medaase
In Twi, 'thank you' is expressed as medaase.
medaase is an expression used to show gratitude.
Meaning: an expression of gratitude (intj)
What does it mean word for word?
The word medaase is a contraction of the phrase me da ase. In this construction, me means 'I', da means 'to praise' or 'to thank' and ase refers to 'the bottom/base' or functions as part of the verbal construction for expressing gratitude.
How does it change in a sentence?
You can specify the person you are thanking by inserting a pronoun into the full phrase. To say 'I thank you' to one person, use meda wo ase by inserting wo (you) between meda and ase. To thank a group of people, replace wo with mo to say meda mo ase.
Did you know?
- If you are thanking a very important person or an elder, you might use the respectful pronoun mo even if you are only addressing one person, as a way of showing high esteem.
- Twi belongs to the Akan language family, which uses a tonal system. A change in the pitch of the words in medaase can technically change the meaning of the individual components.
- In many Twi-speaking communities, a verbal 'thank you' is often accompanied by a slight bow or a tilt of the head to show respect to elders.
Examples in context
- Medaase paa.Thank you very much.
- Medaase wɔ wo mmoa no ho.Thank you for your help.
- Medaase, me nua.Thank you, my sibling.
Example conversation
Kwame gives Afia a gift.
- YawAfia, saa kɔkɔɔ yi ma wo.Afia, take this red one.
- AkuaMedaase paa, Kwame.Thank you very much, Kwame.
- YawƐyɛ me anigye sɛ wopɛ.It makes me happy that you like it.
- AkuaMedaase, ɛyɛ fɛ paa.Thank you, it is very beautiful.
