pattern works when the joined group is the subject (who performs the action) or an object (a person or thing affected by the action):

• Adé àti Bọ́lá lọ. — Ade and Bola went.
• Mo ra búrẹ́dì àti wàrà. — I bought bread and milk.

Do not automatically use àti to join two verbs. Yoruba often uses serial verbs: two or more verbs occur in one sequence, sharing the same subject and describing one connected event.

• Mo lọ ra oúnjẹ. — I went to buy food.
• Ó mú ìwé fún mi. — He/She brought the book to me. Literally, the actions are arranged as “take book give me.”

For two separate actions, Yoruba may simply place the clauses in sequence or use sì to continue the account:

• Mo jẹun, mo sì lọ. — I ate and then left.

Here sì is not a universal substitute for àti. It adds or continues a clause and often sounds like “and/then/also,” depending on the context.

Offering alternatives with tàbí

Tàbí presents a choice or alternative. It can join nouns, phrases, or clauses:

• Kọfí tàbí tíì? — Coffee or tea?
• Ṣé o máa dúró tàbí o máa lọ? — Will you stay or will you go?

In short questions, Yoruba can omit material that is clear from the situation, just as English can ask “Coffee or tea?” without a full sentence.

Contrasting ideas with ṣùgbọ́n and àmọ́

Ṣùgbọ́n and àmọ́ both introduce a contrast roughly equivalent to “but.” They normally stand between the two ideas being contrasted:

clause + ṣùgbọ́n/àmọ́ + clause

• Mo fẹ́ lọ, ṣùgbọ́n òjò ń rọ̀. — I want to go, but it is raining.
• Ilé náà kéré, àmọ́ ó dára. — The house is small, but it is nice.

For an A2 learner, treating the two as close alternatives is practical. Ṣùgbọ́n is an especially safe, neutral choice. Àmọ́ is also common and can feel conversational in many contexts. Neither word changes the normal structure of the following clause.

Giving a reason: nítorí and nítorí pé

Use nítorí pé before a clause—a group containing its own subject and statement:

result + nítorí pé + reason clause

• Kò wá nítorí pé ó ṣàìsàn. — He/She did not come because he/she was sick.

Use nítorí before a noun or noun phrase when the meaning is “because of” or “on account of”:

• A dúró sí ilé nítorí òjò. — We stayed at home because of the rain.

This distinction is useful for English speakers because English because and because of also require different complements. If a complete statement follows, nítorí pé is the beginner-friendly choice; if a thing or event is named, use nítorí.

Stating a result: torí náà

Torí náà means “therefore,” “for that reason,” or “so.” It points back to a reason already stated and introduces its consequence:

reason. Torí náà, result.

• Òjò ń rọ̀. Torí náà, a dúró sí ilé. — It is raining. Therefore, we are staying at home.

You will also see nítorí náà, a fuller form with the same basic function. Do not confuse a reason connector with a result connector:

• nítorí pé → introduces why something happened
• torí náà / nítorí náà → introduces what follows from it

Conditions with bí and tí

Both bí and tí can introduce a condition corresponding to English “if.” In careful, explicit conditional sentences, they commonly appear with bá inside the conditional clause:

bí/tí + subject + bá + verb ... , result

• Bí o bá dé, pè mí. — If you arrive, call me.
• Tí òjò bá rọ̀, a ó dúró sí ilé. — If it rains, we will stay at home.

The particle bá belongs to the conditional pattern; it does not need a separate word-for-word translation here. Memorize the frame as a unit: bí o bá ... or tí o bá ... “if you ...”. In everyday speech and writing, the exact shape of a conditional can vary, but this frame is clear and productive.

For “when,” a dependable pattern is nígbà tí “at the time that/when”:

• Nígbà tí mo dé, wọ́n ń jẹun. — When I arrived, they were eating.

English uses when both for a known time and sometimes for a future condition. Yoruba makes the intended relationship clearer through the whole construction. At beginner level, use nígbà tí for an actual time relationship and bí/tí ... bá for a condition.

Core connector map

Relationship	Yoruba	Basic use
addition	àti	joins nouns and noun phrases
alternative	tàbí	joins choices
contrast	ṣùgbọ́n, àmọ́	contrasts clauses or ideas
cause before a noun	nítorí	“because of”
cause before a clause	nítorí pé	“because”
result	torí náà, nítorí náà	“therefore/so”
condition	bí/tí ... bá	“if ...”
time	nígbà tí	“when ...”

Examples in Context

Yoruba	English	Note
Adé àti Bọ́lá lọ sí ilé ẹ̀kọ́.	Ade and Bola went to school.	Àti joins two names.
Mo ra ìrẹsì àti ẹ̀wà.	I bought rice and beans.	Two objects joined by àti.
Kọfí tàbí tíì?	Coffee or tea?	A shortened choice question.
Ṣé o fẹ́ omi tàbí wàrà?	Do you want water or milk?	Tàbí joins alternatives.
Mo fẹ́ lọ, ṣùgbọ́n òjò ń rọ̀.	I want to go, but it is raining.	Contrast with ṣùgbọ́n.
Ilé náà kéré, àmọ́ ó mọ́.	The house is small, but it is clean.	Contrast with àmọ́.
Kò wá nítorí pé ó ṣàìsàn.	He/She did not come because he/she was sick.	A complete reason clause follows.
A dúró sí ilé nítorí òjò.	We stayed at home because of the rain.	A noun follows nítorí.
Òjò ń rọ̀; torí náà, a ò ní jáde.	It is raining; therefore, we will not go out.	The reason comes before the result.
Bí o bá rí Bọ́lá, sọ fún un.	If you see Bola, tell him/her.	Conditional frame bí ... bá.
Tí o bá fẹ́ kọfí, mo máa ṣe é.	If you want coffee, I will make it.	Conditional frame tí ... bá.
Nígbà tí mo dé, wọ́n ń jẹun.	When I arrived, they were eating.	Nígbà tí locates one event in time.
Mo lọ ra oúnjẹ.	I went to buy food.	Connected verbs occur without àti.
Ó mú omi fún ọmọ náà.	He/She brought water for the child.	A serial-verb sequence, not “verb àti verb.”
Mo jẹun, mo sì lọ síbi iṣẹ́.	I ate and then went to work.	Sì continues with another clause.

