1- HAUSA ALPHABET:
2- WORD ORDER
1 Basic S + V Ina barci. I sleep.
2 Direct object S + V + DO Ina karanta littafin. I read the book.
3 Indirect object S + V + IO + DO Ina ba shi littafi. I give him a book.
4 Beneficiary S + V + Beneficiary + DO Ina saya masa littafi. I buy a book for him.
5 IO pronoun S + V + IO-pronoun + DO Ina ba shi littafin. I give him the book.
6 Adjective N + Adj + ne/ce Wannan littafi babba ne. This book is big.
7 Adverb S + V + Adv Yana karatu da sauri. He reads quickly.
8 Verb + adverbial manner S + V + DO + manner Ina karanta wannan littafi da sauri. I read this book quickly.
9 Time S + V + Time Ina aiki yau. I work today.
10 Place S + V + Place Yana zama a can. He lives there.
11 Location N + Location + ne/ce Littafin yana kan tebur. The book is on the table.
12 DO + location S + V + DO + Location Ina sa littafin a kan tebur. I put the book on the table.
13 Determiner + noun Det + N Wannan littafi sabo ne. This book is new.
14 Det + adjective + noun Det + N + Adj Wannan babban littafi sabo ne. This big book is new.
15 Numeral + noun Num + N Littattafai biyu sababbi ne. Two books are new.
16 Conjunction Clause + da/amma + Clause Ina karanta littafi, kuma yana rubuta wasiƙa. I read a book, and he writes a letter.
17 Conjunction + sequence Clause + sannan + Clause Ina karanta littafi, sannan ya rubuta wasiƙa. I read a book, then he writes a letter.
18 Present passive Ana + V + DO Ana karanta wannan littafi. This book is being read.
19 Passive + agent DO + ana + V + agent Ana karanta wannan littafi daga gare shi. This book is being read by him.
20 Passive + IO Ana + V + IO + DO Ana ba ɗalibin littafin. The book is being given to the student.
21 Passive + IO + agent Ana + V + IO + DO + agent Ana ba ɗalibin littafin daga wurin malami. The book is being given to the student by the teacher.
22 Passive + time Ana + V + DO + Time Ana karanta wannan littafi yau. This book is being read today.
23 Passive + location Ana + V + DO + Location Ana ajiye wannan littafi a kan tebur. This book is being placed on the table.
24 Passive + agent + adverb Ana + V + DO + agent + manner Ana karanta wannan littafi yau da sauri. This book is being read quickly today.
25 Passive + IO + agent + time Ana + V + IO + DO + agent + Time Ana ba ɗalibin littafin daga wurin malami yau. This book is being given to the student by the teacher today.
26 Perfect passive An + V + DO An karanta wannan littafi. This book has been read.
27 Perfect + agent An + V + DO + agent An karanta wannan littafi daga gare shi. This book has been read by him.
28 Future passive Za a + V + DO Za a karanta wannan littafi. This book will be read.
29 Future passive + agent Za a + V + DO + agent Za a karanta wannan littafi daga gare shi. This book will be read by him.
30 Modal passive / necessity Dole ne a + V + DO Dole ne a karanta wannan littafi. This book must be read.
31 Negative S + ba + V + ba Ba na karanta wannan littafi. I do not read this book.
32 Negative passive Ba a + V + DO ba Ba a karanta wannan littafi ba. This book is not read / has not been read.
33 Yes/no question V + S + DO? Kana karanta wannan littafi? Do you read this book?
34 Passive question Ana + V + DO? Ana karanta wannan littafi? Is this book being read?
35 Agent question Wa + V + DO? Wa ya karanta wannan littafi? Who read this book?
36 IO question Wa + S + V + DO? Wa kake ba wannan littafi? Who are you giving this book to?
37 Imperative V + DO! Karanta wannan littafi! Read this book!
38 Imperative + IO V + IO + DO! Ba shi wannan littafi! Give him this book!
39 Passive imperative / necessity Dole ne a + V + DO! Dole ne a karanta wannan littafi! This book must be read!
40 Infinitive / verbal noun Noun/nominalized verb karanta littafi reading/to read a book
41 Infinitive + DO karanta + DO karanta wannan littafi to read this book
42 Passive infinitive a + passive construction a karanta to be read
43 Purpose S + V, don + V Ina ci don in yi wasa. I eat in order to play.
44 Relative clause N + da + clause Littafin da nake karantawa yana da ban sha'awa. The book that I am reading is interesting.
45 Passive relative N + da + passive clause Littafin da aka karanta yana da ban sha'awa. The book that was read is interesting.
46 Conditional Idan + clause, main clause Idan ina da lokaci, zan karanta littafin. If I have time, I will read the book.
47 Conditional + passive Idan + passive clause, main clause Idan an karanta wannan littafi, zan ci jarabawar. If this book is read, I will pass the exam.
48 Reported speech S + ce + cewa + clause Ya ce cewa yana karanta littafi. He says that he is reading a book.
49 Reported question S + tambaya + ko + clause Ya tambaye ni ko ina karanta littafin. He asks me whether I am reading the book.
50 Reported command S + ce + object + ya/ta + yi... Ya ce mini in karanta littafin. He tells me to read the book.
INDIRECT OBJECT:
Basic IO S + V + IO + DO Ya ba ni littafi. He gives me a book.
Full noun IO S + V + IO + DO Ya ba Musa littafi. He gives Musa a book.
Recipient with ga S + V + DO + ga + IO Ya ba littafi ga Musa. He gives a book to Musa.
IO/beneficiary suffix S + V + IO-suffix + DO Ya saya mini littafi. He bought me a book.
IO without DO S + V + IO Ya taimaka mini. He helped me.
IO question Ga wa + S + V + DO? Ga wa ka ba littafin? To whom did you give the book?
GENITIVE:
Basic genitive N + -n/-r + N littafin Musa Musa's book
Masculine-type possessed noun N + n + possessor gidan Ali Ali's house
Feminine-type possessed noun N + r + possessor motar Aisha Aisha's car
Possessive pronoun N + possessive littafinsa his book
Kinship kinship noun + possessor ɗan Musa Musa's son
Plural possessor N + -n/-r + plural N littafin ɗalibai the students' book
Independent possession na/ta + possessor na Musa Musa's
"Whose?" na/ta wa? na wa? whose?
INDEPENDENT:
English Masculine-type Feminine-type Example
mine nawa tawa Littafin nawa ne. / Motar tawa ce.
yours (m.) naka taka Littafin naka ne. / Motar taka ce.
yours (f.) naki taki Littafin naki ne. / Motar taki ce.
his nasa tasa Littafin nasa ne. / Motar tasa ce.
hers nata tata Littafin nata ne. / Motar tata ce.
ours namu tamu Littafin namu ne. / Motar tamu ce.
yours (pl.) naku taku Littafin naku ne. / Motar taku ce.
theirs nasu tasu Littafin nasu ne. / Motar tasu ce.
WAS GOING TO:
Subject + yi + niyyar + verb
English Hausa Example Translation
I was going to Na yi niyyar... Na yi niyyar cin abinci. I was going to eat.
You (m.) were going to Ka yi niyyar... Ka yi niyyar cin abinci. You were going to eat.
You (f.) were going to Kin yi niyyar... Kin yi niyyar cin abinci. You were going to eat.
He was going to Ya yi niyyar... Ya yi niyyar cin abinci. He was going to eat.
She was going to Ta yi niyyar... Ta yi niyyar cin abinci. She was going to eat.
We were going to Mun yi niyyar... Mun yi niyyar cin abinci. We were going to eat.
You (pl.) were going to Kun yi niyyar... Kun yi niyyar cin abinci. You were going to eat.
They were going to Sun yi niyyar... Sun yi niyyar cin abinci. They were going to eat.
Pattern
Pronoun Formation
I na + yi niyyar + V
You m. ka + yi niyyar + V
You f. kin + yi niyyar + V
He ya + yi niyyar + V
She ta + yi niyyar + V
We mun + yi niyyar + V
You pl. kun + yi niyyar + V
They sun + yi niyyar + V
With “go”
English Hausa
I was going to go Na yi niyyar tafiya.
You (m.) were going to go Ka yi niyyar tafiya.
You (f.) were going to go Kin yi niyyar tafiya.
He was going to go Ya yi niyyar tafiya.
She was going to go Ta yi niyyar tafiya.
We were going to go Mun yi niyyar tafiya.
You (pl.) were going to go Kun yi niyyar tafiya.
They were going to go Sun yi niyyar tafiya.
Negative “was going to”
The basic negative pattern is:
ba + subject + yi + niyyar + V + ba
English Hausa
I wasn't going to go Ban yi niyyar tafiya ba.
You (m.) weren't going to go Ba ka yi niyyar tafiya ba.
You (f.) weren't going to go Ba ki yi niyyar tafiya ba.
He wasn't going to go Bai yi niyyar tafiya ba.
She wasn't going to go Ba ta yi niyyar tafiya ba.
We weren't going to go Ba mu yi niyyar tafiya ba.
You (pl.) weren't going to go Ba ku yi niyyar tafiya ba.
They weren't going to go Ba su yi niyyar tafiya ba.
Na shirya cin abinci.
= I planned to eat.
Ya shirya tafiya.
= He planned to leave/go.
Sun shirya zuwa.
= They planned to come/go.
2- NOUNS:
1. Gender of Hausa Nouns
Hausa mainly has two grammatical genders:
Masculine (namiji)
Feminine (mace)
There is no neuter gender.
Masculine Nouns
Many masculine nouns refer to males, but not all.
Examples:
Hausa English
mutum person/man
yaro boy
gida house
littafi book
itace tree
ruwa water
Feminine Nouns
Many feminine nouns end in -a.
Examples:
Hausa English
mace woman
yarinya girl
mota car
ƙofa door
makaranta school
2. Singular and Plural Nouns
Hausa has many plural patterns. There is no single plural ending.
Common plural endings:
-ai
-una
-oyi
-wa
-u
vowel changes
Plural Pattern 1: -ai
Singular Plural English
gida gidaje house/houses
yaro yara boy/boys
mutum mutane person/people
Plural Pattern 2: -una
Singular Plural English
ɗalibi ɗalibai student/students
malami malamai teacher/teachers
Plural Pattern 3: -oyi
Singular Plural English
mota motoci car/cars
hanya hanyoyi road/roads
Plural Pattern 4: -wa
Singular Plural English
mace mata woman/women
yarinya 'yan mata girl/girls
Indirect object verb + wa/ga + person + object Na ba Musa littafi I gave Musa a book
Masculine possessor noun + n + owner gidan Musa Musa's house
Feminine possessor noun + r + owner motar Amina Amina's car
My/your/his possession noun + suffix littafina my book
Possessive emphasis na/ta + pronoun littafi nawa my book (mine)
<>3- ADJECTIVES:<>
Attributive (describing a noun) noun + adjective gida babba big house
Predicate (after "is") noun + adjective + ne/ce Gida babba ne The house is big
Feminine change adjective often changes to -a ƙarama small (feminine)
Plural change adjective changes for plural nouns ƙanana small (plural)
Very adjective + sosai babba sosai very big
Masculine singular base form yaro ƙarami small boy
Feminine singular often -a/-uwa yarinya ƙarama small girl
Plural special plural form yara ƙanana small children
With mai mai → masu mutane masu kyau good people
TO BE VERB:
identity, masculine ne Shi malami ne. He is a teacher.
identity, feminine ce Ita malama ce. She is a teacher.
adjective predicate ne/ce Gida babba ne. The house is big.
ongoing action yana/tana/etc. Yana aiki. He is working.
state/location ina/yana/etc. Ina gida. I am at home.
have yana da / tana da Yana da mota. He has a car.
be/exist/remain kasance Ya kasance malami. He was a teacher.
become/be zama Zai zama likita. He will become/be a doctor.
existence akwai Akwai ruwa. There is water.
1. Present — “am / is / are”
For identity or classification, use ne/ce.
Masculine
Ni malami ne.
= I am a teacher.
Kai malami ne.
= You are a teacher.
Shi malami ne.
= He is a teacher.
Feminine
Ni malama ce.
= I am a female teacher.
Ke malama ce.
= You are a female teacher.
Ita malama ce.
= She is a female teacher.
Plural
Mu malamai ne.
= We are teachers.
Ku malamai ne.
= You are teachers.
Su malamai ne.
= They are teachers.
2. Present “Be” — State / Location
For a state or location, Hausa uses forms such as ina, kana, yana, tana, muna, kuna, suna.
English Hausa
I am ina
you are (m.) kana
you are (f.) kina
he is yana
she is tana
we are muna
you are (pl.) kuna
they are suna
Examples
Ina gida.
= I am at home.
Yana makaranta.
= He is at school.
Tana farin ciki.
= She is happy.
Suna lafiya.
= They are well.
3. Present Progressive — “am/is/are doing”
The same forms are used with a verb.
ina/kana/yana/tana + verb
Ina aiki.
= I am working.
Kana aiki.
= You are working.
Yana aiki.
= He is working.
Tana aiki.
= She is working.
Muna aiki.
= We are working.
Suna aiki.
= They are working.
4. Past — “was / were”
For a past state, Hausa commonly uses:
ya/ta kasance + complement
kasance = be / remain / exist
Masculine
Na kasance malami.
= I was a teacher.
Ka kasance malami.
= You were a teacher.
Ya kasance malami.
= He was a teacher.
Feminine
Na kasance malama.
= I was a female teacher.
Kin kasance malama.
= You were a female teacher.
Ta kasance malama.
= She was a female teacher.
Plural
Mun kasance malamai.
= We were teachers.
Kun kasance malamai.
= You were teachers.
Sun kasance malamai.
