Òwò, Owó, àti Ìwé Ibi Iṣẹ́
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Make a formal workplace request in writing and in speech.
- State and confirm deadlines using consolidated time-and-obligation frames.
- Use numbers, quantities, and money expressions accurately in a business context.
- Form comparisons between costs, quantities, options, or performance using ju ... lọ.
- Combine conditional and hedged frames from Chapters 7–8 with workplace consequences and uncertain outcomes.
- Recognize vocabulary associated with basic business documents, invoices, and procedures.
- Pronounce numbers, amounts, and formal workplace vocabulary clearly and accurately.
- Write a short workplace report or proposal in Standard Written Yorùbá.
Opening Communication Scenario
Adé's radio station is reviewing costs for its community programming, including the recent health advisory segment. His supervisor has asked him to write a short proposal requesting additional equipment, stating a deadline for approval, comparing two possible suppliers by cost and quality, and noting what will happen if the request is not approved in time.
- This chapter teaches how to make formal requests, state deadlines, use numbers and quantities, and form comparisons in Yorùbá.
- It applies the conditional and hedging frames from Chapters 7–8 to workplace consequences and uncertain outcomes.
- By the end of the chapter, you will write a workplace report or proposal, following the same process Adé uses for his equipment request.
Core Vocabulary
The following vocabulary supports discussion of business, finance basics, reports, invoices, and workplace procedures. Items marked "Productive (introduced)" are new for this chapter.
| Yorùbá | English | Status |
|---|---|---|
| ìwé ìtọ́rẹ̀ | proposal, request document | Productive (introduced) |
| ìwé owó (ìwé-owó ìsanwó) | invoice | Productive (introduced) |
| àpapọ̀ owó | total amount, sum | Productive (introduced) |
| ààlà ọjọ́ | deadline | Productive (introduced) |
| olùpèsè | supplier, vendor | Productive (introduced) |
| ìwọ̀n iye | quantity, amount | Productive (introduced) |
| ìwé ìjábọ̀ | report | Productive (introduced) |
| ju ... lọ | more than (comparison) | Productive (introduced) |
| a gbà á níyànjú pé kí | it is recommended that (recycled formal recommendation) | Productive (recycled, Ch. 7) |
| ilé-iṣẹ́ | company, workplace | Productive (recycled from earlier volumes) |
Pronunciation Focus
Business communication depends on numbers and amounts being heard correctly the first time. This chapter's pronunciation focus is producing numbers, quantities, and money expressions clearly, and giving formal workplace vocabulary the same steady, informative delivery introduced in Chapters 7–8.
- Practice number and amount phrases at a slightly slower pace than ordinary conversation, since a misheard number in a workplace document can cause a real error.
- Pay attention to ju ... lọ in comparisons, keeping the tone of ju and lọ distinct from surrounding words so a comparison is not mistaken for a plain statement.
- Practice reading an invoice-style line aloud, giving the item, the quantity, and the total amount as three clearly separated pieces of information.
Grammar and Sentence Patterns
This chapter develops formal requests, deadlines, numbers and quantities, and comparison, and applies the conditional and hedging frames from Chapters 7–8 to workplace consequences and uncertain outcomes, inside the functional task of producing a workplace report or proposal.
Formal requests with `a ń bèèrè pé kí`
A ń bèèrè pé kí [ẹnìkan] [ó ṣe ohun kan] kí ó tó [ọjọ́ kan].
a ń bèèrè pé kí ("we are requesting that") introduces a formal workplace request as a distinct clause, separate from the reason for the request and from any deadline attached to it. This keeps a written request precise and easy for a supervisor or office to act on.
A ń bèèrè pé kí ilé-iṣẹ́ ra ẹ̀rọ ìgbóhùnsáfẹ́fẹ́ tuntun kan kí ó tó òpin oṣù yìí.
We are requesting that the company purchase a new broadcasting device before the end of this month.
