Question words help you ask for specific information in Yorùbá. You can use them to ask about a person, object, place, time, reason, choice, or quantity.
Question words at a glance
| Yorùbá | English |
|---|---|
| Kí ni? | What? |
| Ta ni? | Who? |
| Níbo? / Ibo? | Where? |
| Nígbà wo? | When? |
| Báwo? | How? |
| Kí ló dé? | Why? |
| Èwo? | Which? |
| Èló? | How much? |
| Mélòó? | How many? |
Asking what
Use Kí ni? or its common spoken form “Kí ló?” to ask about something.
Examples:
Kí ni orúkọ rẹ?
What is your name?
Kí lo fẹ́?
What do you want?
Kí lò ń ṣe?
What are you doing?
Asking who
Use Ta ni? to ask about a person.
Examples:
Ta ni ó wá?
Who came?
Ta ni ọmọ yẹn?
Who is that child?
Ta ni ó ń pè ẹ́?
Who is calling you?
Asking where
Use Níbo? or Ibo? to ask about a place.
Examples:
Ibo lò ń lọ?
Where are you going?
Níbo ni ọ̀rẹ́ rẹ wà?
Where is your friend?
Ibo lo ti wá?
Where did you come from?
Both níbo and ibo are commonly used. You may hear ibo more frequently in everyday conversation.
Asking when
Use Nígbà wo? to ask when something happened or will happen.
Examples:
Nígbà wo ni o dé?
When did you arrive?
Nígbà wo ni o máa lọ?
When will you leave?
Nígbà wo ni ìpàdé máa bẹ̀rẹ̀?
When will the meeting begin?
Do not confuse nígbà wo with ìgbà mélòó:
- Nígbà wo? means “When?”
- Ìgbà mélòó? means “How many times?”
Ìgbà mélòó ni o lọ síbẹ̀?
How many times did you go there?
Asking how
Use Báwo? to ask how something happened or to ask about someone’s condition.
Examples:
Báwo ni o ṣe mọ̀?
How did you know?
Báwo ni ìdílé rẹ?
How is your family?
Báwo ni iṣẹ́ náà ṣe ń lọ?
How is the work going?
Asking why
Use Kí ló dé? to ask why something happened.
Examples:
Kí ló dé?
Why? / What happened?
Kí ló dé tí o fi lọ?
Why did you leave?
Kí ló dé tí o fi ń sunkún?
Why are you crying?
Asking which
Use Èwo? when asking someone to choose from two or more options.
Examples:
Èwo ni o fẹ́?
Which one do you want?
Èwo ni o fẹ́ rà?
Which one do you want to buy?
Èwo nínú àwọn aṣọ yìí ni o fẹ́ràn?
Which of these clothes do you like?
Asking about quantity
Use Èló? to ask how much something costs.
Èló ni ìwé yẹn?
How much is that book?
Èló ni oúnjẹ náà?
How much is the food?
Use Mélòó? to ask how many.
Mélòó ni o fẹ́?
How many do you want?
Mélòó ni àwọn ọmọ náà?
How many children are there?
Common spoken forms
Some question structures become shorter in everyday speech:
| Full form | Common form |
|---|---|
| Kí ni o fẹ́? | Kí lo fẹ́? |
| Ta ni o rí? | Ta lo rí? |
| Níbo ni o ń lọ? | Níbo lo ń lọ? |
| Ibo ni o ti wá? | Ibo lo ti wá? |
Both forms may be understood, but the shorter forms are very common in natural conversation.
Practise forming questions
Choose the correct Yorùbá question word.
- _____ ni ọ̀rẹ́ rẹ wà?
Where is your friend? - _____ ni ó ń pè ọ́?
Who is calling you? - _____ lo fẹ́?
What do you want? - _____ ni o máa dé?
When will you arrive? - _____ ni ìwé náà?
How much is the book? - _____ ni o fẹ́ rà?
Which one do you want to buy? - _____ ni o ṣe mọ̀?
How did you know? - _____ ni o fẹ́?
How many do you want?
Answers
- Níbo
- Ta
- Kí
- Nígbàwo
- Èló
- Èwo
- Báwo
- Mélòó
Practise one question word at a time. Say each question aloud, answer it with a complete sentence, and then change one part to create a new question.
Ready to start speaking Yorùbá?
Learning question words is easier when you practise them in real conversations. Book a personalised online Yorùbá class with Learn Yorùbá With Eniola and learn at a pace that works for you or your child.
Leave a Reply