= They were teachers.
5. Past State / Location
Ya kasance a gida.
= He was at home.
Ta kasance a makaranta.
= She was at school.
Mun kasance a Kano.
= We were in Kano.
6. Past Progressive — “was/were doing”
Hausa uses the past form of the continuous construction:
ina/ kana... → ina/ka... + verb
Examples:
Ina aiki.
= I was working. / I am working.
The exact time is often determined by context or a time expression.
More explicitly:
Ina aiki jiya.
= I was working yesterday.
Yana karatu lokacin da na zo.
= He was studying when I came.
Suna cin abinci lokacin da na kira su.
= They were eating when I called them.
7. Future — “will be”
For future states, use:
za + subject + kasance
English Hausa
I will be zan kasance
you will be (m.) za ka kasance
you will be (f.) za ki kasance
he will be zai kasance
she will be za ta kasance
we will be za mu kasance
you will be (pl.) za ku kasance
they will be za su kasance
Examples
Zan kasance malami.
= I will be a teacher.
Za ka kasance a gida.
= You will be at home.
Zai kasance a makaranta.
= He will be at school.
Za ta kasance lafiya.
= She will be well.
Za mu kasance a Kano.
= We will be in Kano.
8. Future “Become / Be”
Hausa also frequently uses zama:
zama = become / turn into / be
“He will be a teacher.”
Zai zama malami.
“She will be a doctor.”
Za ta zama likita.
This can have a stronger sense of “become” than kasance.
Compare:
Zai kasance malami.
= He will be a teacher / He will be a teacher at that time.
Zai zama malami.
= He will become a teacher.
9. Perfect — “has/have been”
Hausa does not have a direct one-to-one equivalent of the English present perfect of be.
A common way to express a completed/experienced state is:
ya/ta kasance...
with context.
Ya kasance malami.
= He has been a teacher / He was a teacher.
The exact English tense depends on context.
For example:
Ya kasance malami na shekaru goma.
= He has been a teacher for ten years.
10. Past Perfect — “had been”
A past state before another past event can be expressed with ya/ta kasance plus context or a time clause.
Ya kasance malami kafin ya koma Kano.
= He had been a teacher before he moved to Kano.
Ta kasance a gida kafin na zo.
= She had been at home before I came.
Hausa often relies on the sequence of events and context rather than having a separate “had been” form.
11. Future Perfect — “will have been”
Use za + kasance, with the duration/time context.
Zai kasance malami na shekaru goma kafin ya yi ritaya.
= He will have been a teacher for ten years before he retires.
12. “Have Been Doing” / Perfect Progressive
There is also no exact grammatical equivalent of English:
I have been working.
Hausa can express the same meaning through a construction involving duration.
For example:
Na daɗe ina aiki.
= I have been working for a long time.
Literally:
na daɗe = I have spent a long time
ina aiki = working
Another example:
Ya daɗe yana karatu.
= He has been studying for a long time.
13. Past Perfect Progressive
Ya daɗe yana aiki kafin ya tafi.
= He had been working for a long time before he left.
14. Future Perfect Progressive
A duration construction can similarly express:
Zai daɗe yana aiki kafin ya gama.
= He will have been working for a long time before he finishes.
<>4- PRONOUNS:<>
1. Subject Pronouns
(Masu yin aiki)
Used as the person doing the action.
English Hausa
I ni
you (m.) kai
you (f.) ke
he shi
she ita
we mu
you (plural) ku
they su
Examples:
Ni ina aiki.
I am working.
Shi yana karatu.
He is studying.
Su suna zuwa.
They are coming.
2. Object Pronouns
(Wanda ake yi wa aiki)
Used as the receiver of the action.
Hausa often uses object pronouns attached to verbs or after prepositions.
English Hausa
me ni
you (m.) ka
you (f.) ki
him shi
her ita
us mu
you (plural) ku
them su
Examples:
Na gan ka.
I saw you.
Ya gan ni.
He saw me.
Ina son shi.
I like him.
Mun gan su.
We saw them.
3. Indirect Object Pronouns
("To me, to you, to him")
These are usually formed with:
wa + pronoun
or shortened forms.
English Hausa
to me mini
to you (m.) maka
to you (f.) miki
to him masa
to her mata
to us mana
to you (plural) muku
to them musu
Examples:
Ya ba ni littafi.
He gave me a book.
Na aika masa saƙo.
I sent him a message.
Ta taimaka mana.
She helped us.
4. Possessive Pronouns
(Mine, yours, his...)
Hausa uses:
nawa = mine (masculine)
tawa = mine (feminine)
English Hausa
mine nawa / tawa
yours (m.) naka
yours (f.) taki
his nasa
hers nata
ours namu
yours (plural) naku
theirs nasu
Examples:
Wannan littafi nawa ne.
This book is mine.
Wannan mota tawa ce.
This car is mine.
Gidan nasa ne.
The house is his.
5. Genitive Possessive Pronouns
(My, your, his + noun)
Hausa attaches possessive endings to nouns.
Example:
littafi = book
English Hausa
my book littafina
your book (m.) littafinka
your book (f.) littafinki
his book littafinsa
her book littafinta
our book littafinmu
your book (plural) littafinku
their book littafinsu
Examples:
Ina karanta littafina.
I am reading my book.
Ya rasa wayarsa.
He lost his phone.
6. Demonstrative Pronouns
(Wakilan Nuni: this, that)
Hausa demonstratives agree with the noun.
This (near)
English Hausa
this person wannan mutum
this house wannan gida
this woman wannan mace
these people waɗannan mutane
That (far)
English Hausa
that person wancan mutum
that woman waccan mace
that thing wancan abu
those people waɗancan mutane
Examples:
Wannan littafi ne.
This is a book.
Wancan gida babba ne.
That house is big.
Waɗannan yara ne.
These are children.
7. Demonstrative Pronouns Alone
When the noun is omitted:
English Hausa
this wannan
these waɗannan
that wancan
those waɗancan
Examples:
Wannan nawa ne.
This one is mine.
Wancan nasa ne.
That one is his.
8. Reflexive Pronouns
(Myself, yourself, himself...)
Hausa uses:
kaina / kanka / kansa...
Literally:
"my head, your head, his head"
English Hausa
myself kaina
yourself (m.) kanka
yourself (f.) kanki
himself kansa
herself kanta
ourselves kanmu
yourselves kanku
themselves kansu
Examples:
Myself
Na yi shi da kaina.
I did it myself.
Yourself
Ka yi shi da kanka.
You did it yourself.
Himself
Ya taimaka wa kansa.
He helped himself.
Themselves
Sun yi aikin da kansu.
They did the work themselves.
9. Reflexive with "gida" (emphasis)
Hausa can also use:
da kansa/kanta
= by himself/herself
Examples:
Ya zo da kansa.
He came by himself.
Ta yi hakan da kanta.
She did that herself.
<>5- VERB TENSES:<>
I read Ina karanta littafi.
You (m.) read Kana karanta littafi.
You (f.) read Kina karanta littafi.
He reads Yana karanta littafi.
She reads Tana karanta littafi.
We read Muna karanta littafi.
You (pl.) read Kuna karanta littafi.
They read Suna karanta littafi.
I am reading Ina karanta littafi.
You (m.) are reading Kana karanta littafi.
You (f.) are reading Kina karanta littafi.
He is reading Yana karanta littafi.
She is reading Tana karanta littafi.
We are reading Muna karanta littafi.
You (pl.) are reading Kuna karanta littafi.
They are reading Suna karanta littafi.
I read Na karanta littafi.
You (m.) read Ka karanta littafi.
You (f.) read Kin karanta littafi.
He read Ya karanta littafi.
She read Ta karanta littafi.
We read Mun karanta littafi.
You (pl.) read Kun karanta littafi.
They read Sun karanta littafi.
I was reading Ina karantawa.
You (m.) were reading Kana karantawa.
You (f.) were reading Kina karantawa.
He was reading Yana karantawa.
She was reading Tana karantawa.
We were reading Muna karantawa.
You (pl.) were reading Kuna karantawa.
They were reading Suna karantawa.
I have read Na karanta.
You (m.) have read Ka karanta.
You (f.) have read Kin karanta.
He has read Ya karanta.
She has read Ta karanta.
We have read Mun karanta.
You (pl.) have read Kun karanta.
They have read Sun karanta.
I had read Na riga na karanta.
You (m.) had read Ka riga ka karanta.
You (f.) had read Kin riga kin karanta.
He had read Ya riga ya karanta.
She had read Ta riga ta karanta.
We had read Mun riga mun karanta.
You (pl.) had read Kun riga kun karanta.
They had read Sun riga sun karanta.
I will read Zan karanta littafi.
You (m.) will read Za ka karanta littafi.
You (f.) will read Za ki karanta littafi.
He will read Zai karanta littafi.
She will read Za ta karanta littafi.
We will read Za mu karanta littafi.
You (pl.) will read Za ku karanta littafi.
They will read Za su karanta littafi.
I will be reading Zan kasance ina karantawa.
You (m.) will be reading Za ka kasance kana karantawa.
You (f.) will be reading Za ki kasance kina karantawa.
He will be reading Zai kasance yana karantawa.
She will be reading Za ta kasance tana karantawa.
We will be reading Za mu kasance muna karantawa.
You (pl.) will be reading Za ku kasance kuna karantawa.
They will be reading Za su kasance suna karantawa.
I will have read Zan riga na karanta.
You (m.) will have read Za ka riga ka karanta.
You (f.) will have read Za ki riga kin karanta.
He will have read Zai riga ya karanta.
She will have read Za ta riga ta karanta.
We will have read Za mu riga mun karanta.
You (pl.) will have read Za ku riga kun karanta.
They will have read Za su riga sun karanta.
If I have time, I will read the book.
Read! Karanta!
<>6- PASSIVE TENSES:<>
I am being read Ana karanta ni.
You (m.) are being read Ana karanta ka.
You (f.) are being read Ana karanta ki.
He is being read Ana karanta shi.
She is being read Ana karanta ta.
We are being read Ana karanta mu.
You (pl.) are being read Ana karanta ku.
They are being read Ana karanta su.
I was read An karanta ni.
You (m.) were read An karanta ka.
You (f.) were read An karanta ki.
He was read An karanta shi.
She was read An karanta ta.
We were read An karanta mu.
You (pl.) were read An karanta ku.
They were read An karanta su.
I have been read An karanta ni.
You (m.) have been read An karanta ka.
You (f.) have been read An karanta ki.
He has been read An karanta shi.
She has been read An karanta ta.
We have been read An karanta mu.
You (pl.) have been read An karanta ku.
They have been read An karanta su.
I had been read An riga an karanta ni.
You (m.) had been read An riga an karanta ka.
You (f.) had been read An riga an karanta ki.
He had been read An riga an karanta shi.
She had been read An riga an karanta ta.
We had been read An riga an karanta mu.
You (pl.) had been read An riga an karanta ku.
They had been read An riga an karanta su.
I will be read Za a karanta ni.
You (m.) will be read Za a karanta ka.
You (f.) will be read Za a karanta ki.
He will be read Za a karanta shi.
She will be read Za a karanta ta.
We will be read Za a karanta mu.
You (pl.) will be read Za a karanta ku.
They will be read Za a karanta su.
I will have been read Za a riga an karanta ni.
You (m.) will have been read Za a riga an karanta ka.
You (f.) will have been read Za a riga an karanta ki.
He will have been read Za a riga an karanta shi.
She will have been read Za a riga an karanta ta.
We will have been read Za a riga an karanta mu.
You (pl.) will have been read Za a riga an karanta ku.
They will have been read Za a riga an karanta su.
7. Future Progressive Passive
“I will be being read”
This is grammatically possible but is very unnatural in English and Hausa. A literal Hausa construction is:
Formation: za a kasance ana karanta + object pronoun
I will be being read Za a kasance ana karanta ni.
You (m.) will be being read Za a kasance ana karanta ka.
You (f.) will be being read Za a kasance ana karanta ki.
He will be being read Za a kasance ana karanta shi.
She will be being read Za a kasance ana karanta ta.
We will be being read Za a kasance ana karanta mu.
You (pl.) will be being read Za a kasance ana karanta ku.
They will be being read Za a kasance ana karanta su.
I am/was not read Ba a karanta ni ba.
You (m.) are/were not read Ba a karanta ka ba.
You (f.) are/were not read Ba a karanta ki ba.
He is/was not read Ba a karanta shi ba.
She is/was not read Ba a karanta ta ba.
We are/were not read Ba a karanta mu ba.
You (pl.) are/were not read Ba a karanta ku ba.
They are/were not read Ba a karanta su ba.
I will not be read Ba za a karanta ni ba.
You (m.) will not be read Ba za a karanta ka ba.
You (f.) will not be read Ba za a karanta ki ba.
He will not be read Ba za a karanta shi ba.
She will not be read Ba za a karanta ta ba.
We will not be read Ba za a karanta mu ba.
You (pl.) will not be read Ba za a karanta ku ba.
They will not be read Ba za a karanta su ba.
I must be read Dole ne a karanta ni.
You (m.) must be read Dole ne a karanta ka.
You (f.) must be read Dole ne a karanta ki.
He must be read Dole ne a karanta shi.
She must be read Dole ne a karanta ta.
We must be read Dole ne a karanta mu.
You (pl.) must be read Dole ne a karanta ku.
They must be read Dole ne a karanta su.