Common Mistakes

Using àti between verbs

• Wrong: Mo lọ àti ra oúnjẹ.
• Right: Mo lọ ra oúnjẹ.
• Why: Àti readily joins nouns, but connected Yoruba actions are commonly serialized—that is, placed one after another under the same subject.

Using nítorí pé before a noun alone

• Wrong: A dúró sí ilé nítorí pé òjò.
• Right: A dúró sí ilé nítorí òjò.
• Also right: A dúró sí ilé nítorí pé òjò ń rọ̀.
• Why: Use nítorí before the noun “rain.” Add pé when what follows is a complete statement: “rain is falling.”

Reversing cause and result

• Wrong: Kò wá torí náà ó ṣàìsàn. (if you mean “He/She did not come because he/she was sick.”)
• Right: Kò wá nítorí pé ó ṣàìsàn.
• Why: Nítorí pé introduces the cause. Torí náà points forward to a consequence: Ó ṣàìsàn; torí náà, kò wá “He/She was sick; therefore, he/she did not come.”

Omitting the conditional pattern while learning

• Less clear for a beginner: Bí o dé, pè mí.
• Recommended: Bí o bá dé, pè mí.
• Why: Forms without every element can occur in real usage, but bí/tí + subject + bá + verb is the safest productive pattern to learn first.

Translating every English “when” with tí alone

• Wrong: Tí mo dé, wọ́n ń jẹun. (when you intend a clear past-time meaning)
• Right: Nígbà tí mo dé, wọ́n ń jẹun.
• Why: Tí has several grammatical jobs. Nígbà tí clearly means “when/at the time that,” while tí ... bá can introduce a condition.

Usage Notes

Tone marks and underdots matter in standard written Yoruba. Àti, tàbí, ṣùgbọ́n, àmọ́, and nítorí should be learned with their marks, even though informal digital writing may omit some of them. The marks help distinguish words and guide pronunciation.

Torí is a common shorter form associated with nítorí, so both torí náà and nítorí náà may be encountered. For careful writing, be consistent; for comprehension, learn to recognize both. Likewise, speakers may select ṣùgbọ́n or àmọ́ according to rhythm, emphasis, and personal or regional preference. At A2, you do not need to force a sharp English distinction between them.

Punctuation can make longer connected thoughts easier to read, but the connector—not the comma—shows the logical relationship. In speech, pauses and intonation do some of the work that punctuation does on the page.

Beyond the Basics / Advanced Use

You do not need to master the following points yet, but they explain patterns you will meet later.

First, tí is highly multifunctional. Besides appearing in nígbà tí and conditional clauses, it can connect a noun with information that identifies or describes it—similar to English “that,” “which,” or “who.” For example, ìwé tí mo rà means “the book that I bought.” The surrounding structure, not a single fixed English translation, tells you what tí is doing.

Second, Yoruba serial-verb constructions express more than simple English “and.” A sequence of verbs can show direction, purpose, instrument, transfer, or the stages of one event. Compare Mo lọ ra oúnjẹ “I went to buy food” and Ó mú ìwé fún mi “He/She brought the book to me.” Treating these as connected pieces of one event will help you avoid inserting àti where Yoruba does not want it.

Third, more advanced writing uses a wider range of discourse markers—expressions that organize an argument or conversation rather than merely joining two words. Their meaning can overlap with “however,” “moreover,” “nevertheless,” or “as a result.” The basic cause–contrast–result distinctions in this article are the foundation for understanding those choices.

Finally, real conditions differ in likelihood and time: an open possibility, a repeated condition, and an unreal past condition do not always use identical wording. The A2 frame bí/tí ... bá gives you a reliable starting point; later study will show how tense, aspect, negation, and context refine the meaning.

Practice Tips

1. Sort by relationship. Make six piles of sentence cards: addition, choice, contrast, reason, result, and condition. Choose the relationship before choosing the Yoruba connector.
2. Transform pairs. Start with two facts such as Òjò ń rọ̀ and A dúró sí ilé. Join them once with nítorí pé and then reverse the order with torí náà. This trains the difference between cause and result.
3. Listen for action chains. When you hear several Yoruba verbs together, resist adding an English and in your mental word-for-word version. Ask whether the verbs describe one connected event, then repeat the whole sequence as a chunk.

Related Concepts

• Next step: Temporal Clauses and Sequencing — develops “when,” sequence, and relationships between events.
• Later study: Reported/Indirect Speech — shows how one clause can report what someone said or thought.
• Advanced extension: Discourse Markers and Connectors — expands basic links into the organization of longer speech and writing.