WORD ORDER AND SENTENCE BUILDING

Word order is the arrangement of the people, actions, and things in a sentence, and it helps the listener understand who does what. I chop rice begins with the person, then the action, then the thing affected by the action. This is a common Nigerian Pidgin order.

Small words such as no, dey, don, bin, go, and fit usually come before the action word. They add meanings such as not, happening now, completed, earlier, future, or able. Sometimes two action words work together: Carry di bag come means bring the bag.

Examples:

I chop rice. - I ate rice / I eat rice, depending on context.

E dey wash cloth. - He or she is washing clothes.

We don finish di work. - We have finished the work.

Una go see am tomorrow. - You all will see it tomorrow.

Dem fit help us. - They can help us.

Amina buy bread. - Amina bought bread / buys bread, depending on context.

Di pikin dey sleep. - The child is sleeping.

My oga call me. - My boss called me.

Carry di chair come. - Bring the chair.

I go shop go buy water. - I went/will go to the shop to buy water, depending on context.

E take key open di door. - He or she used a key to open the door.

Dem carry di pikin go house. - They took the child home.

MAKING POSITIVE STATEMENTS

A positive statement gives information that the speaker presents as true, such as an action, fact, description, or plan. I sabi am means I know it. The action word sabi does not change when the person changes. Use the same action word after I, you, e, we, una, and dem. Add a word such as dey, don, go, or fit only when you need the meaning it gives.

Examples:

I sabi am. - I know it.

You like di food. - You like the food.

E get motor. - He or she has a vehicle.

We dey ready. - We are ready.

Una don reach. - You all have arrived.

Dem go come. - They will come.

Bisi fit cook. - Bisi can cook.

Di soup sweet. - The soup is tasty.

MAKING NEGATIVE STATEMENTS

A negative statement says that an action, identity, quality, or situation is not true or has not happened. I no sabi means I do not know. Put no after the person and before the action or the small word that comes with it. Pattern: person + no + action.

Identity takes no be, as in Dis no be my own, while place and an action in progress take no dey. When an expected action is still incomplete, never often means not yet; I never chop therefore means I have not eaten yet.

Examples:

I no sabi. - I do not know.

You no dey listen. - You are not listening.

E no go come. - He or she will not come.

We no fit wait. - We cannot wait.

Una no bin see am. - You all did not see it earlier.

Dem never finish. - They have not finished yet.

Dis no be my own. - This is not mine.

Amina no dey house. - Amina is not at home.

Di food no sweet. - The food is not tasty.

Di bag no heavy. - The bag is not heavy.

No be today. - It is not today.

Nobody dey outside. - Nobody is outside.

I no get money. - I do not have money.

E no like pepper. - He or she does not like pepper.

We never reach. - We have not arrived yet.

Cultural Tip: "Never" often means not yet in completed-action contexts: I never chop commonly means I have not eaten yet, not I have never eaten in my life.

FORMING QUESTIONS

Questions are used to request information or confirmation, and Nigerian Pidgin often forms them without changing the basic sentence order. You dey okay? uses the same basic order as a statement. The voice rises in speech, and a question mark shows the question in writing.

Some questions begin with a question word such as wetin, who, where, when, or how. Abi can ask for confirmation. The next sections show these question types separately.

Yes/No Questions

A yes/no question asks the listener to confirm or reject a complete idea, so the expected answer can be short. You dey okay? can be answered with yes or no. Keep the usual word order and raise your voice at the end. Pattern: ordinary statement order + rising voice. Abi is used when the speaker expects confirmation, and it may come first or last, as in Abi you sabi am? and Una ready, abi? Because it often suggests an expected answer, it should not be added to every question.

Examples:

You dey okay? - Are you okay?

E don come? - Has he or she come?

Una go follow us? - Will you all come with us?

Dem fit enter? - Can they enter?

Dis na your bag? - Is this your bag?

Amina dey house? - Is Amina at home?

You no want am? - Do you not want it?

E never finish? - Has it not finished yet?

Abi you sabi am? - You know it, right?

Una ready, abi? - You all are ready, right?

Wh-Questions

Question words such as wetin, who, where, and when ask for one missing piece of information. Wetin you want? asks for information, not only yes or no. Wetin means what. Other useful question words include who, where, when, which one, and wetin make or why.

The question word often comes first. Wetin can also stay after the action word, as in You want wetin? Do not add English do or did.

Examples:

Wetin you want? - What do you want?

You want wetin? - You want what?

Who call you? - Who called you?

Na who do am? - Who did it?

Which one be your own? - Which one is yours?

Where una dey go? - Where are you all going?

Where di market dey? - Where is the market?

When e go come? - When will he or she come?

Wetin make you vex? - Why are you angry?

Why dem no come? - Why did they not come?

Wetin be your name? - What is your name?

Who you dey wait for? - Who are you waiting for?

Which food you like? - Which food do you like?

Wetin happen? - What happened?

How-Questions

How-questions ask about condition, method, price, number, or length, and several common expressions begin with how. How much be dis? asks for a price. How many asks for a number, and how long asks about time or distance.

How you take know? asks how someone knew something. Here, how + person + take + action asks about the method. How far? is different: it is usually a casual greeting, not a question about distance.

Examples:

How you dey? - How are you?

How far? - How are things? / What's up?

How much be dis? - How much is this?

How many you want? - How many do you want?

How long e go take? - How long will it take?

How we go reach there? - How will we get there?

How you take know? - How did you know?

How dem take do am? - How did they do it?

How di work dey go? - How is the work going?

How your family dey? - How is your family?

How I fit help you? - How can I help you?

How una take come? - How did you all come?

NOUNS: GENDER AND NUMBER

Nouns name people, places, things, and ideas, while number tells us whether the meaning is one item or a group. A noun is a naming word, such as pikin, teacher, market, or bag. Nigerian Pidgin nouns do not take special male or female endings.

Pikin dem means children. When you need to make a group clear, use this pattern: noun + dem. A number or quantity can also show more than one, as in two motor or plenty person. The noun often stays unchanged.

Examples:

pikin - a child / child in context

pikin dem - children

di pikin - the child

di pikin dem - the children

one motor - one vehicle

two motor - two vehicles

plenty person - many people

some book - some books

teacher dem - teachers

woman dem - women

my friend dem - my friends

all di customer dem - all the customers

ARTICLES AND DETERMINERS

Small words before a noun help the listener identify which person or thing is meant. They can show whether it is known, new, near, far, or an unspecified amount. Di house means the house when both people can identify the house. One house can mean a house or one house. Some water gives an amount without an exact number.

Use dis and dat before a noun to point to something near or farther away. Dese and dose can point to groups. Sometimes no small word is needed before a noun because the situation already makes the meaning clear.

Examples:

di house - the house

one house - a house / one house

some water - some water

dis bag - this bag

dat woman - that woman

dese book - these books

dose pikin dem - those children

I buy bread. - I bought bread.

Give me di bread. - Give me the bread.

E get one problem. - There is a problem / He or she has a problem.

PRACTICE SECTION

Fill in the Blanks

1- Give me _________ bag wey dey for chair. (definite article)

2- Change to an explicit plural: pikin -> _________

True/False

1- Basic Nigerian Pidgin clauses commonly use subject-verb-object order.

2- Nigerian Pidgin nouns normally take different endings for masculine and feminine gender.

Translation

1- Translate: The children are at home.

2- Translate: I do not know that woman.

3- Translate: Which bag is yours?