<>7- NEGATION:<>
I am not studying Ba na karatu
You (m.) are not studying Ba ka karatu
You (f.) are not studying Ba ki karatu
He is not studying Ba ya karatu
She is not studying Ba ta karatu
We are not studying Ba mu karatu
You (pl.) are not studying Ba ku karatu
They are not studying Ba su karatu
I did not go Ban tafi ba
You (m.) did not go Ba ka tafi ba
You (f.) did not go Ba ki tafi ba
He did not go Bai tafi ba
She did not go Ba ta tafi ba
We did not go Ba mu tafi ba
You (pl.) did not go Ba ku tafi ba
They did not go Ba su tafi ba
<>8- QUESTIONS:<>
YES/NO QUESTIONS:
There are two ways to make a yes/no question:
1- Same sentence structure, just add a question mark:
Musa ya tafi makaranta. Musa went to school.
Musa ya tafi makaranta? Did Musa go to school?
2- Add ko at the beginning of the sentence:
Ko Musa ya zo? Did Musa come?
3- add shin at the beginning of the sentence:
QUESTION WORDS:
wa who
me what
ina where
daga ina where from
yaushe when
me ya sa why
don me why
yaya how
ta yaya how
nawa how many/how much
wane which (m.)
wace which (f.)
waɗanne which (plural)
<>9- ADVERBS:<>
Hausa Transliteration English
da kyau da kyau well
da kyau sosai da kyau sosai very well
da sauri da sauri quickly
a hankali a hankali slowly / carefully
a hankali sosai a hankali sosai very slowly
da kyau-kyau da kyau-kyau nicely / properly
da sauƙi da sauƙi easily
da ƙarfi da ƙarfi strongly / loudly
a hankali a hankali gently / quietly
a sarari a sarari clearly
a fili a fili openly / clearly
a ɓoye a ɓoye secretly
kai tsaye kai tsaye directly
a zahiri a zahiri literally / actually
daidai daidai correctly / exactly
kuskure kuskure wrongly / incorrectly
gaba ɗaya gaba ɗaya completely / entirely
musamman musamman especially / particularly
kawai kawai simply / only
haka haka thus / like this
haka nan haka nan likewise / in this way
daban daban differently / separately
tare tare together
kaɗai kaɗai alone / only
da gangan da gangan deliberately
bisa kuskure bisa kuskure accidentally / by mistake
ba da gangan ba ba da gangan ba unintentionally
a ƙarshe a ƙarshe finally
a taƙaice a taƙaice briefly / in short
2. Time adverbs — when?
Hausa Transliteration English
yanzu yanzu now
yau yau today
jiya jiya yesterday
jiya da daddare jiya da daddare last night
gobe gobe tomorrow
jibi jibi the day after tomorrow
da da before / previously
a da a da formerly / in the past
yanzu-yanzu yanzu-yanzu just now
nan da nan nan da nan immediately
nan gaba nan gaba in the future
daga baya daga baya later
daga baya kaɗan daga baya kaɗan a little later
kafin kafin before
bayan bayan afterward / after
sai sai then / afterwards
sannan sannan then / afterwards
daga nan daga nan from then / from there
tun da farko tun da farko from the beginning
a ƙarshe a ƙarshe finally / at the end
ƙarshe ƙarshe finally
har yanzu har yanzu still / until now
tukuna tukuna yet / still
kuma kuma again / also
sake sake again
kullum kullum always / every day
kullum-kullum kullum-kullum every day / continually
ko da yaushe ko da yaushe always
lokaci-lokaci lokaci-lokaci from time to time
wani lokaci wani lokaci sometimes
wani lokaci ma wani lokaci ma sometimes also
da zarar da zarar as soon as
yayin da yayin da while
lokaci guda lokaci guda at the same time
3. Frequency adverbs — how often?
Hausa Transliteration English
kullum kullum always / every day
ko da yaushe ko da yaushe always
sau da yawa sau da yawa often
akai-akai akai-akai frequently / repeatedly
kullum-kullum kullum-kullum continually
lokaci-lokaci lokaci-lokaci occasionally
wani lokaci wani lokaci sometimes
wani lokaci-lokaci wani lokaci-lokaci occasionally
lokaci zuwa lokaci lokaci zuwa lokaci from time to time
da wuya da wuya rarely / hardly ever
ba kasafai ba ba kasafai ba rarely
kusan ba kusan ba hardly ever
ba…sau da yawa ba ba…sau da yawa ba not often
sau ɗaya sau ɗaya once
sau biyu sau biyu twice
sau uku sau uku three times
sau da dama sau da dama many times
sau da yawa sau da yawa many/often
4. Place adverbs — where?
Hausa Transliteration English
nan nan here
can can there
nan ne nan ne right here
can ne can ne right there
ko'ina ko'ina everywhere
wani wuri wani wuri somewhere
babu inda babu inda nowhere
ko'ina kuma ko'ina kuma everywhere else
wani wuri kuma wani wuri kuma somewhere else
kusa kusa near
nesa nesa far
sama sama above / up
ƙasa ƙasa below / down
ciki ciki inside
waje waje outside
gaba gaba in front / ahead
baya baya behind / back
gefe gefe beside / to the side
tsakanin tsakanin between
kusa da nan kusa da nan near here
kusa da can kusa da can near there
daga nan daga nan from here / from there
daga can daga can from there
ko'ina a nan ko'ina a nan everywhere here
5. Direction / movement adverbs
Hausa Transliteration English
nan nan here / this way
can can there / that way
sama sama upward
ƙasa ƙasa downward
gaba gaba forward
baya baya backward
ciki ciki inward
waje waje outward
kusa kusa closer
nesa nesa away / farther
hagu hagu left
dama dama right
kai tsaye kai tsaye straight / directly
baya-baya baya-baya backward
gaba-gaba gaba-gaba forward
sama-sama sama-sama upward / superficially
ƙasa-ƙasa ƙasa-ƙasa downward / low
6. Degree / intensity adverbs
Hausa Transliteration English
sosai sosai very / greatly
ƙwarai ƙwarai very much / extremely
matuƙa matuƙa extremely / greatly
fiye da fiye da more than
mafi mafi most
kaɗan kaɗan a little
kaɗan-kaɗan kaɗan-kaɗan little by little
sosai sosai sosai sosai very, very much
ƙwarai da gaske ƙwarai da gaske extremely
gaba ɗaya gaba ɗaya completely
kusan kusan almost
ɗan ɗan somewhat / a little
ɗan kaɗan ɗan kaɗan a little
da yawa da yawa a lot / much
fiye fiye more
ƙasa da ƙasa da less than
ƙwarai ƙwarai exceedingly
matuƙa matuƙa immensely
7. Quantity adverbs
Hausa Transliteration English
da yawa da yawa much / a lot
kaɗan kaɗan little
sosai sosai greatly
fiye fiye more
ƙasa ƙasa less
kusan kusan approximately / almost
gaba ɗaya gaba ɗaya altogether / entirely
rabin rabin half
kusan duka kusan duka almost all
fiye da fiye da more than
ƙasa da ƙasa da less than
kusan kusan about / approximately
8. Certainty adverbs
Hausa Transliteration English
tabbas tabbas certainly / definitely
lalle lalle certainly / indeed
hakika hakika indeed / certainly
babu shakka babu shakka undoubtedly
ba shakka ba shakka certainly / without doubt
a gaskiya a gaskiya truly / actually
gaskiya gaskiya truly / really
haƙiƙa haƙiƙa indeed / truly
dole dole necessarily / definitely
ko shakka babu ko shakka babu without any doubt
9. Probability / possibility adverbs
Hausa Transliteration English
watakila watakila perhaps / maybe
mai yiwuwa mai yiwuwa possibly / likely
yiwuwa yiwuwa possibly
kila kila perhaps / maybe
ko wataƙila ko wataƙila perhaps
da alama da alama apparently / seemingly
kamar kamar seemingly / as if
kusan kusan almost / approximately
wataƙila wataƙila maybe / perhaps
10. Negative adverbs / negative adverbial expressions
Hausa Transliteration English
ba ba not
babu babu there is/are not; none
ba…ba ba…ba not
ko kaɗan ko kaɗan not at all
sam sam at all / completely not
sam-sam sam-sam absolutely not
har abada har abada ever / forever
ba har abada ba ba har abada ba not forever
ba tukuna ba ba tukuna ba not yet
ba kuma ba kuma no longer / not again
ba inda ba inda nowhere
babu inda babu inda nowhere
ba komai ba komai nothing / not anything
ko ta yaya ko ta yaya in any way / somehow
ba ta kowace hanya ba ba ta kowace hanya ba in no way
Important: Hausa ba is fundamentally a negative particle rather than an ordinary adverb. The negative construction commonly uses ba … ba.
11. Interrogative adverbs
Hausa Transliteration English
yaushe? yaushe? when?
ina? ina? where?
ina? ina? where?
yaya? yaya? how?
ta yaya? ta yaya? how? / by what means?
me ya sa? me ya sa? why?
don me? don me? why?
nawa? nawa? how much? / how many?
sau nawa? sau nawa? how many times?
har yaushe? har yaushe? until when?
daga ina? daga ina? from where?
zuwa ina? zuwa ina? where to?
ina kuma? ina kuma? where else?
yaushe kuma? yaushe kuma? when else?
12. Relative / indefinite adverbial expressions
Hausa Transliteration English
inda inda where / wherever
duk inda duk inda wherever
ko'ina ko'ina everywhere / anywhere
lokacin da lokacin da when
duk lokacin da duk lokacin da whenever
yadda yadda how / the way that
duk yadda duk yadda however / in whatever way
duk lokacin duk lokacin whenever
ko yaushe ko yaushe whenever / anytime
duk inda duk inda wherever
duk yadda duk yadda however
duk lokacin da duk lokacin da whenever
13. Demonstrative adverbs
Hausa Transliteration English
haka haka like this / thus
haka nan haka nan like this / likewise
nan nan here
can can there
haka kawai haka kawai just like that
haka ne haka ne so / that's how it is
kamar haka kamar haka like this
kamar wancan kamar wancan like that
nan da nan nan da nan immediately
14. Focus / emphasis adverbs
Hausa Transliteration English
kawai kawai only / just
kaɗai kaɗai only / alone
musamman musamman especially
ma ma also / even
har har even / as far as
sosai sosai very / greatly
da gaske da gaske really / seriously
ainihin ainihin really / actual
hakika hakika indeed
lalle lalle indeed / certainly
musamman ma musamman ma especially / particularly
15. Restrictive adverbs
Hausa Transliteration English
kawai kawai only
kaɗai kaɗai only / alone
sai sai only / except / then
sai dai sai dai except / only
kawai dai kawai dai merely / just
akalla akalla at least
aƙalla aƙalla at least
aƙalla dai aƙalla dai at least
mafi yawa mafi yawa at most / mostly
ba sai…ba ba sai…ba need not / not necessary
16. Additive adverbs
Hausa Transliteration English
kuma kuma also / again
ma ma also / too / even
har ila yau har ila yau also / furthermore
ƙari ƙari additionally / in addition
ƙari da haka ƙari da haka furthermore
haka kuma haka kuma likewise / also
sannan kuma sannan kuma and then also
tare da haka tare da haka in addition to that
17. Contrast / concessive adverbs
Hausa Transliteration English
amma amma however / but
duk da haka duk da haka nevertheless / however
sai dai sai dai however / except
akasin haka akasin haka conversely / otherwise
maimakon haka maimakon haka instead
a maimakon haka a maimakon haka instead
duk da wannan duk da wannan despite this
These often function more precisely as conjunctions or discourse connectors, rather than ordinary adverbs.
18. Result / consequence adverbs
Hausa Transliteration English
saboda haka saboda haka therefore / because of that
don haka don haka therefore / so
saboda haka ne saboda haka ne that is why
sakamakon haka sakamakon haka as a result
saboda wannan saboda wannan because of this
haka nan haka nan thus
a sakamakon haka a sakamakon haka consequently
19. Sequence / ordering adverbs
Hausa Transliteration English
da farko da farko first / at first
farko farko first
farko-farko farko-farko initially
sannan sannan then
sai sai then / next
daga nan daga nan after that
daga baya daga baya later
a ƙarshe a ƙarshe finally
ƙarshe ƙarshe finally
kafin nan kafin nan before then
bayan haka bayan haka after that
a lokaci guda a lokaci guda at the same time
a ƙarshe dai a ƙarshe dai eventually
20. Approximation adverbs
Hausa Transliteration English
kusan kusan almost / approximately
kimanin kimanin approximately
kusan-kusan kusan-kusan approximately / nearly
wajen wajen about / approximately
sama da sama da more than / over
ƙasa da ƙasa da less than / under
fiye ko ƙasa fiye ko ƙasa more or less
kaɗan sama da kaɗan sama da slightly more than
kaɗan ƙasa da kaɗan ƙasa da slightly less than
21. Speaker-attitude / evaluative adverbs
Hausa Transliteration English
da sa'a da sa'a fortunately
abin takaici abin takaici unfortunately
da gaske da gaske really / seriously
a gaskiya a gaskiya honestly / actually
gaskiya gaskiya truly
a fili a fili clearly / obviously
a zahiri a zahiri actually / literally
a ganina a ganina in my opinion
a ra'ayina a ra'ayina in my view
bisa ga alama bisa ga alama apparently
kamar yadda ake gani kamar yadda ake gani apparently / as can be seen
22. Purpose / intention adverbial expressions
Hausa Transliteration English
da gangan da gangan deliberately
da niyya da niyya intentionally
da gangan ne da gangan ne intentionally
bisa niyya bisa niyya deliberately
bisa kuskure bisa kuskure accidentally
ba da gangan ba ba da gangan ba unintentionally
ba da niyya ba ba da niyya ba unintentionally
23. Comparative adverbs
Hausa Transliteration English
fiye fiye more
ƙasa ƙasa less
mafi mafi most
daidai daidai equally / equally well
haka nan haka nan likewise
kamar kamar like / as
fiye da fiye da more than
ƙasa da ƙasa da less than
kamar yadda kamar yadda as / just as
fiye da haka fiye da haka more than this
ƙasa da haka ƙasa da haka less than this
24. Common Hausa adverbial particles and small words
Some of the most important short grammatical words that frequently contribute an adverbial/modal/discourse meaning are:
Hausa Transliteration Main meaning
ma ma also, too, even
kuma kuma also, again, then
kawai kawai only, just
kaɗai kaɗai only, alone
sai sai then, only, except
har har even, until, as far as
yanzu yanzu now
nan nan here
can can there
haka haka thus, like this
sosai sosai very, greatly
kusan kusan almost
watakila watakila perhaps
tabbas tabbas certainly
lalle lalle certainly, indeed
hakika hakika indeed
amma amma however
don haka don haka therefore
sannan sannan then
tukuna tukuna yet
sake sake again
dai dai indeed / after all / emphasis
fa fa emphasis / contrast
kuwa kuwa then/as for that / emphasis
ai ai indeed / after all
ne ne emphatic/assertive particle
ce ce emphatic/assertive particle (feminine agreement)
Important: words such as ma, fa, dai, kuwa, ai, ne, ce are often better analyzed as particles, not ordinary adverbs. They are included because they are extremely important to the grammatical/adverbial meaning of Hausa sentences.