Deadlines with `ààlà ọjọ́` and `kí ... tó`
- Ààlà ọjọ́ fún ìdáhùn sí ìtọ́rẹ̀ yìí ni ọjọ́ kẹẹdógún oṣù yìí. The deadline for a response to this proposal is the fifteenth of this month. ààlà ọjọ́ deadline vocabulary, developed this chapter
- Ó yẹ kí a gba ìdáhùn kí a tó dé ọjọ́ tí a yàn. We should receive a response before we reach the date set. ó yẹ kí (Ch. 8) combined with kí ... tó deadline structure
Workplace documents must state quantities and amounts precisely. iye ("amount, number of") introduces a count: iye ẹ̀rọ tí a nílò ni méjì ("the number of devices we need is two"). àpapọ̀ owó ("total amount") introduces a sum: àpapọ̀ owó fún ohun ìtọ́rẹ̀ yìí jẹ́ ọ̀kẹ́ márùn-ún náírà ("the total amount for this request is fifty thousand naira"). Numbers and amounts should appear as their own clear phrase rather than folded into a longer sentence.
ju ... lọ ("more than") compares two options by cost, quantity, or quality: owó olùpèsè kìíní tóbi ju ti olùpèsè kejì lọ ("the first supplier's price is bigger than the second supplier's"). The item being compared appears before ju, and the item it is compared to appears between ju and lọ. This frame keeps a comparison distinct from two separate factual statements.
The conditional frame bí ... bá, consolidated in Chapters 7–8 for precaution-and-outcome sentences, is now applied to workplace consequences: bí a kò bá fọwọ́sí ìtọ́rẹ̀ yìí kí ó tó ààlà ọjọ́, iṣẹ́ náà lè dúró ("if this request is not approved before the deadline, the work may stop"). As before, the condition clause states the circumstance and the result clause states the consequence, kept distinct from a flat statement of fact.
As in Chapters 7–8, an uncertain workplace outcome should not be stated as certain. ó ṣeéṣe kí ("it is possible that") is applied here to business uncertainty: ó ṣeéṣe kí owó ẹ̀rọ náà pọ̀ sí i ní oṣù tí ń bọ̀ ("it is possible that the price of the device may increase next month"). This keeps a report or proposal from promising a specific figure or event the source information does not guarantee.
Model Dialogue
Ipò: Adé àti Ẹ̀gbọ́n Fúnmi, alábojútó rẹ̀ ní ilé-iṣẹ́ rédíò, ń jíròrò ìtọ́rẹ̀ fún ẹ̀rọ ìgbóhùnsáfẹ́fẹ́ tuntun.
Setting: Adé and Ẹ̀gbọ́n Fúnmi, his supervisor at the radio station, are discussing a proposal for a new broadcasting device.
Guided Practice
- Identify the formal request sentence, and underline a ń bèèrè pé kí.
- Find the sentence stating the deadline, and underline ààlà ọjọ́.
- Locate the comparison sentence, and underline ju and lọ.
- Write one sentence of your own using bí ... bá to describe a workplace consequence.
Listening Practice
Ask an instructor, study partner, or qualified Yorùbá speaker to read the passage below aloud, or read it aloud yourself and then cover it before answering.
If no speaker is available, this is a Listening Script for Independent Use. Machine text-to-speech must be checked by a qualified Yorùbá speaker before use as a pronunciation model.
"Ẹ kú iṣẹ́. Ìwé ìtọ́rẹ̀ yìí ń bèèrè pé kí ẹ̀ka ìṣúná ilé-iṣẹ́ fọwọ́sí rírà ẹ̀rọ ìtẹ̀wé tuntun kan fún ọ́fíìsì. A ní olùpèsè méjì tí a lè yàn nínú wọn. Owó olùpèsè kìíní tóbi ju ti olùpèsè kejì lọ ní iye ọ̀kẹ́ méjì náírà, ṣùgbọ́n ẹ̀rọ olùpèsè kìíní ní ìdánilójú ọdún mẹ́ta, nígbà tí ti olùpèsè kejì kàn ní ọdún kan péré. Ààlà ọjọ́ fún ìdáhùn sí ìtọ́rẹ̀ yìí ni ọjọ́ ogún oṣù yìí. Bí a kò bá fọwọ́sí i kí ó tó ọjọ́ náà, iṣẹ́ tí a ti ṣètò fún ọ̀sẹ̀ mẹ́ta tí ń bọ̀ lè dúró, nítorí ọ́fíìsì kò ní ẹ̀rọ tí ó tó láti lò. Ìjìnhìn tí a ní kò dá lórí bóyá owó ẹ̀rọ náà yóò yí padà, ṣùgbọ́n ó ṣeéṣe kí owó rẹ̀ pọ̀ sí i tí a kò bá yára ra á. A gbà á níyànjú pé kí ẹ̀ka ìṣúná yára fọwọ́sí ìtọ́rẹ̀ yìí."
