Routines, Weather, Time, and Seasonal Festivals
The student can handle conversations about familiar topics in an organized way.
- Talk about routines, time, and daily schedule
- Talk about the weather and occasions like weddings or anniversaries
- Talk about days, months, seasonal festivals, and celebrations
- Use ordinal and cardinal numbers
Vocabulary List
Click the audio icon below to play the recorded pronunciation for each word. You can also open the list below in a new tab, which can be downloaded or printed.
Practice: Interpretive Communication
Presentational Communication
Context: Tolú talks about her daily routine with her friend, Báyọ̀ .
Transcript:
Lójoojúmọ́, mo máa ń jí ní nǹkan bí i ago mẹ́fà àárọ̀. Mo máa wẹ̀, mo máa fọ ẹnu mi, mo sì máa wọ aṣọ mi. Léyìn náà, mo máa lọ sí ilé ìwé mi. Bó tilẹ̀ jẹ́ pé n kìí ní iṣẹ́ ní ọjọ́ Sátidé àti ọjọ́ Sọ́ńdè, mo máa ń délé ni nǹkan bí i ago mẹ́fà ìrọ̀lẹ́. Mo máa se oúnje alẹ́, mo máa kàwé, mo sì máa gbàdúrà kí ń tó sùn.
Practice: Presentational Communication
- From the video transcript, take note of unfamiliar words
- From the dictionary, find and listen to the pronunciation of those words
- Attempt to say a few sentences about your daily routine
Interpersonal Communication
Context: Tolú and her friend are discussing their plans for an event.
Transcript:
Tolú: Báwo ni Báyọ̀?
Báyọ̀: Dáadáa ni
Tolú: Ṣé o máa lọ sí ìgbéyàwó Títí ní ọjọ́ Sátidé?
Báyọ̀: Ótì. N kò lè lọ.
Tolú: Kílódé?
Báyọ̀: Nítorí pé sínóò máa rọ̀ ní Sátidé tí ó ń bọ̀.
Tolú: Lóòótọ́ ni. Àmọ́ n kò bikítà nípa sínóò.
Báyọ̀: Bí ó tilẹ̀ jẹ́ pé mo fẹ́ràn sínóò, n kò lè wa ọkọ̀ nínú sinóò.
Tolu: Ó mà ṣe o. N Kò fẹ́ràn sínóò rárá, ṣùgbọ́n mo lè wa ọkọ̀ nínú sínóò. Ṣé kí n gbé ẹ?
Báyọ̀: Bẹ́ẹ̀nì
Tolú: Kò burú. A máa ríra ní ọjọ́ Sátidé.
Báyọ̀: Ó dáa. Ó dàbọ̀.
Tolú: Ó dàbọ̀.
Practice: Interpersonal Communication
- From the list of vocabulary, find at least two words about an event
- Pronounce the words, find their meanings and write them down
Grammar Notes
Tense
Tense in Yoruba is directly linked to time and aspect. To understand how tenses are marked in Yoruba, it is important to pay attention to the auxiliary verbs, which indicate the aspects of tense in a sentence. Such tense markers could occur as future tense, continuous, or habitual tense markers. Refer to the grammar notes on auxiliary verbs in the preceding chapter.
Future Tense
The future tense indicates an action that will take place in the future. For future event or actions, auxiliary or helping verbs are markers that make reference to the time of such actions. Future tense are marked with máa, also written as á, “will.” Yóò, “will” is also a future tense marker in Yorùbá.
Examples:
1. Mo máa rí ẹ lọ́la. “I will see you tomorrow.”
2. Olú á lọ sí ilé ìkàwé .’Olú will go to the library.”
3. Kikẹ́ yóò lọ. “Kikẹ́ will go.”
Note: “máa/ á” and “yóò” indicate “will,” a future time in examples 1 to 3, and they function together with the main verbs (lọ and rí) in sentences 1, 2, and 3 to ishow that the action will take place in the future.
Continuous Tense
For actions that are ongoing, “ń” is usually paired with the main verb in the sentence to show that the action is continuous and is yet to be completed.
4. Mo ń sùn. “I am sleeping.”
5. Kẹ́mi ń sọ̀rọ̀ pẹ̀lú ọ̀rẹ́ rẹ̀. “Kémi is speaking with her friend.”
Note: The underlined words are the main verbs in the sentence, while “ń” indicates that the tense is continuous.
Habitual Tense Markers
To show that an action is a habit and is routinely repeated, máa ń, “usually” is the auxiliary verb that marks such aspect.
Examples:
6. Lójoojúmọ́, mo máa ń jí ní nǹkan bí i ago mẹ́fà àárọ̀. “Everyday, I usually wake up around six o’clock in the morning.”
7. Mo máa ń délé ni nǹkan bí i ago mẹ́fà ìrọ̀lẹ́. ” I usually arrive home at around six o’clock in the evening.”
In sentences 1 to 6, tenses are marked using auxiliary or helping verbs. Based on your understanding of time and aspects, you can tell if an event or action is already completed, ongoing, or will take place in the future.
In other sentences, tenses could also be understood based on indicators of time of action in the sentence. As a result, contexts of communication are also critical to understanding Yoruba tense.
Example:
8. Olú lọ sí ibi iṣẹ́ ní àárọ̀ “Olú went to work in the morning.”
Note: “àárọ̀” in example 7 is a context and time (period) indicator that the action, “lọ” “went” was completed in the morning, and prior to the time this statement was produced.
Where such time indicator is not included, the speaker relies on context to determine if the action was completed in the past, or just completed.
Examples:
9. Olú lọ sí ibi iṣẹ́ ” Olú went to (a place of) work.”
10. Olú ti lọ sí ibi iṣẹ́ ” Olu has gone to a place of work.”
The examples in 9 and 10 have the verb “lọ,” which shows the main action in the sentences. However, there is no specific word that overtly marks the action as past tense in example 8, since “lọ” the main verb in the sentence, is simply a verb. To indicate that the action lọ “go” was completed in the past, an indication of the time that Olú went to work would be helpful, such as in example 8 above.
Without the time indicator, the sentence, Olú lọ sí ibi iṣẹ́ “Olú went to (a place of) work,” as shown in example 9, could be read as an action that has already occurred in the past or in recent past.
In example 10, “ti” is an aspect marker that indicates an action that has just been completed.