25. Reduplicated adverbial forms
Hausa makes extensive use of repetition/reduplication for adverbial meanings. These forms are productive, so there is no finite list of every possible one.
Pattern Example Transliteration Meaning
X-X a hankali-hankali a hankali-hankali very slowly / gradually
X-X sannu-sannu sannu-sannu slowly / gradually
X-X kaɗan-kaɗan kaɗan-kaɗan little by little
X-X lokaci-lokaci lokaci-lokaci occasionally
X-X akai-akai akai-akai repeatedly / frequently
X-X kullum-kullum kullum-kullum continually
X-X farko-farko farko-farko initially
X-X yanzu-yanzu yanzu-yanzu just now
X-X sam-sam sam-sam absolutely not
X-X kusan-kusan kusan-kusan nearly / approximately
10- CONJUNCTIONS
Hausa Transliteration English
da da and / with
kuma kuma and / also
ko ko or
ko kuma ko kuma or / alternatively
amma amma but
sai dai sai dai but / except
sai dai kuma sai dai kuma but also / however
ko kuwa ko kuwa or else
ko dai ko dai either / or
ba…ba ba…ba neither…nor / not…
ba…ko…ba ba…ko…ba neither…nor
ko…ko ko…ko either…or
ko dai…ko dai ko dai…ko dai either…or
ba wai…ba ba wai…ba not that…
ba wai…ba, sai dai ba wai…ba, sai dai not…but rather
Examples
Formation Hausa Transliteration English
S + V + da + S + V Ali ya zo da Aisha ta tafi. Ali ya zo da Aisha ta tafi. Ali came and Aisha left.
X + kuma + X Ya zo, kuma ya zauna. Ya zo, kuma ya zauna. He came and he stayed.
X + ko + X Za ka tafi ko za ka zauna? Za ka tafi ko za ka zauna? Will you leave or stay?
X + amma + X Ina so, amma ba zan iya ba. Ina so, amma ba zan iya ba. I want to, but I cannot.
ko…ko Ko ka zo ko ka kira ni. Ko ka zo ko ka kira ni. Either come or call me.
2. Additive conjunctions — “and / also”
Hausa Transliteration English
da da and
kuma kuma and / also
haka kuma haka kuma and also / likewise
sannan sannan and then
sannan kuma sannan kuma and then also
har ila yau har ila yau furthermore / also
ƙari da haka ƙari da haka in addition / furthermore
baya ga haka baya ga haka besides / in addition
tare da haka tare da haka in addition to that
ban da haka ban da haka besides that
haka nan haka nan likewise / also
kuma is especially important in Hausa:
Ya zo kuma ya zauna.
Ya zo kuma ya zauna.
He came and stayed.
3. Alternative conjunctions — “or”
Hausa Transliteration English
ko ko or
ko kuma ko kuma or / alternatively
ko dai ko dai either / or
ko kuwa ko kuwa or else
ko…ko ko…ko either…or
ko dai…ko dai ko dai…ko dai either…or
ko…ko kuma ko…ko kuma either…or
ko ta yaya ko ta yaya however / no matter how
ko da ko da even if / although
ko da kuwa ko da kuwa even if / even though
4. Contrast conjunctions — “but / however”
Hausa Transliteration English
amma amma but
sai dai sai dai but / except
sai dai kuma sai dai kuma but / however
duk da haka duk da haka nevertheless / however
duk da cewa duk da cewa although / despite the fact that
ko da yake ko da yake although / even though
ko da kuwa ko da kuwa even though
akasin haka akasin haka on the contrary
maimakon haka maimakon haka instead
a maimakon haka a maimakon haka instead
sai dai cewa sai dai cewa except that / but that
amma duk da haka amma duk da haka but nevertheless
Example
Ya gaji, amma ya ci gaba.
Ya gaji, amma ya ci gaba.
He was tired, but he continued.
5. Cause / reason conjunctions — “because”
Hausa Transliteration English
saboda saboda because / because of
saboda cewa saboda cewa because
domin domin because / for / so that
don don because / for
don kuwa don kuwa because / for
sabo da sabo da because of
saboda haka saboda haka therefore / because of that
don haka don haka therefore / so
shi ya sa shi ya sa that is why
dalilin da ya sa dalilin da ya sa the reason why
saboda wannan saboda wannan because of this
saboda haka ne saboda haka ne that is why
Examples
Ban tafi ba saboda ina rashin lafiya.
Ban tafi ba saboda ina rashin lafiya.
I did not go because I was sick.
Ina gajiya, don haka zan tafi.
Ina gajiya, don haka zan tafi.
I am tired, so/therefore I will leave.
6. Result / consequence conjunctions
Hausa Transliteration English
don haka don haka therefore / so
saboda haka saboda haka therefore
saboda haka ne saboda haka ne that is why
sakamakon haka sakamakon haka as a result
a sakamakon haka a sakamakon haka consequently
shi ya sa shi ya sa that is why
saboda wannan saboda wannan because of this
don haka ne don haka ne therefore / for that reason
har har so that / to the extent that
har ya kai ga har ya kai ga to the point that
7. Purpose conjunctions — “so that / in order that”
Hausa Transliteration English
domin domin so that / in order to
don don so that / in order to
don kada don kada so that…not
domin kada domin kada so that…not
domin kar domin kar so that…not
don kar don kar so that…not
saboda kada saboda kada so that…not
don a don a so that one…
domin a domin a in order that one…
Example
Ya yi aiki tuƙuru don ya ci nasara.
Ya yi aiki tuƙuru don ya ci nasara.
He worked hard so that he would succeed.
Na rufe ƙofar don kada yara su fita.
Na rufe ƙofar don kada yara su fita.
I closed the door so that the children would not go out.
8. Conditional conjunctions — “if / unless”
Hausa Transliteration English
idan idan if / when
in in if
in dai in dai if indeed / provided that
muddin muddin as long as
matuƙar matuƙar as long as / provided that
sai idan sai idan only if
sai in sai in only if
sai dai idan sai dai idan unless / except if
sai dai in sai dai in unless
idan ba…ba idan ba…ba if not
in ba…ba in ba…ba if not
sai dai idan ba sai dai idan ba unless
ko da ko da even if
ko da kuwa ko da kuwa even if
ko da yake ko da yake even though / although
Examples
Idan ka zo, zan tafi.
Idan ka zo, zan tafi.
If you come, I will leave.
Ba zan tafi ba sai idan ka zo.
Ba zan tafi ba sai idan ka zo.
I will not leave unless you come.
Muddin ka yi aiki, za ka ci nasara.
Muddin ka yi aiki, za ka ci nasara.
As long as you work, you will succeed.
9. Concessive conjunctions — “although / even though”
Hausa Transliteration English
ko da yake ko da yake although / even though
ko da kuwa ko da kuwa even though
ko da ko da even if / although
duk da cewa duk da cewa although / despite the fact that
duk da haka duk da haka nevertheless
kodayake kodayake although
ko da yake dai ko da yake dai although / even though
duk da wannan duk da wannan despite this
Example
Ko da yake yana da wadata, yana aiki sosai.
Ko da yake yana da wadata, yana aiki sosai.
Although he is wealthy, he works a lot.
10. Temporal conjunctions — “when / while / before / after”
Hausa Transliteration English
lokacin da lokacin da when
yayin da yayin da while / when
sa'ad da sa'ad da when
a lokacin da a lokacin da when / at the time that
da zarar da zarar as soon as
kafin kafin before
kafin ya kafin ya before he…
bayan bayan after
bayan da bayan da after
bayan haka bayan haka after that
da da when / as
sai sai then / when
sannan sannan then / afterwards
tun lokacin da tun lokacin da since
tun da tun da since / because
har sai har sai until
har sai da har sai da until
duk lokacin da duk lokacin da whenever
duk sa'ad da duk sa'ad da whenever
ko yaushe ko yaushe whenever / anytime
yayin da yayin da while
a yayin da a yayin da while
Example
Lokacin da ya zo, na tafi.
Lokacin da ya zo, na tafi.
When he came, I left.
Zan jira har sai ka dawo.
Zan jira har sai ka dawo.
I will wait until you return.
11. Comparative conjunctions
Hausa Transliteration English
kamar yadda kamar yadda as / just as
kamar kamar like / as
fiye da yadda fiye da yadda more than
ƙasa da yadda ƙasa da yadda less than
yadda yadda as / how
kamar dai kamar dai as if / seemingly
kamar cewa kamar cewa as if / as though
kamar yadda…haka kamar yadda…haka just as…so
yadda…haka yadda…haka the way…so
12. Manner / means conjunctions
Hausa Transliteration English
yadda yadda how / the way that
kamar yadda kamar yadda as / just as
ta yadda ta yadda in such a way that
yadda za a yadda za a how to / how one will
yadda ya kamata yadda ya kamata as it should
yadda ake yadda ake how one does
ko ta yaya ko ta yaya however / by whatever means
ta kowace hanya ta kowace hanya by every means / in every way
13. Relative conjunction-like words
Hausa frequently uses relative constructions that perform a conjunction-like function.
Hausa Transliteration English
wanda wanda who / which / that
wadda wadda who / which / that
waɗanda waɗanda who / which / that (plural)
inda inda where
yadda yadda how / as
lokacin da lokacin da when
abin da abin da what / that which
duk wanda duk wanda whoever
duk wadda duk wadda whoever / whichever
duk waɗanda duk waɗanda whoever / whichever (plural)
duk abin da duk abin da whatever
duk inda duk inda wherever
duk yadda duk yadda however
duk lokacin da duk lokacin da whenever
These are not all strictly conjunctions. For example, wanda is a relative pronoun, while inda and yadda can have relative/adverbial functions.
14. Correlative conjunctions
These are especially useful for expressing paired relationships.
Hausa Transliteration English
ko…ko ko…ko either…or
ko dai…ko dai ko dai…ko dai either…or
ba…ba ba…ba neither…nor / not…
ba…ko…ba ba…ko…ba neither…nor
ko da…ko da ko da…ko da whether…or / even if…
ko…ko kuma ko…ko kuma either…or
kamar yadda…haka kamar yadda…haka just as…so
yadda…haka yadda…haka as…so
duk wanda… duk wanda… whoever…
duk inda… duk inda… wherever…
duk lokacin da… duk lokacin da… whenever…
idan…to idan…to if…then
in…to in…to if…then
muddin… muddin… as long as…
Important conditional pattern
Idan ka zo, to zan tafi.
Idan ka zo, to zan tafi.
If you come, then I will leave.
Here idan…to works as a correlative conditional construction.
15. Negative conjunctions
Hausa Transliteration English
ba…ba ba…ba not
ba…ko…ba ba…ko…ba neither…nor
kada kada lest / do not
kada… kada… so that…not
kar kar lest / not
don kada don kada so that…not
domin kada domin kada in order that…not
sai dai kada sai dai kada except that…not
idan ba…ba idan ba…ba if not
in ba…ba in ba…ba if not
sai dai idan ba…ba sai dai idan ba…ba unless
16. Discourse/linking conjunctions
These connect larger sentences, paragraphs, or arguments rather than simply joining two words.
Hausa Transliteration English
amma amma however / but
duk da haka duk da haka nevertheless
saboda haka saboda haka therefore
don haka don haka therefore / so
sakamakon haka sakamakon haka as a result
haka kuma haka kuma furthermore / likewise
ƙari da haka ƙari da haka furthermore
ban da haka ban da haka besides
baya ga haka baya ga haka moreover / besides
a gefe guda a gefe guda on the other hand
a gefe guda kuma a gefe guda kuma on the other hand
akasin haka akasin haka conversely
maimakon haka maimakon haka instead
a ƙarshe a ƙarshe finally
da farko da farko firstly
sannan sannan then
daga nan daga nan after that
a takaice a takaice in short
a taƙaice a taƙaice briefly / in summary
misali misali for example
wato wato that is / namely
a wasu kalmomi a wasu kalmomi in other words
Some of these are more accurately discourse markers or conjunctive adverbial expressions than conjunctions.
17. Explanatory / specifying conjunctions
Hausa Transliteration English
cewa cewa that
wato wato that is / namely
domin domin because / for
saboda saboda because
saboda cewa saboda cewa because
ta yadda ta yadda such that
yadda yadda how / that
abin da abin da what / that which
shi ne shi ne it is / namely
Example
Na san cewa ya zo.