1. What is the proposal requesting, and from whom?
2. How do the two suppliers compare in price and warranty?
3. What is the deadline, and what may happen if the request is not approved in time?
Iṣẹ́ rẹ — Your task: Answer the three questions above in complete Yorùbá sentences, using Standard Written Yorùbá.
Speaking Practice
Tier 1 — Supported
Read the request, deadline, comparison, and conditional sentences from the Grammar section aloud, then substitute a different workplace item, price, and deadline of your own.
Tier 2 — Guided
State one formal request using a ń bèèrè pé kí, one deadline using ààlà ọjọ́, and one comparison using ju ... lọ.
Tier 3 — Independent
Present aloud, in 60–90 seconds, a real or imagined workplace request, clearly stating the request, the deadline, a comparison between two options, and a conditional consequence, hedging any uncertain figure with ó ṣeéṣe kí rather than stating it as certain.
Reading Practice
Ìwé Ìjábọ̀ Iṣẹ́ — A Workplace Report
Gẹ́gẹ́ bí ìwé ìjábọ̀ oṣù yìí ṣe sọ, iye owó tí a ná lórí àwọn ohun èlò ọ́fíìsì ti pọ̀ sí i ju ti oṣù tí ó kọjá lọ ní iye ọ̀kẹ́ mẹ́ta náírà. Nítorí náà, ẹ̀ka ìṣúná ń bèèrè pé kí gbogbo apá ilé-iṣẹ́ dín iye ohun tí wọ́n ń ra kù ní oṣù tí ń bọ̀. Ààlà ọjọ́ fún fífi ìtọ́rẹ̀ ìsúná ọ̀sẹ̀ hàn ni ọjọ́ kẹwàá oṣù tí ń bọ̀; bí apá kan bá kùnà láti fi ìtọ́rẹ̀ wọn hàn kí ó tó ọjọ́ náà, a óò lo iye owó oṣù tí ó kọjá gẹ́gẹ́ bí àpẹẹrẹ dípò rẹ̀. Ìwé ìjábọ̀ náà kò dá lórí bóyá owó àwọn ohun èlò yóò dúró bákan-náà ní oṣù tí ń bọ̀, ṣùgbọ́n ó ṣeéṣe kí owó wọn pọ̀ sí i díẹ̀ nítorí ìyípadà nínú ọjà. Aṣáájú ẹ̀ka ìṣúná sọ pé, "A fẹ́ kí gbogbo apá ilé-iṣẹ́ ronú jinlẹ̀ nípa ohun tí wọ́n ń ra kí wọ́n tó fi ìbéèrè owó ránṣẹ́." Ẹ̀ka ìṣúná ni ó gbé ìwé ìjábọ̀ yìí kalẹ̀, ṣùgbọ́n gbogbo apá ilé-iṣẹ́ ni ó ní láti tẹ̀lé ìlànà tí a gbé kalẹ̀ nínú rẹ̀.
1. According to the report, how has spending on office equipment changed compared to last month?
2. What is the deadline for submitting a weekly budget request, and what happens if a department misses it?
3. What does the report say about next month's prices, and how is that statement hedged?
4. Identify one quoted statement in the passage and explain whether it is presented as fact or as one person's viewpoint.
Iṣẹ́ rẹ — Your task: Answer the four questions above in complete Yorùbá sentences.
Writing Workshop
Write a short workplace report or proposal (150–200 words), with full tone marks and dot-under letters throughout. Your report must include at least one formal request with a ń bèèrè pé kí, at least one deadline stated with ààlà ọjọ́, at least one number, quantity, or money expression, at least one comparison with ju ... lọ, at least one conditional sentence with bí ... bá, and at least one hedged statement with ó ṣeéṣe kí.
Sample report shell — for reference only
A ń bèèrè pé kí [ẹ̀ka kan] [ó ṣe ohun kan]. Ààlà ọjọ́ fún èyí ni [ọjọ́ kan].
We are requesting that [a department] [do something]. The deadline for this is [a date].Iye [ohun kan] ni [iye kan]; owó [ohun kìíní] tóbi ju ti [ohun kejì] lọ. Bí a kò bá [ṣe ohun kan] kí ó tó ọjọ́ náà, [àbájáde kan] lè ṣẹlẹ̀. Ó ṣeéṣe kí [àbájáde tí kò dá jáde ní gbangba].
