Time expressions in Yoruba
If you want to make plans, or to talk about what you did in the past, you need to know time expressions in Yoruba. Being able to use time expressions such as, ‘yesterday’, ‘tomorrow’ and ‘afternoon’ are essential in effective communication in Yoruba.
In today’s lesson you will learn time expressions for weeks, days and the days of the week in Yoruba.
- Days of the week in Yoruba
- Time expressions for a week
- Time expressions for a day
1. Days of the week in Yoruba
Firstly we shall start with the days of the week in Yoruba, the days of the week in Yoruba are all preceded by the word ‘ọjọ́’ which means ‘day’ in Yoruba. A list of the days of the week are given in the table below.
The days of the week in Yoruba
| Yoruba | English |
| Monday | Ọjọ́ Ajé |
| Tuesday | Ọjọ́ Ìṣẹ́gun |
| Wednedsday | Ọjọ́rú |
| Thursday | Ọjọ́bọ̀ |
| Friday | Ọjọ́ Ẹtì |
| Saturday | Ọjọ́ Àbámẹ́ta |
| Sunday | Ọjọ́ Àìkú |
Confused about the accents and the dots? Check out our explainer lessons
Using the days of the week in sentences
To say, ‘On Tuesday’ or ‘On Wednesday’ or on a particular day, all you have to do is put the word ‘ní” before the day.
‘Ní’ + Day of the week
Some examples of how to use days of the week are given below.
Examples of how to use Days of the Week in Yoruba sentences
| Yoruba | English |
| Ní Ọjọ́ Ìṣẹ́gun, mo máa lọ sí ilé-ìwé | On Tuesday, I will go to school |
| Ní Ọjọ́ Ajé, mo máa lọ sí ọjà | On Monday, I will go to the market |
| Ní Ọjọ́bọ̀, mo máa lọ sí oko | On Thursday, I will go the farm |
2. Time expressions (A week)
Following the days of the week, we shall go on to time expressions for the week. The time expressions for the week are displayed in the table below.
Time expressions (A week)
| English | Yoruba |
| Day | Ọjọ́ |
| Yesterday | Ánàá |
| Today | Òní |
| Tomorrow | Ọ̀la |
| Day after tomorrow | Ọ̀túnla |
| Everyday | Ójoojúmọ́ |
| Birthday | Ọjọ́ ìbí |
In Yoruba, the above time expressions are usually used at the beginning or the end of a sentence.
Just as before, the time expressions are preceded by the word ‘ní’. One thing that you need to remember about the Yoruba language is that if ní is followed by an a, o, ọ or ẹ it can change to l’.
How to use the ni to l’ contraction in Yoruba
| ní + o | l’o |
| ní + a | l’a |
| ní + ẹ | l’ẹ |
| ní + ọ | l’ọ |
Some examples of how to use the time expressions for a week are given below.
Examples Yoruba sentences with time expressions (A Week)
| Yoruba | English |
| Mo sè lánàá | I cooked yesterday |
| Mo máa jó lọ́la | I will dance tomorrow |
| Mo máa sáré lònìí | I will run today |
| Mo máa kọrin ní ọ̀túnla | I will sing the day after tomorrow |
3. Time expressions (A day)
Finally, we shall move on to the time expressions for the day. The time expressions for the day are displayed in the table below.
Time expressions (A day)
| English | Yoruba |
| Morning | àárọ̀ |
| Afternoon | ọ̀sán |
| Early evening | ìrọ̀lẹ́ |
| Late evening | alẹ́ |
| (Middle of) Night | òru |
Just as before, the time expressions are preceded by the word ‘ní’.
Some examples of how to use the above time expressions are given below.
Examples Yoruba sentences with time expressions (A day)
| Yoruba | English |
| Mo jó ní àárọ̀ | I danced in the morning |
| Mo wẹ̀ ní alẹ́ | I bathed in the evening |
| Mo jẹun lálẹ́ àná | I ate last night |
Now you know how to say time expressions in Yoruba, this will help you to greatly improve your your speech!