Na san cewa ya zo.
I know that he came.
18. “That” conjunction
The most important Hausa equivalent of English that in reported statements is:
cewa
cewa — that
Na san cewa yana nan.
Na san cewa yana nan.
I know that he is here.
Other constructions can occur depending on the sentence:
Hausa Transliteration English
cewa cewa that
cewa… cewa… that…
yadda yadda how / that / the way
abin da abin da what / that which
19. “Whether / if” conjunctions
Hausa Transliteration English
ko ko whether / if / or
ko… ko… whether…
ko kuwa ko kuwa or whether
ko dai ko dai whether / either
ko dai…ko dai ko dai…ko dai whether…or
ko…ko ko…ko whether…or
ko a'a ko a'a or not
ko ba haka ba ko ba haka ba or not / otherwise
Example
Ban sani ba ko zai zo.
Ban sani ba ko zai zo.
I don't know whether he will come.
20. “As if / as though” expressions
Hausa Transliteration English
kamar kamar as if / like
kamar dai kamar dai as if
kamar cewa kamar cewa as though
kamar yadda kamar yadda as / just as
kamar yana kamar yana as if he is…
kamar zai kamar zai as if he will…
21. “No matter / however / whoever” conjunction-like expressions
Hausa Transliteration English
duk wanda duk wanda whoever
duk wadda duk wadda whoever
duk waɗanda duk waɗanda whoever / whichever
duk abin da duk abin da whatever
duk inda duk inda wherever
duk yadda duk yadda however
duk lokacin da duk lokacin da whenever
ko wanene ko wanene whoever it is
ko ina ko ina wherever
ko yaushe ko yaushe whenever
ko ta yaya ko ta yaya however / no matter how
ko da yaushe ko da yaushe whenever / at any time
11- PREPOSITIONS
Hausa Transliteration English meaning
da da with; by; and
ga ga to; for; toward; behold
daga daga from; since
zuwa zuwa to; toward; until
cikin cikin in; inside; within
a cikin a cikin in; inside
cikin cikin within
kan kan on; onto; about; concerning
a kan a kan on; upon; about
ƙarƙashin ƙarƙashin under; beneath
a ƙarƙashin a ƙarƙashin under
gaban gaban in front of; before
a gaban a gaban in front of
bayan bayan behind; after
a bayan a bayan behind; after
kusa da kusa da near
nesa da nesa da far from
tsakanin tsakanin between; among
wajen wajen at; near; toward; in the vicinity of
a wajen a wajen at; near; outside
tare da tare da with; together with
ba tare da ba tare da without
game da game da about; concerning
dangane da dangane da concerning; regarding
bisa bisa on; upon; according to
bisa ga bisa ga according to; based on
saboda saboda because of
domin domin for; for the purpose of
don don for; because of
maimakon maimakon instead of
ban da ban da besides; except
sai dai sai dai except; apart from
har zuwa har zuwa up to; until
tun daga tun daga from; since
tun tun since; from
kafin kafin before
bayan bayan after
lokacin lokacin during; at the time of
yayin yayin during; while
ta hanyar ta hanyar through; by means of
ta ta via; by way of; through
Note: Some items such as da, ga, don, domin, sai dai have several grammatical functions. Their exact classification depends on the sentence.
2. Preposition da — with / by
da is one of the most important Hausa prepositions.
Hausa Transliteration English
da ni da ni with me
da kai da kai with you
da shi da shi with him
da ita da ita with her
da mu da mu with us
da ku da ku with you
da su da su with them
Examples
Na tafi da shi.
Na tafi da shi.
I went with him.
Ya yanka shi da wuƙa.
Ya yanka shi da wuƙa.
He cut it with a knife.
Here da can express:
accompaniment → with
instrument → with/by means of
means → by
association → with
3. ga — to / for / toward
Hausa Transliteration English
ga ni ga ni to me / for me
ga kai ga kai to you
ga shi ga shi to him
ga ita ga ita to her
ga mu ga mu to us
ga ku ga ku to you
ga su ga su to them
Na ba shi littafin.
Na ba shi littafin.
I gave him the book.
Ga shi nan.
Ga shi nan.
Here he is / There he is.
ga has several uses, so it is not always equivalent to English to.
4. daga — from
Hausa Transliteration English
daga nan daga nan from here
daga can daga can from there
daga gida daga gida from home
daga Kano daga Kano from Kano
daga gare ni daga gare ni from me
daga gare shi daga gare shi from him
daga gare ta daga gare ta from her
Examples
Na fito daga gida.
Na fito daga gida.
I came out from home.
Ya zo daga Kano.
Ya zo daga Kano.
He came from Kano.
5. zuwa — to / toward
Hausa Transliteration English
zuwa gida zuwa gida to home
zuwa makaranta zuwa makaranta to school
zuwa Kano zuwa Kano to Kano
zuwa gare shi zuwa gare shi to him
zuwa gare ta zuwa gare ta to her
zuwa gare mu zuwa gare mu to us
Ina zuwa makaranta.
Ina zuwa makaranta.
I am going to school.
Sun tafi zuwa Kano.
Sun tafi zuwa Kano.
They went to Kano.
6. cikin / a cikin — in / inside / within
Hausa Transliteration English
cikin gida cikin gida inside the house
a cikin gida a cikin gida in the house
cikin mota cikin mota inside the car
a cikin shekara a cikin shekara within the year
cikin akwatin cikin akwatin inside the box
Littafin yana cikin akwatin.
Littafin yana cikin akwatin.
The book is inside the box.
7. kan / a kan — on / upon / about
Hausa Transliteration English
kan tebur kan tebur on the table
a kan tebur a kan tebur on the table
kan kujera kan kujera on the chair
a kan wannan batu a kan wannan batu about this matter
kan shi kan shi on him / about him
Littafin yana kan tebur.
Littafin yana kan tebur.
The book is on the table.
Mun yi magana a kan batun.
Mun yi magana a kan batun.
We talked about the matter.
8. ƙarƙashin / a ƙarƙashin — under
Hausa Transliteration English
ƙarƙashin tebur ƙarƙashin tebur under the table
a ƙarƙashin tebur a ƙarƙashin tebur under the table
ƙarƙashin bishiya ƙarƙashin bishiya under a tree
ƙarƙashin doka ƙarƙashin doka under the law
Kyanwa tana ƙarƙashin tebur.
Kyanwa tana ƙarƙashin tebur.
The cat is under the table.
9. gaban / a gaban — in front of / before
Hausa Transliteration English
gaban gida gaban gida in front of the house
a gaban gida a gaban gida in front of the house
gaban mutane gaban mutane before people
a gaban kotu a gaban kotu before the court
Yana tsaye a gaban gida.
Yana tsaye a gaban gida.
He is standing in front of the house.
10. bayan / a bayan — behind / after
Hausa Transliteration English
bayan gida bayan gida behind the house
a bayan gida a bayan gida behind the house
bayan makaranta bayan school after school
bayan aiki bayan aiki after work
bayan haka bayan haka after that
Motar tana bayan gida.
Motar tana bayan gida.
The car is behind the house.
Na zo bayan aiki.
Na zo bayan aiki.
I came after work.
11. kusa da — near
Hausa Transliteration English
kusa da gida kusa da gida near the house
kusa da makaranta kusa da makaranta near the school
kusa da ni kusa da ni near me
kusa da shi kusa da shi near him
Yana zaune kusa da ni.
Yana zaune kusa da ni.
He lives near me.
12. nesa da — far from
Hausa Transliteration English
nesa da gida nesa da gida far from home
nesa da nan nesa da nan far from here
nesa da birni nesa da birni far from the city
Gidan yana nesa da birni.
Gidan yana nesa da birni.
The house is far from the city.
13. tsakanin — between / among
Hausa Transliteration English
tsakanin gidaje tsakanin gidaje between houses
tsakanin mutane tsakanin mutane among people
tsakanin mu tsakanin mu between us
tsakanin su tsakanin su between them
Yana zaune tsakanin gidaje biyu.
Yana zaune tsakanin gidaje biyu.
He lives between two houses.
14. wajen / a wajen — at / near / around / outside
Hausa Transliteration English
wajen gida wajen gida near the house
a wajen gida a wajen gida outside the house
wajen aiki wajen aiki at work
wajen kasuwa wajen kasuwa near the market
Yana aiki wajen gwamnati.
Yana aiki wajen gwamnati.
He works for/at the government.
15. tare da — with / together with
Hausa Transliteration English
tare da ni tare da ni with me
tare da kai tare da kai with you
tare da shi tare da shi with him
tare da ita tare da ita with her
tare da mu tare da mu with us
tare da su tare da su with them
Na tafi tare da shi.
Na tafi tare da shi.
I went with him.
16. ba tare da — without
Hausa Transliteration English
ba tare da ni ba ba tare da ni ba without me
ba tare da shi ba ba tare da shi ba without him
ba tare da ruwa ba ba tare da ruwa ba without water
ba tare da izini ba ba tare da izini ba without permission
Ya tafi ba tare da ni ba.
Ya tafi ba tare da ni ba.
He left without me.
17. game da — about / concerning
Hausa Transliteration English
game da wannan game da wannan about this
game da shi game da shi about him
game da batun game da batun about the matter
game da makaranta game da makaranta about school
Mun yi magana game da aikin.
Mun yi magana game da aikin.
We talked about the work.
18. dangane da — concerning / regarding
Hausa Transliteration English
dangane da wannan dangane da wannan concerning this
dangane da batun dangane da batun regarding the matter
dangane da shi dangane da shi concerning him
Dangane da wannan batu, zan yi bayani.
Dangane da wannan batu, zan yi bayani.
Regarding this matter, I will explain.
19. bisa / bisa ga — on / according to
Hausa Transliteration English
bisa doka bisa doka according to the law
bisa ga doka bisa ga doka according to the law
bisa ga wannan bisa ga wannan according to this
bisa ga ra'ayi bisa ga ra'ayi according to the opinion
Bisa ga doka, ba a yarda ba.
Bisa ga doka, ba a yarda ba.
According to the law, it is not permitted.
20. saboda — because of
Hausa Transliteration English
saboda shi saboda shi because of him
saboda ruwan sama saboda ruwan sama because of the rain
saboda wannan saboda wannan because of this
saboda rashin lafiya saboda rashin lafiya because of illness
Ba mu tafi ba saboda ruwan sama.
Ba mu tafi ba saboda ruwan sama.
We did not go because of the rain.
21. domin / don — for / for the purpose of
Hausa Transliteration English
domin aiki domin aiki for work
don aiki don aiki for work
domin yara domin yara for children
don yara don yara for children
domin wannan domin wannan for this purpose
Wannan kyauta ce domin yara.
Wannan kyauta ce domin yara.
This gift is for children.
22. maimakon — instead of
Hausa Transliteration English
maimakon ni maimakon ni instead of me
maimakon shi maimakon shi instead of him
maimakon aiki maimakon aiki instead of working
maimakon haka maimakon haka instead of that
Ya zauna maimakon ya tafi.
Ya zauna maimakon ya tafi.
He stayed instead of leaving.
23. ban da — besides / except
Hausa Transliteration English
ban da shi ban da shi besides him / except him
ban da wannan ban da wannan besides this
ban da kai ban da kai besides you
ban da yara ban da yara except the children
Kowa ya zo ban da Ali.
Kowa ya zo ban da Ali.
Everyone came except Ali.
24. sai dai — except / apart from
Hausa Transliteration English
sai dai shi sai dai shi except him
sai dai wannan sai dai wannan except this
sai dai a yau sai dai a yau except today
Kowa ya tafi sai dai shi.
Kowa ya tafi sai dai shi.
Everyone left except him.
25. har zuwa — until / up to
Hausa Transliteration English
har zuwa gobe har zuwa gobe until tomorrow
har zuwa yanzu har zuwa yanzu until now
har zuwa ƙarshen shekara har zuwa ƙarshen shekara until the end of the year
har zuwa Kano har zuwa Kano as far as Kano
Zan jira har zuwa gobe.
Zan jira har zuwa gobe.
I will wait until tomorrow.
26. tun / tun daga — since / from
Hausa Transliteration English
tun jiya tun jiya since yesterday
tun yau tun yau since today
tun daga nan tun daga nan from there / since then
tun daga farko tun daga farko from the beginning
tun daga gida tun daga gida from home
Na san shi tun da dadewa.
Na san shi tun da dadewa.
I have known him for a long time.
27. kafin — before
Hausa Transliteration English
kafin aiki kafin aiki before work
kafin makaranta kafin makaranta before school
kafin nan kafin nan before this / before then
kafin tafiya kafin tafiya before traveling
Na ci abinci kafin aiki.
Na ci abinci kafin aiki.
I ate before work.
28. bayan — after
Hausa Transliteration English
bayan aiki bayan aiki after work
bayan makaranta bayan makaranta after school
bayan haka bayan haka after that
bayan taro bayan taro after the meeting
29. lokacin / a lokacin — during / at the time of
Hausa Transliteration English
lokacin aiki lokacin aiki during work
lokacin dare lokacin dare during the night
a lokacin yaki a lokacin yaki during the war
a lokacin da a lokacin da when
A lokacin da ya zo, muna cin abinci.
A lokacin da ya zo, muna cin abinci.
When he came, we were eating.
30. yayin / yayin da — during / while
Hausa Transliteration English
yayin aiki yayin aiki during work
yayin tafiya yayin tafiya during the journey
yayin da yake aiki yayin da yake aiki while he is working
Ya zo yayin da nake aiki.
Ya zo yayin da nake aiki.
He came while I was working.