The quantity of [something] is [an amount]; [the first item]'s price is bigger than [the second item]'s. If we do not [take an action] before that date, [an outcome] may happen. It is possible that [an outcome not explicitly stated].Include
- a formal request with a ń bèèrè pé kí
- a deadline with ààlà ọjọ́
- a number, quantity, or money expression
- a comparison with ju ... lọ
- a conditional sentence with bí ... bá
- a hedged statement with ó ṣeéṣ kí ṣeéṣe kí
Avoid
- vague or missing amounts and deadlines
- stating an uncertain figure as a flat certainty
- comparisons that omit ju or lọ
- omitting tone marks or dot-under letters
- Every vowel that should carry a high or low tone mark has one.
ẹ,ọ, andṣare distinguished frome,o, andsthroughout.- The request, deadline, and comparison are marked with the correct distinct frames.
- Any uncertain figure or outcome is hedged rather than stated as certain.
- Numbers, quantities, and amounts are stated clearly and separately from surrounding text.
- No claim appears beyond what the report's own source information supports.
Culture and Communication
In many Yorùbá-speaking workplaces, a written request to a supervisor or finance office is expected to state the request, the reason, and the deadline clearly and respectfully, often opening with a courteous greeting such as ẹ kú iṣẹ́ before moving to the business matter itself.
Specific currency terms and number conventions can vary somewhat between institutions and regions. This chapter's patterns describe a widely usable formal-register model using the naira as a familiar example; learners working with other currencies or institutional formats should treat those differences as labeled variation rather than as errors.
Common Mistakes
Error: Writing "owó olùpèsè kìíní tóbi ju ti olùpèsè kejì" and omitting the closing lọ, which leaves the comparison incomplete.
Correction: Complete the comparison frame with both parts, as in "owó olùpèsè kìíní tóbi ju ti olùpèsè kejì lọ."
Error: Writing "owó ẹ̀rọ náà yóò pọ̀ sí i" ("the price of the device will increase") when the source only states this as a possibility.
Correction: Use the hedge frame when the source itself is not certain, as in "ó ṣeéṣe kí owó ẹ̀rọ náà pọ̀ sí i."
Chapter Summary
This chapter introduced formal requests with a ń bèèrè pé kí, deadlines with ààlà ọjọ́, numbers, quantities, and money expressions, and comparison with ju ... lọ, and applied the consolidated conditional frame bí ... bá and hedged modality ó ṣeéṣe kí from Chapters 7–8 to workplace consequences and uncertain outcomes. Learners practiced listening to, speaking about, reading, and writing business- and workplace-related content while maintaining full Standard Written Yorùbá production and a precise, non-alarmist register.
Chapter Review
Apá A — Ìṣàyẹ̀wò Gírámà (Grammar Check)
1. Write one formal request sentence using a ń bèèrè pé kí.
2. Write one sentence stating a deadline with ààlà ọjọ́ and one comparison sentence using ju ... lọ.
3. Write one conditional sentence using bí ... bá, and one hedged sentence using ó ṣeéṣe kí.
Apá B — Ìṣàyẹ̀wò Ara Ẹni (Self-Check)
1. Which part of workplace communication feels most natural to you so far?
2. Which part — requests, deadlines, numbers and comparisons, conditionals, or hedged modality — do you want to keep practicing?
Ìfojúsí ẹkọ̀ tẹ́lẹ̀ — Cumulative review check
Before moving to Chapter 10, confirm you can do the following:
- Make a formal request using a ń bèèrè pé kí.
- State a deadline using ààlà ọjọ́.
- Use numbers, quantities, and money expressions accurately.
- Form a comparison using ju ... lọ.
- Form a conditional consequence sentence using bí ... bá.
- Hedge an uncertain outcome using ó ṣeéṣe kí rather than stating it as certain.
- Apply cause/result, advice, and warning frames from Chapters 7–8 where relevant to workplace writing.
- Maintain full tone marking, dot-under orthography, and a precise, non-alarmist register throughout formal writing.
Practical Performance Task
Iṣẹ́ aṣeyọrí — Abala 9
Ìwé Ìjábọ̀ tàbí Ìwé Ìtọ́rẹ̀ — Workplace Report or Proposal
Produce a complete short workplace report or proposal, entirely in Standard Written Yorùbá, following the structure taught in this chapter.
