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This will be the last lesson under the types of Twi nouns there are. In this lesson, we combine two opposing types: countable and uncountable nouns.
Be sure to pick some Twi vocabulary as you go through the lesson.
What is a countable noun?
Any noun that identifies something that can be counted can be classified as a countable noun. Thus, if you can think of any noun that can have both a singular and plural form, then that noun is ‘countable’ and hence a countable noun.
Examples of countable nouns in Twi
Since countable nouns have singular and plural forms, we will give both in the table below.
| Twi (Singular) | Twi (Plural) | English |
|---|---|---|
| kube | nkube | coconut/coconuts |
| akwadaa | nkwadaa | child/children |
| ɔman | aman | country/countries |
| okristoni | akristofoɔ | Christian/Christians |
| krataa | nkrataa | paper/papers |
| aboa | mmoa | animal/animals |
| kuro | nkuro | town/towns |
| asase | nsase | land/lands |
| ɔkyerɛkyerɛni | akyerɛkyerɛfoɔ | teacher/teachers |
| opolisini | apolisifoɔ | police officer/officers |
| adaka | nnaka | box/boxes |
| atere | ntere | spoon/spoons |
| ɛdan | adan | house/houses |
| nipa | nnipa | human being/beings |
| kraman | nkraman | dog/dogs |
Usage examples – Countable nouns
1. Akwadaa no se ɔne sukuu nkwadaa no nni agorɔ.
The child says he/she will not play with the school children.
2. Opolisini no ada.
The police officer has slept.
3. Ntere no yɛ sɛn?
How many are the spoons.
4. Kraman no awo; yɛanya nkraman pii.
The dog has given birth; we’ve gotten many dogs.
5. Ɛdan baako pɛ na w’ani agye saa no? Yɛwɔ adan nsia.
Just one house and you are this happy? We have six houses.
What is an uncountable noun?
In a sharp contrast to countable nouns, uncountable nouns denote things that cannot be counted. Can you count, for example, water (nsuo)? I bet you can’t. So, the noun water (nsuo) can be classified as an uncountable noun. Let’s look at some examples below.
| Twi | English |
|---|---|
| ahoɔden | strength |
| nimdeɛ | knowledge |
| afotuo | advice |
| ɛmo | rice |
| asikyire | sugar |
| tumi | power/authority |
| anyinam ahoɔden | electrical power (electricity) |
| kaseɛ | news |
| sika | money |
| nsa(den) | alcohol |
| aboterɛ | patience |
| ɔdɔ | love |
| anigyeɛ | happiness |
| awerɛhoɔ | sadness |
| asoɔden | stubborness |
Usage examples – Uncountable nouns
6. Aboterɛ wie nkonimdie.
Patience ends in victory.
7. Tumi na wode kasa.
You speak with authority.
8. Kofi wɔ ahoɔden.
Kofi has strength.
9. Tɔ asikyire ma me.
Buy me sugar.
10. Wonom nsa dodo.
You drink too much alcohol.
Add more to the list; try and form simple sentences with the examples given. Make sure you pay particular attention to their spellings.
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Is it true that 3fuom (forest), is an uncountable noun?
Hi Timmy :). It is spelt “afuo” and it is not the Twi name for forest. “afuo” means “farm” and it does have a plural form: “mfuo”. If you add ‘m’ to “afuo” (afuom), you are now roughly saying “in the farm/the inside of the farm”. Forest, on the other hand, is “kwaeɛ” in Twi.