31. ta / ta hanyar — by / through / via
Hausa Transliteration English
ta mota ta mota by car
ta jirgin ƙasa ta jirgin ƙasa by train
ta hanya ta hanya by way of
ta hanyar mota ta hanyar mota by car / by means of a car
ta hanyar aiki ta hanyar aiki through work
ta hanyar intanet ta hanyar intanet via the internet
Na tafi ta mota.
Na tafi ta mota.
I went by car.
Ya koyi Hausa ta hanyar karatu.
Ya koyi Hausa ta hanyar karatu.
He learned Hausa through studying.
32. Prepositions of location
Meaning Hausa Transliteration
in cikin / a cikin cikin / a cikin
on kan / a kan kan / a kan
under ƙarƙashin / a ƙarƙashin ƙarƙashin / a ƙarƙashin
in front of gaban / a gaban gaban / a gaban
behind bayan / a bayan bayan / a bayan
near kusa da kusa da
far from nesa da nesa da
between tsakanin tsakanin
among tsakanin tsakanin
at wajen / a wajen wajen / a wajen
outside wajen / a wajen wajen / a wajen
inside cikin / a cikin cikin / a cikin
beside kusa da kusa da
around kewaye da kewaye da
opposite gaban / kishiyar gaban / kishiyar
next to kusa da kusa da
33. Prepositions of movement
Meaning Hausa Transliteration
to zuwa zuwa
toward zuwa zuwa
from daga daga
out of daga cikin daga cikin
into cikin / zuwa cikin cikin / zuwa cikin
onto kan / zuwa kan kan / zuwa kan
through ta / ta hanyar ta / ta hanyar
across ƙetare / ta ƙetare ƙetare / ta ƙetare
along tare da / ta tare da / ta
past wuce wuce
up sama sama
down ƙasa ƙasa
toward here zuwa nan zuwa nan
toward there zuwa can zuwa can
34. Prepositions of time
Hausa Transliteration English
kafin kafin before
bayan bayan after
tun tun since
tun daga tun daga since/from
har zuwa har zuwa until
lokacin lokacin during
yayin yayin during
a lokacin a lokacin at the time of
daga daga from
zuwa zuwa until/to
35. Prepositions of cause
Hausa Transliteration English
saboda saboda because of
don don because of / for
domin domin because of / for
sakamakon sakamakon as a result of
saboda rashin saboda rashin because of lack of
saboda wannan saboda wannan because of this
dangane da dangane da concerning / in relation to
36. Prepositions of purpose
Hausa Transliteration English
don don for
domin domin for
saboda saboda for the sake of
domin amfanin domin amfanin for the benefit of
don amfanin don amfanin for the benefit of
saboda amfanin saboda amfanin for the benefit of
37. Prepositions of possession / relation
Hausa frequently uses constructions involving na/ta/ya/yan, which can correspond to English of relationships.
Hausa Transliteration English
na na of / belonging to
ta ta of / belonging to
nawa nawa of mine / mine
naka naka of yours / yours
nasa nasa his
nata nata hers
namu namu ours
naku naku yours
nasu nasu theirs
Examples:
Littafin Ali
Littafin Ali
Ali's book / the book of Ali
Gidan nawa
Gidan nawa
My house / the house of mine
These are generally better analyzed as genitive/possessive constructions, not ordinary prepositions.
38. Prepositions with pronouns
A particularly important Hausa pattern is the use of gare + pronoun after certain prepositions.
Hausa Transliteration English
gare ni gare ni to/at/from me, depending on construction
gare ka gare ka to/at/from you
gare ki gare ki to/at/from you
gare shi gare shi to/at/from him
gare ta gare ta to/at/from her
gare mu gare mu to/at/from us
gare ku gare ku to/at/from you
gare su gare su to/at/from them
Examples:
Na je gare shi.
Na je gare shi.
I went to him.
Daga gare ni.
daga gare ni
from me
A gare ka.
a gare ka
to/with you, depending on context.
12- DETERMINERS
Demonstrative determiners
Hausa Transliteration English
wannan wannan this
wannan nan wannan nan this here
wannan ɗin wannan ɗin this particular one
wancan wancan that
wancan nan wancan nan that there
wancan ɗin wancan ɗin that particular one
waɗannan waɗannan these
waɗannan nan waɗannan nan these here
waɗannan ɗin waɗannan ɗin these particular ones
waɗancan waɗancan those
waɗancan nan waɗancan nan those there
waɗancan ɗin waɗancan ɗin those particular ones
Examples
wannan littafi
wannan littafi
this book
wancan gida
wancan gida
that house
waɗannan yara
waɗannan yara
these children
waɗancan mutane
waɗancan mutane
those people
2. Demonstratives by number
Number Near Far English
Singular wannan wancan this / that
Plural waɗannan waɗancan these / those
Examples
Hausa Transliteration English
wannan mutum wannan mutum this person
wancan mutum wancan mutum that person
waɗannan mutane waɗannan mutane these people
waɗancan mutane waɗancan mutane those people
3. Indefinite determiner — “a / an”
Hausa generally does not have a separate indefinite article equivalent to English a/an.
Instead, an indefinite singular noun can simply occur without an article.
Hausa Transliteration English
mutum mutum a person
littafi littafi a book
gida gida a house
mota mota a car
mace mace a woman
For example:
Na ga mutum.
Na ga mutum.
I saw a person.
So:
Ø + noun = a/an + noun
4. wani / wata — a certain / some / another
One of the most important Hausa indefinite determiners is wani / wata.
Hausa Transliteration English
wani wani a certain / some / another
wata wata a certain / some / another
wasu wasu some / certain
wasu… wasu some
Examples:
wani mutum
wani mutum
a certain man / someone
wata mace
wata mace
a certain woman / some woman
wasu mutane
wasu mutane
some people
Na ga wani mutum.
Na ga wani mutum.
I saw a certain man / someone.
5. wasu — some
Hausa Transliteration English
wasu wasu some
wasu mutane wasu mutane some people
wasu littattafai wasu littattafai some books
wasu gidaje wasu gidaje some houses
Wasu mutane sun zo.
Wasu mutane sun zo.
Some people came.
6. duk — all / every
duk is one of the most important Hausa quantifying determiners.
Hausa Transliteration English
duk duk all / every
duk mutum duk mutum every person
duk mutane duk mutane all people
duk rana duk rana every day
duk littattafai duk littattafai all books
duk abin duk abin everything / every thing
Examples:
Duk mutane sun zo.
Duk mutane sun zo.
All the people came.
Duk mutum yana da hakki.
Duk mutum yana da hakki.
Every person has a right.
7. kowane / kowace — every / each
Hausa Transliteration English
kowane kowane every / each
kowace kowace every / each
kowane mutum kowane mutum every person
kowace rana kowace rana every day
kowane gida kowane gida every house
kowace mace kowace mace every woman
Examples:
Kowane mutum ya zo.
Kowane mutum ya zo.
Every person came.
Kowace rana ina karatu.
Kowace rana ina karatu.
I study every day.
8. duk wani / duk wata — every / any / any particular
Hausa Transliteration English
duk wani duk wani every / any
duk wata duk wata every / any
duk wasu duk wasu all/some particular
duk wani mutum duk wani mutum any/every person
duk wata rana duk wata rana any/every day
Example:
Duk wani mutum zai iya shiga.
Duk wani mutum zai iya shiga.
Anyone / any person can enter.
9. kowanne / kowacce — each one
These are especially useful when the determiner is functioning more independently.
Hausa Transliteration English
kowanne kowanne each one
kowacce kowacce each one
kowannensu kowannensu each of them
kowannensu ɗaya kowannensu ɗaya each one of them
Examples:
Kowanne ɗalibi ya karanta.
Kowanne ɗalibi ya karanta.
Each student read.
Kowannensu ya tafi.
Kowannensu ya tafi.
Each of them left.
10. dukkan — all / entire
dukkān / dukkan is a strong totality determiner.
Hausa Transliteration English
dukkan dukkan all / entire
dukkan mutane dukkan mutane all people
dukkan littattafai dukkan littattafai all books
dukkan ƙasar dukkan ƙasar the whole country
Example:
Dukkan mutane sun tafi.
Dukkan mutane sun tafi.
All the people left.
11. dukkanin — all of / entire
Hausa Transliteration English
dukkanin dukkanin all / the whole of
dukkanin mutane dukkanin mutane all the people
dukkanin ƙasar dukkanin ƙasar the whole country
dukkanin abubuwa dukkanin abubuwa all things
Dukkanin yara sun zo.
Dukkanin yara sun zo.
All the children came.
12. kowane ɗaya / kowace ɗaya — each one
Hausa Transliteration English
kowane ɗaya kowane ɗaya each one
kowace ɗaya kowace ɗaya each one
kowane ɗayansu kowane ɗayansu each of them
kowace ɗayarsu kowace ɗayarsu each of them
13. Quantity determiners — many
da yawa
Hausa Transliteration English
da yawa da yawa many / much / a lot of
mutane da yawa mutane da yawa many people
littattafai da yawa littattafai da yawa many books
kuɗi da yawa kuɗi da yawa a lot of money
Mutane da yawa sun zo.
Mutane da yawa sun zo.
Many people came.
14. yawa — much / many
Hausa Transliteration English
yawa yawa much / many
da yawa da yawa many / much
mai yawa mai yawa much / abundant
Akwai mutane da yawa.
Akwai mutane da yawa.
There are many people.
15. kaɗan — few / little
Hausa Transliteration English
kaɗan kaɗan few / little
mutane kaɗan mutane kaɗan a few people
kuɗi kaɗan kuɗi kaɗan little money
lokaci kaɗan lokaci kaɗan little time
Mutane kaɗan sun zo.
Mutane kaɗan sun zo.
A few people came.
16. ɗan / ɗan ƙaramin — a little / a small amount
Hausa Transliteration English
ɗan ɗan a little / a bit of
ɗan kaɗan ɗan kaɗan a little
ɗan lokaci ɗan lokaci a little time
ɗan ruwa ɗan ruwa a little water
ɗan ƙaramin ɗan ƙaramin a small/little
Example:
Ka ba ni ɗan ruwa.
Ka ba ni ɗan ruwa.
Give me a little water.
17. mai yawa — much / abundant
Hausa Transliteration English
mai yawa mai yawa much / many / abundant
ruwa mai yawa ruwa mai yawa a lot of water
mutane masu yawa mutane masu yawa many people
kuɗi mai yawa kuɗi mai yawa a lot of money
18. mai yawa / masu yawa
Agreement can occur with the noun:
Hausa Transliteration English
mai yawa mai yawa much / abundant
masu yawa masu yawa many / numerous
Mutane masu yawa sun zo.
Mutane masu yawa sun zo.
Many people came.
19. isasshe / isassun — enough / sufficient
Hausa Transliteration English
isasshe isasshe enough / sufficient
isassun isassun sufficient / enough
isasshen lokaci isasshen lokaci enough time
isassun kuɗi isassun kuɗi enough money
Example:
Muna da isassun kuɗi.
Muna da isassun kuɗi.
We have enough money.
20. ƙarin — additional / more
Hausa Transliteration English
ƙarin ƙarin additional / more
ƙarin lokaci ƙarin lokaci additional time
ƙarin kuɗi ƙarin kuɗi more money
ƙarin mutane ƙarin mutane additional people
Muna buƙatar ƙarin lokaci.
Muna buƙatar ƙarin lokaci.
We need more/additional time.
21. wani ƙarin / wata ƙarin
Hausa Transliteration English
wani ƙarin wani ƙarin an additional
wata ƙarin wata ƙarin an additional
wasu ƙarin wasu ƙarin some additional
22. Negative / zero determiner — babu
babu can mean there is no / there are no / there isn't any.
Hausa Transliteration English
babu mutum babu mutum there is no person
babu mutane babu mutane there are no people
babu kuɗi babu kuɗi there is no money
babu wani babu wani there isn't any / no one
babu wata babu wata there isn't any
Example:
Babu wani mutum a nan.
Babu wani mutum a nan.
There is no person / nobody here.
23. ba wani / ba wata — no / not any
Hausa Transliteration English
ba wani ba wani no / not any
ba wata ba wata no / not any
ba wasu ba wasu not any / no
Example:
Ba wani mutum da ya zo.
Ba wani mutum da ya zo.
No person came.
24. kowanne daga / kowacce daga — each of
Hausa Transliteration English
kowanne daga kowanne daga each of
kowacce daga kowacce daga each of
kowanne daga cikinsu kowanne daga cikinsu each of them
kowacce daga cikinsu kowacce daga cikinsu each of them
25. ɗaya — one / a single
ɗaya can function as a numeral determiner.
Hausa Transliteration English
mutum ɗaya mutum ɗaya one person
littafi ɗaya littafi ɗaya one book
rana ɗaya rana ɗaya one day
gida ɗaya gida ɗaya one house
Na sayi littafi ɗaya.
Na sayi littafi ɗaya.
I bought one book.
26. Cardinal numeral determiners
Hausa cardinal numbers can determine nouns.
Hausa Transliteration English
ɗaya ɗaya one
biyu biyu two
uku uku three
huɗu huɗu four
biyar biyar five
shida shida six
bakwai bakwai seven
takwas takwas eight
tara tara nine
goma goma ten
goma sha ɗaya goma sha ɗaya eleven
goma sha biyu goma sha biyu twelve
ashirin ashirin twenty
talatin talatin thirty
arba'in arba'in forty
hamsin hamsin fifty
sittin sittin sixty
saba'in saba'in seventy
tamanin tamanin eighty
casa'in casa'in ninety
ɗari ɗari hundred
dubu dubu thousand
miliyan miliyan million
Examples:
mutane biyu
mutane biyu
two people
littattafai biyar
littattafai biyar
five books
gidaje goma
gidaje goma
ten houses
27. Ordinal determiners
Hausa ordinal forms can determine nouns.