Component 1 — Draft Report or Proposal
- 150–200 words, stating a formal request, a deadline, at least one quantity or amount, a comparison, a conditional consequence, and a hedged statement.
- No claim beyond what the underlying business information supports; calm, precise tone.
Component 2 — Revised Report or Proposal
- Apply the Report Editing Checkpoint and produce a corrected final version.
- Note, in one or two sentences, what you changed and why.
Component 3 — Spoken Response
- Present the report or proposal aloud (60–90 seconds) to a partner, instructor, or recording, in a measured, professional delivery.
Assessment note: This task provides evidence of formal-request accuracy, deadline and quantity/comparison control, conditional and hedged-modality control, register appropriateness, and tone/orthography precision, drawing on consolidated Volume III and Chapter 6–8 systems plus this chapter's newly introduced structures.
Answer Key
Listening Practice Questions
- The proposal requests that the finance department approve the purchase of a new printer for the office.
- The first supplier's price is bigger, with a two-hundred-thousand-naira difference, but its device carries a three-year warranty, while the second supplier's carries only one year.
- The deadline is the twentieth of this month; if it is not approved by then, the work planned for the following three weeks may stop because the office will lack sufficient equipment.
Reading Practice Questions
- Spending on office equipment has increased compared to last month, by an amount of thirty thousand naira.
- The deadline for submitting a weekly budget request is the tenth of next month; a department that misses it will have last month's spending used as its figure instead.
- The report says it is possible that prices may increase slightly next month due to market changes; it is hedged with ó ṣeéṣe kí rather than stated as certain.
- Sample: "A fẹ́ kí gbogbo apá ilé-iṣẹ́ ronú jinlẹ̀ nípa ohun tí wọ́n ń ra kí wọ́n tó fi ìbéèrè owó ránṣẹ́" is a direct quotation expressing the finance leader's own stance, presented as one viewpoint rather than as a stated fact of the report itself.
Guided Practice — Sample Responses
1. "A ń bèèrè pé kí ilé-iṣẹ́ ra ẹ̀rọ ìgbóhùnsáfẹ́fẹ́ tuntun kan kí ó tó òpin oṣù yìí" is the formal request sentence. 2. "Ààlà ọjọ́ ni ọjọ́ kẹẹdógún oṣù yìí" is the deadline sentence. 3. "Owó olùpèsè kìíní tóbi ju ti olùpèsè kejì lọ" is the comparison sentence. 4. Sample: Bí a kò bá san owó iná ilé-iṣẹ́ kí ó tó ọjọ́ tí a yàn, iṣẹ́ ọ́fíìsì lè dúró.
Chapter Review — Apá A
1. Sample: A ń bèèrè pé kí ẹ̀ka ìṣúná fọwọ́sí rírà àwọn àpótí ìwé tuntun kí ó tó ọjọ́ kẹwàá oṣù yìí. 2. Sample: Ààlà ọjọ́ fún ìdáhùn ni ọjọ́ kejìlélógún oṣù yìí; owó ẹ̀rọ kọ̀ǹpútà kìíní tóbi ju ti kejì lọ ní iye ọ̀kẹ́ kan náírà. 3. Sample: Bí a kò bá rí ìdáhùn kí ó tó ọjọ́ náà, iṣẹ́ náà lè dúró; ó ṣeéṣe kí ilé-iṣẹ́ olùpèsè gbé owó rẹ̀ sókè ní ọ̀sẹ̀ tí ń bọ̀.
Chapter Review — Apá B
Self-check items have no single fixed answer. Confirm your responses against the cumulative review checklist above.
Independent Study Tools
Fún akẹ́kọ̀ọ́ tí ń kọ́ ẹ̀kọ́ fúnra rẹ̀ — For the independent learner
- Keep a small list of request, deadline, quantity, comparison, conditional, and hedge phrases you can reuse when writing workplace documents.
- Read one short Yorùbá business notice, invoice, or report each day this week and identify the request, deadline, quantities, and any hedged statements.
- Ask a Yorùbá-speaking friend, tutor, or colleague to check whether your numbers and comparisons sound natural and precise.
- Compare your report or proposal to the model shell and note any structural differences.
Looking Ahead
Ohun tí o lè ṣe báyìí — What you can do now
You can now make a formal workplace request, state a deadline, use numbers and quantities accurately, form a comparison, describe a conditional consequence, hedge an uncertain outcome responsibly, and write a workplace report or proposal in Standard Written Yorùbá.