Hausa Transliteration English
na farko na farko first
na biyu na biyu second
na uku na uku third
na huɗu na huɗu fourth
na biyar na biyar fifth
na shida na shida sixth
na bakwai na bakwai seventh
na takwas na takwas eighth
na tara na tara ninth
na goma na goma tenth
na ƙarshe na ƙarshe last / final
Examples:
rana ta farko
ranar farko / rana ta farko
the first day
mutum na biyu
mutum na biyu
the second person
28. Fractional determiners
Hausa Transliteration English
rabin rabin half of
rabi rabi half
kashi ɗaya cikin biyu kashi ɗaya cikin biyu one half
kashi ɗaya cikin uku kashi ɗaya cikin uku one third
kashi biyu cikin uku kashi biyu cikin uku two thirds
kashi ɗaya cikin huɗu kashi ɗaya cikin huɗu one quarter
kashi biyu kashi biyu two percent / two parts, depending on context
kashi goma kashi goma ten percent
Examples:
rabin ruwa
rabin ruwa
half of the water
rabin mutane
rabin mutane
half of the people
29. dukkan / duka — whole / all
Hausa Transliteration English
duka duka all / whole
dukkan dukkan all / entire
dukkanin dukkanin all of / entire
gaba ɗaya gaba ɗaya whole / entirely
Examples:
duka littattafan
duka littattafan
all the books
dukkānin ƙasar
dukkanin ƙasar
the whole country
30. gaba ɗaya — whole / entire
Hausa Transliteration English
gaba ɗaya gaba ɗaya entire / whole
mutanen gaba ɗaya mutanen gaba ɗaya all the people
ƙasar gaba ɗaya ƙasar gaba ɗaya the whole country
This is more accurately an adverbial/quantifying expression in many contexts rather than a simple determiner.
31. sauran — other / remaining
A very important Hausa determiner.
Hausa Transliteration English
sauran sauran other / remaining
sauran mutane sauran mutane the other people
sauran littattafai sauran littattafai the other books
sauran kwanaki sauran kwanaki the remaining days
Example:
Sauran mutane sun tafi.
Sauran mutane sun tafi.
The other people left.
32. wani / wata — another
Hausa Transliteration English
wani wani another / a different
wata wata another / a different
wasu wasu other / some
Examples:
wani littafi
wani littafi
another book
wata mota
wata mota
another car
wasu mutane
wasu mutane
other people
33. wani…wani — one…another
Hausa Transliteration English
wani…wani wani…wani one…another
wasu…wasu wasu…wasu some…others
34. irin / irin wannan — kind/type such as this
Hausa Transliteration English
irin wannan irin wannan this kind of
irin wancan irin wancan that kind of
irin waɗannan irin waɗannan these kinds of
irin waɗancan irin waɗancan those kinds of
irin wani irin wani a certain kind of
irin kowane irin kowane every kind of
Examples:
irin wannan littafi
irin wannan littafi
this kind of book
irin waɗannan mutane
irin waɗannan mutane
these kinds of people
35. kowane irin — every kind of
Hausa Transliteration English
kowane irin kowane irin every kind of
kowace irin kowace irin every kind of
kowane irin mutum kowane irin mutum every kind of person
kowace irin mota kowace irin mota every kind of car
36. wani irin / wata irin — a kind of
Hausa Transliteration English
wani irin wani irin a kind/type of
wata irin wata irin a kind/type of
wasu irin wasu irin some kinds of
Example:
Wani irin mutum ne shi?
Wani irin mutum ne shi?
What kind of person is he?
37. Interrogative determiners
wane / wace / waɗanne
These are used for which.
Hausa Transliteration English
wane wane which
wace wace which
waɗanne waɗanne which (plural)
Examples:
Wane littafi?
Wane littafi?
Which book?
Wace mota?
Wace mota?
Which car?
Waɗanne littattafai?
Waɗanne littattafai?
Which books?
38. wane irin / wace irin — what kind of
Hausa Transliteration English
wane irin wane irin what/which kind of
wace irin wace irin what/which kind of
waɗanne irin waɗanne irin what/which kinds of
Example:
Wane irin littafi kake so?
Wane irin littafi kake so?
What kind of book do you want?
39. nawa / nawa ne — how many / how much
Hausa Transliteration English
nawa nawa how much / how many
nawa ne nawa ne how much/how many is it
mutane nawa mutane nawa how many people
littattafai nawa littattafai nawa how many books
kuɗi nawa kuɗi nawa how much money
Examples:
Mutane nawa suka zo?
Mutane nawa suka zo?
How many people came?
Kuɗi nawa kake da su?
Kuɗi nawa kake da su?
How much money do you have?
40. Possessive determiners
Hausa possession is usually expressed through genitive/possessive constructions, rather than a separate English-style set of words such as my, your, his.
Common possessive forms include:
Hausa Transliteration English
nawa nawa my / mine
naka naka your / yours (m.)
naki naki your / yours (f.)
nasa nasa his
nata nata her
namu namu our / ours
naku naku your / yours (pl.)
nasu nasu their / theirs
Examples:
littafina
littafina
my book
littafinka
littafinka
your book
littafinsa
littafinsa
his book
littafinta
littafinta
her book
littafinmu
littafinmu
our book
littafinsu
littafinsu
their book
41. Possessive/genitive determiner construction
The general relationship can also be expressed through:
Noun + na/ta/ɗan/ɗin + possessor
Examples:
Hausa Transliteration English
littafin Ali littafin Ali Ali's book
gidan Musa gidan Musa Musa's house
motar Aisha motar Aisha Aisha's car
littafin ɗalibin littafin ɗalibin the student's book
The exact linking morphology depends on the noun and construction.
42. Reflexive / emphatic determiner-like forms
Hausa uses kai/kanta/kansu and related forms in emphatic constructions.
Hausa Transliteration English
kansa kansa himself / his own self
kanta kanta herself
kaina kaina myself
kanka kanka yourself
kanki kanki yourself
kanmu kanmu ourselves
kanku kanku yourselves
kansu kansu themselves
These are not normally determiners in the strict grammatical sense, but they can have emphatic/possessive functions in noun phrases.
43. Emphatic determiner-like expressions
Hausa Transliteration English
shi kansa shi kansa he himself
ita kanta ita kanta she herself
su kansu su kansu they themselves
wannan kansa wannan kansa this very one
wancan kansa wancan kansa that very one
44. Distributive determiners
Hausa Transliteration English
kowane kowane each / every
kowace kowace each / every
kowanne kowanne each one
kowacce kowacce each one
ɗaya-ɗaya ɗaya-ɗaya one by one / each
kowane ɗaya kowane ɗaya each one
kowace ɗaya kowace ɗaya each one
kowa kowa everyone / each person
kowane mutum kowane mutum every person
45. kowa — everyone / everybody
kowa is technically an indefinite pronoun, but it can have a determiner-like distributive function.
Hausa Transliteration English
kowa kowa everyone
kowa da kowa kowa da kowa everyone / everybody
kowa ɗaya kowa ɗaya each person
Example:
Kowa ya zo.
Kowa ya zo.
Everyone came.
46. komai / kome — everything / anything
Again, these are primarily indefinite pronouns rather than determiners, but they belong to the same quantifier system.
Hausa Transliteration English
komai komai everything / anything
kome kome everything / anything
komai da komai komai da komai everything
duk abin duk abin everything
Example:
Komai yana da lokaci.
Komai yana da lokaci.
Everything has its time.
47. duk abin da — everything that / whatever
Hausa Transliteration English
duk abin da duk abin da everything that / whatever
duk abin da nake so duk abin da nake so everything I want
duk abin da ka gani duk abin da ka gani everything you saw
48. Free-choice / indefinite determiners
Hausa Transliteration English
kowane kowane any / every
kowace kowace any / every
wani wani some / any particular
wata wata some / any particular
wasu wasu some / certain
duk wani duk wani any / every
duk wata duk wata any / every
duk wasu duk wasu any/all certain
kowane irin kowane irin any/every kind of
duk abin da duk abin da whatever
49. Negative determiners
Hausa Transliteration English
babu babu no / there is no
babu wani babu wani no / not any
babu wata babu wata no / not any
babu wasu babu wasu no / not any
ba wani ba wani no / not any
ba wata ba wata no / not any
ba komai ba komai nothing
babu ɗaya babu ɗaya not a single one
ko ɗaya ba ko ɗaya ba not even one
Example:
Babu wani littafi.
Babu wani littafi.
There is no book.
Babu ko ɗaya.
Babu ko ɗaya.
There isn't even one.
50. ko ɗaya — even one / any one
Hausa Transliteration English
ko ɗaya ko ɗaya even one / any one
ba ko ɗaya ba ba ko ɗaya ba not even one
ko mutum ɗaya ko mutum ɗaya even one person
51. duk wani vs kowane
These are related but not identical:
Hausa Transliteration Meaning
kowane mutum kowane mutum every person
duk wani mutum duk wani mutum any/every particular person
wani mutum wani mutum a certain/some person
wasu mutane wasu mutane some people
duk mutane duk mutane all people
52. Special determiner ɗan / 'yar
Hausa uses ɗan and 'yar in certain noun expressions.
Hausa Transliteration English
ɗan mutum ɗan mutum a little/small person; a son of a person depending on context
ɗan ƙarami ɗan ƙarami a small/little one
'yar ƙasa 'yar ƙasa daughter/citizen of a country, depending on context
ɗan Najeriya ɗan Najeriya a Nigerian (male)
'yar Najeriya 'yar Najeriya a Nigerian (female)
These are not ordinary determiners in all uses; ɗan / 'yar have noun-forming and relational functions too.
53. irin constructions
These are extremely useful for expressing kind/type:
Formation Hausa Transliteration English
this kind of irin wannan irin wannan this kind of
that kind of irin wancan irin wancan that kind of
these kinds of irin waɗannan irin waɗannan these kinds of
those kinds of irin waɗancan irin waɗancan those kinds of
every kind of kowane irin kowane irin every kind of
what kind of wane irin wane irin what kind of
another kind of wani irin wani irin another kind of
some kinds of wasu irin wasu irin some kinds of
Important grammatical point
Unlike English, Hausa does not have a simple determiner sequence like:
the + adjective + noun
Instead, noun phrases can combine several elements, for example:
wannan babban gidan
wannan babban gidan
this big house
duk waɗannan littattafan
duk waɗannan littattafan
all these books
wani sabon littafi
wani sabon littafi
a new book / a certain new book
kowane irin mutum
kowane irin mutum
every kind of person
<>13- IF CONDITIONAL<>
Zero Conditional idan + present, present Idan ka ci, ka koshi
First Conditional idan + present, future Idan ka zo, zan tafi
First Negative idan ba..., ba za...ba Idan ba ka zo ba, ba zan tafi ba
Second Conditional da + hypothetical, da + result Da ina da kuɗi, da zan saya
Third Conditional da + past, da + past result Da na sani, da na zo
Mixed Conditional da + past, da + present result Da na yi karatu, da ina da aiki
would do da + verb Da zan tafi
would be doing da + yana/tana + verb Da yana aiki
would have done da + past, da + past result Da ya zo, da ya gani
would have been doing da + long action Da ya dade yana aiki
said would ya ce zai Ya ce zai zo
would not da ba...ba Da ba zan tafi ba
would like ina son in Ina son in tafi
would rather na fi so in Na fi so in zauna
used to/would always ya kan / yawan Ya kan karanta
would not do da + ba...ba Da ba shi da kuɗi, da ba zai saya ba
would not be doing da + ba + progressive Da ba zai kasance yana aiki ba
would not have done da + bai...ba, da + bai...ba Da bai zo ba, da bai gani ba
would not have been doing da + negative long action Da bai dade yana aiki ba
said would not ya ce ba zai...ba Ya ce ba zai tafi ba
would not always ba ya yawan / bai kan Ba ya yawan zuwa
would not like ba na son in Ba na son in tafi
would rather not na fi so kada Na fi so kada in tafi
would not unless ba...sai dai idan Ba zan tafi ba sai dai idan ya zo
would not even if ko da..., ba...ba Ko da ya zo, ba zan tafi ba
would be done da za a + passive verb Da za a gina gidan
would not be done da ba za a + verb + ba Da ba za a gina gidan ba
would be being done da za a kasance ana + passive Da za a kasance ana gina gidan
would not be being done da ba za a kasance ana...ba Da ba za a kasance ana gina gidan ba
would have been done da an + passive verb / da an riga an Da an gina gidan
would have been being done da an dade ana + passive Da an dade ana gina gidan
said would be done ya ce za a + passive Ya ce za a gina gidan
would not be done da ba za a + verb + ba Da ba za a gina ba
would not be being done da ba za a kasance ana + verb + ba Da ba za a kasance ana gina ba
would not have been done da ba a + verb + ba Da ba a gina ba
would not have been completed da ba a gama + noun + ba Da ba a gama aikin ba
would not have been being done da ba a dade ana + verb + ba Da ba a dade ana gina ba
said would not be done ya ce ba za a + verb + ba Ya ce ba za a gina ba
<>14- COMPARATIVE AND SUPERLATIVE<>
Comparative Subject + fi + comparison + quality Musa ya fi Ali tsawo. Musa is taller than Ali.
Comparative + explicit "than" fi ... fiye da ... Ya fi shi kyau fiye da wannan. He is better than this one.
Less ƙasa da Yana da kuɗi ƙasa da ni. He has less money than me.
Equal kamar Yana da tsawo kamar Ali. He is as tall as Ali.
Exactly equal daidai da Yana da tsawo daidai da Ali. He is exactly as tall as Ali.
Not as...as ba ... kamar ... ba Ba shi da tsawo kamar Ali. He is not as tall as Ali.
Superlative mafi + quality Shi ne mafi tsawo. He is the tallest.
Superlative of group fi kowa + quality Ya fi kowa tsawo. He is the tallest.
Superlative with group mafi + quality + a cikin... Shi ne mafi tsawo a cikin ajin. He is the tallest in the class.
Least mafi ƙaranci / mafi ƙarancin Yana da mafi ƙarancin kuɗi. He has the least money.
More and more ƙara + quality/verb Yana ƙara girma. It is getting bigger.
<>15- RELATIVE CLAUSES<>
who (m.) wanda
who (f.) wadda
who (plural) waɗanda
which/that da
where inda
when lokacin da
why dalilin da ya sa
what abin da
Full subject Noun + da + subject marker + verb mutumin da ya zo mutum + n + da + ya + zo the man who came
Full object Noun + da + subject + verb mutumin da na gani mutum + n + da + na + gani the man whom I saw
Full possessive Noun + da + possessed noun + possessive + verb mutumin da ɗansa ya zo mutum + n + da + ɗan + sa + ya + zo the man whose son came
Full location Noun + da + subject + locative expression gidan da yake zaune a ciki gida + n + da + yake + zaune + a ciki the house in which he lives
Reduced / descriptive Noun + mai + noun/action mutumin mai aiki mutum + n + mai + aiki the working man / man who works
Reduced possession Noun + mai + possessed thing matar mai kuɗi mace → matar + mai + kuɗi the woman who has money
Reduced quality Noun + mai + quality noun mutumin mai hankali mutum + n + mai + hankali the intelligent man
<>16- REPORTED SPEECH AND DIRECT SPEECH<>
Direct Speech: Subject + reporting verb + "exact words"
Reported Speech: Subject + reporting verb + cewa + reported clause
Statement ce cewa
Ya ce cewa ya zo
Negative statement ce cewa ba...ba
Ya ce cewa ba ya zuwa
Yes/no question tambaya ko
Ya tambaya ko za ka zo
WH question tambaya + WH word
Ya tambaya inda kake
Command ce masa ya + verb
Ya ce masa ya zo
Negative command ce masa kada ya + verb
Ya ce masa kada ya tafi
Request roƙa + in/ya + verb
Ya roƙe ni in taimaka
Advice ba da shawara
Ya ba ni shawara in tafi
Promise yi alkawari cewa
Ya yi alkawari cewa zai zo
Thought yi tunanin cewa
Ya yi tunanin cewa zai ci nasara
<>17- INFINITIVES AND VERBAL NOUNS<>
reading karatu verbal noun
eating cin abinci verbal noun
to learn koyon verbal noun
to go (purpose) domin tafiya domin + action
to buy don saya/sayen don + verb
I like reading Ina son karatu son + verbal noun
I stopped working Na daina aiki daina + noun
Continue studying Ci gaba da karatu ci gaba da + noun
I plan to eat Ina shirin cin abinci shiri + noun
Happy seeing you Ina farin cikin ganin ka farin ciki + noun
I am happy seeing you Ina farin cikin ganinka. gani → ganin + ka
I am happy to see you Ina farin cikin ganinka. infinitive uses verbal noun
I plan to eat Ina shirin cin. ci → cin
I plan eating Ina shirin cin. same verbal noun structure
I see him run Ina ganinsa ya yi gudu. gani + object + ya + verb
I see him running Ina ganinsa yana gudu. gani + object + yana + verb
I eat to play Ina cin abinci domin yin wasa. domin + verbal noun
<>18- SUBJUNCTIVE<>
want someone to ina so + subject + verb Ina so ya zo
need someone to ina bukatar + subject + verb Ina bukatar ka taimaka
should ya kamata + subject + verb Ya kamata ka tafi
let him bari + subject + verb Bari ya zo
let's mu + verb Mu tafi
so that domin/don + subject + verb Na zo domin in gani
negative kada + subject + verb Kada ya tafi
maybe watakila + subject + verb Watakila ya zo
hypothetical da + clause + da + clause Da na sani, da na zo
<>19- TAG QUESTIONS<>
You are coming, aren't you? Kana zuwa, ko?
He is a teacher, isn't he? Shi malami ne, ko?
She came, didn't she? Ta zo, ko?
They will go, won't they? Za su tafi, ko?
You don't know, do you? Ba ka sani ba, ko?
It is good, isn't it? Yana da kyau, ba haka ba?
Aren't you coming? Ba ka zuwa ba?
Don't you know? Ba ka sani ba?
Isn't he working? Ba ya aiki ba?
Isn't she coming? Ba ta zuwa ba?
Didn't they go? Ba su tafi ba?
Won't you come? Ba za ka zo ba?
Can't you do it? Ba za ka iya yi ba?
Don't you have money? Ba ka da kuɗi?
<>20- MODAL WORDS<>
Hausa Transliteration Meaning Example
iya iya can; be able to Ina iya karatu. — Ina iya karatu. — I can read.
za iya za iya can / will be able to Zan iya zuwa. — Zan iya zuwa. — I can/will be able to go.
ba zai iya ba ba zai iya ba cannot Ba zai iya zuwa ba. — Ba zai iya zuwa ba. — He cannot come.
yiwu yiwu possible / may be possible Yana yiwuwa. — Yana yiwuwa. — It is possible.
yiwuwa yiwuwa possibility / possible Yana yiwuwa ya zo. — Yana yiwuwa ya zo. — He may come.
mai yiwuwa mai yiwuwa possible / likely Hakan mai yiwuwa ne. — Hakan mai yiwuwa ne. — That is possible.
2. Necessity / obligation
Hausa Transliteration Meaning Example
dole dole must; have to Dole in tafi. — Dole in tafi. — I must go.
tilas tilas must; compulsory Tilas ka tafi. — Tilas ka tafi. — You must go.
wajibi wajibi obligatory; necessary Wajibi ne mu tafi. — Wajibi ne mu tafi. — We must go.
wajibi ne wajibi ne it is necessary/obligatory Wajibi ne ka karanta. — Wajibi ne ka karanta. — You must read it.
ya kamata ya kamata should; ought to Ya kamata ka tafi. — Ya kamata ka tafi. — You should go.
ya zama dole ya zama dole it is necessary / must Ya zama dole mu yi aiki. — Ya zama dole mu yi aiki. — We must work.
3. Permission
Hausa Transliteration Meaning Example
iya iya may / be allowed to Za ka iya shiga. — Za ka iya shiga. — You may/can enter.
yarda yarda allow; agree Na yarda ka tafi. — Na yarda ka tafi. — I allow you to go.
amince amince permit; approve; consent Na amince ka tafi. — Na amince ka tafi. — I consent to your going.
izini izini permission Ka ba ni izini. — Ka ba ni izini. — Give me permission.
da izinin da izinin with permission of Da izinin malam. — Da izinin malam. — With the teacher's permission.
4. Probability / possibility
Hausa Transliteration Meaning Example
wataƙila wataƙila perhaps; maybe Wataƙila zai zo. — Wataƙila zai zo. — Perhaps he will come.
kila kila perhaps; maybe Kila ya tafi. — Kila ya tafi. — Maybe he has gone.
mai yiwuwa mai yiwuwa possibly; likely Mai yiwuwa ya zo. — Mai yiwuwa ya zo. — He may come.
yiwuwa yiwuwa possibility Yiwuwa ya zo. — Yiwuwa ya zo. — It is possible that he will come.
ko ko perhaps / or, in some contexts Ko zai zo. — Ko zai zo. — Perhaps he will come.
watakila watakila maybe / perhaps Watakila gobe. — Watakila gobe. — Maybe tomorrow.
5. Certainty
Hausa Transliteration Meaning
lallai lallai certainly; surely
tabbas tabbas certainly; definitely
hakika hakika indeed; certainly
babu shakka babu shakka undoubtedly; without doubt
ko shakka babu ko shakka babu without any doubt
da gaske da gaske really; truly
tabbas ne tabbas ne it is certain
lallai ne lallai ne it is certainly so
Examples:
Tabbas zai zo.
Tabbas zai zo.
He will definitely come.
Babu shakka zai ci nasara.
Babu shakka zai ci nasara.
There is no doubt that he will succeed.
6. Advice / recommendation
Hausa Transliteration Meaning
ya kamata ya kamata should; ought to
ya dace ya dace should; be appropriate
ya fi kyau ya fi kyau it would be better
ya kamata a ya kamata a one should
ya dace a ya dace a one ought to / it is appropriate to
Examples:
Ya kamata ka yi karatu.
Ya kamata ka yi karatu.
You should study.
Ya fi kyau mu tafi yanzu.
Ya fi kyau mu tafi yanzu.
It would be better for us to leave now.
7. Desire / volition
These are not always classified as “modal auxiliaries,” but they express volitional modality.
Hausa Transliteration Meaning
so so want
son son wanting / desire to
ƙi ƙi refuse; be unwilling
yarda yarda agree; be willing
nufi nufi intend; mean
niyya niyya intention
aniya aniya intention; determination
Examples:
Ina so in tafi.
Ina so in tafi.
I want to go.
Ya ƙi ya tafi.
Ya ƙi ya tafi.
He refused to go.
Ina niyyar tafiya.
Ina niyyar tafiya.
I intend to travel.
8. Intention / future
Hausa Transliteration Meaning
za za will / going to
zai zai he will / he is going to
za ta za ta she will
zan zan I will
za ka za ka you will
za ki za ki you will (f.)
za mu za mu we will
za ku za ku you will (pl.)
za su za su they will
Examples:
Zan tafi. — Zan tafi. — I will go.
Zai zo. — Zai zo. — He will come.
Za mu yi aiki. — Za mu yi aiki. — We will work.
9. Conditional / hypothetical modality
Hausa Transliteration Meaning
idan idan if
in in if
da da if / would, in certain constructions
da ace da ace if only / suppose that
ko da ko da even if
sai sai unless / only then / except
in ba haka ba in ba haka ba otherwise
Examples:
Idan ka zo, zan tafi.
Idan ka zo, zan tafi.
If you come, I will go.
Ko da ya zo, ba zan tafi ba.
Ko da ya zo, ba zan tafi ba.
Even if he comes, I will not go.
In ba haka ba, za mu jira.
In ba haka ba, za mu jira.
Otherwise, we will wait.
10. Prohibition / negative obligation
Hausa Transliteration Meaning
kada kada don't; must not
kar kar don't / must not
kada ka kada ka you must not / don't
kada ki kada ki you must not / don't (f.)
kada ku kada ku you must not / don't (pl.)
kada su kada su they must not
Examples:
Kada ka tafi.
Kada ka tafi.
Don't go. / You must not go.
Kada ku yi haka.
Kada ku yi haka.
Don't do that.
Kar ka manta.
Kar ka manta.
Don't forget.
11. Lack of ability / impossibility
Hausa Transliteration Meaning
ba zai iya ba ba zai iya ba cannot
ba ta iya ba ba ta iya ba she cannot
ba za su iya ba ba za su iya ba they cannot
ba zai yiwu ba ba zai yiwu ba it is impossible
ba ta yiwu ba ba ta yiwu ba it is not possible
ba zai yiwuwa ba ba zai yiwuwa ba it will not be possible
Example:
Ba zai yiwu ba.
Ba zai yiwu ba.
It is impossible / It won't be possible.
12. Obligation + negation
Hausa Meaning
ba dole ba ne it is not necessary
ba tilas ba ne it is not compulsory
ba lallai ba ne it is not necessarily so
ba a bukatar it is not required
ba sai ka... ba you don't have to...
Example:
Ba sai ka tafi ba.
Ba sai ka tafi ba.
You don't have to go.
13. “Must” vs “should” vs “can” vs “may”
English Hausa Example
can iya Ina iya iyo. — I can swim.
be able to iya Zan iya yin hakan. — I will be able to do that.
may (permission) iya / yarda Za ka iya shiga. — You may enter.
may (possibility) wataƙila / kila / yiwuwa Wataƙila zai zo. — He may come.
might wataƙila / kila Kila zai zo. — He might come.
must dole / tilas Dole ka tafi. — You must go.
have to dole / ya zama dole Dole in yi aiki. — I have to work.
should ya kamata Ya kamata ka tafi. — You should go.
ought to ya dace / ya kamata Ya dace ka tafi. — You ought to go.
will za Zan tafi. — I will go.
would conditional constructions Da na sani, da na zo. — If I had known, I would have come.
must not kada / kar Kada ka tafi. — You must not go.
don't have to ba sai...ba Ba sai ka tafi ba. — You don't have to go.
<>21- THERE IS / HAVE / BE<>
Akwai ruwa There is water
Akwai gida There is a house
Akwai gidaje There are houses
Akwai mutum There is a person
Akwai mutane There are people
Babu ruwa There is no water
Babu matsala There is no problem
Akwai? Is there? / Are there?
Ina da = I have
Kana da = you have
Yana da = he has
Tana da = she has
Muna da = we have
Suna da = they have
Ba ni da kuɗi. I don't have money.
Kana da kuɗi? Do you have money?
IMPERATIVES:
Command verb Zo!
Command + object verb + object Karanta littafi!
Polite command don Allah + verb Don Allah zo
Plural command ku + verb Ku zo
Negative command kada + ka/ki/ku + verb Kada ka tafi
Let's mu + verb Mu tafi
Let him/her bari + ya/ta + verb Bari ya zo
A yi Let it be done
A buɗe Let it be opened
A rufe Let it be closed
A karanta Let it be read
A rubuta Let it be written
A taimake Let help be given
Kada a manta Do not let it be forgotten