English "or" puts two possibilities side by side and leaves the choice open: tea or coffee, today or tomorrow. Hausa does this with one short word, ko (Ajami كٛو). It stands between the alternatives, exactly as in English: shayi ko kofi, "tea or coffee"; yau ko gobe, "today or tomorrow".
After that start, Hausa uses ko for far more than English uses "or". Doubled, it means "either … or" (ko Audu ko Musa, "either Audu or Musa"). Joined to a clause and its negative, it means "whether … or not" (ko ka zo ko ba ka zo ba, "whether you come or not"). At the end of a sentence it works as a question tag, like English "…, haven't you?" At the start of a question it asks gently, like "I wonder whether…" or "Have you perhaps…?" In front of a noun it can mean "even" (ko shugaban ƙasa, "even the head of state"). Fused with question words it forms Hausa's indefinites: kowa "everyone, anyone", komai "everything", ko'ina "everywhere", ko yaushe "whenever, always".
ko never changes its form. It does not agree with anything and takes no endings. What changes is the structure around it, and that structure is what this lesson teaches.
Orthographic note: in standard Boko (Latin-script) spelling, tone and vowel length are not written, so the word is simply ko. Dictionaries that mark length write it kō, with a long vowel. The ko- at the start of kowa, komai, ko'ina is the same element, but there it has fused with a question word into a single word, and is written joined (or with an apostrophe, as in ko'ina). Read those words whole, not as "or" + a second word.
FAQ: What does "ko" mean in Hausa? Ko is the Hausa conjunction meaning "or". It links alternatives (ruwa ko madara, "water or milk") and, doubled, means "either … or" (ko … ko). It also introduces "whether" clauses, acts as a question tag ("…, ko?" = "…, isn't it?"), softens a question when placed first, and can mean "even". It is the first element of the indefinite words kowa (everyone), komai (everything) and ko'ina (everywhere).
- ko = "or"; it stands between the alternatives, as in English: shayi ko kofi. - ko … ko = "either … or"; ko dai … ko kuwa is the fuller, more emphatic form. - ko … ko ba … ba = "whether … or not"; ko babu = "or not" (of having or existing). - Sentence-final ko? is a tag question; sentence-initial ko introduces a tentative question. - ko kuma = "or else, or rather"; ko da = "even if"; and kowa, komai, ko'ina, ko yaushe are built from ko.
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ko is pronounced like the co of Italian come, held long: /kóː/, with a long vowel and high tone (dictionary form kō). As a tag at the end of a sentence (…, ko?) it carries the question intonation of the whole sentence.
Hausa has two basic tones (high and low) and a falling tone on long syllables, and it distinguishes short from long vowels. Standard spelling marks none of these. Line b of every example in this lesson gives a segmental IPA guide, showing consonants and vowel qualities, and does not mark tone or length. Learn the melody of each word by ear from native speech (BBC Hausa, VOA Hausa).
Sounds in this lesson that do not exist in English:
- ɗ /ɗ/ — implosive d, the air drawn inward: ɗaya (one), ɗari (hundred), ɗakin (the room), gyaɗa (groundnut), kuɗi (money) - ƙ /kʼ/ — ejective k, a sharp popped k: ƙi (hate) in Section F - gy /ɟ/ — a g made with the tongue against the hard palate: gyaɗa - ' /ʔ/ — glottal stop: a'a (no), ko'ina (everywhere) - r — Hausa has a rolled r and a flapped r. Both are written r and are shown here as /r/.
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31.1a Shayi tea ko or kofi coffee
31.1b Shayi /ʃaji/ tea ko /ko/ or.CONJ kofi /kofi/ coffee
31.2a Ruwa water ko or madara milk
31.2b Ruwa /ruwa/ water ko /ko/ or.CONJ madara /madara/ milk
31.3a Yau today ko or gobe tomorrow
31.3b Yau /jau/ today.ADV ko /ko/ or.CONJ gobe /ɡobe/ tomorrow.ADV
31.4a Ɗaya one ko or biyu two
31.4b Ɗaya /ɗaja/ one.NUM ko /ko/ or.CONJ biyu /biju/ two.NUM
31.5a Yaro boy ko or yarinya girl
31.5b Yaro /jaro/ boy.M ko /ko/ or.CONJ yarinya /jarinja/ girl.F
31.6a Kana you-are son wanting shayi tea ko or kofi coffee
31.6b Kana /kana/ 2SG.M.CONT son /son/ want.VN-LNK shayi /ʃaji/ tea ko /ko/ or.CONJ kofi /kofi/ coffee
31.7a Za will mu we tafi go yau today ko or gobe tomorrow
31.7b Za /za/ FUT mu /mu/ 1PL tafi /tafi/ go yau /jau/ today.ADV ko /ko/ or.CONJ gobe /ɡobe/ tomorrow.ADV
31.8a Yana he-is zuwa going makaranta school da in safe morning ko or da in yamma afternoon
31.8b Yana /jana/ 3SG.M.CONT zuwa /zuwa/ go.VN makaranta /makaranta/ school da /da/ at.PREP safe /safe/ morning ko /ko/ or.CONJ da /da/ at.PREP yamma /jamma/ afternoon
31.9a Ko either Audu Audu ko or Musa Musa zai he-will zo come gobe tomorrow
31.9b Ko /ko/ either.CONJ Audu /audu/ Audu.NAME ko /ko/ or.CONJ Musa /musa/ Musa.NAME zai /zai/ 3SG.M.FUT zo /zo/ come gobe /ɡobe/ tomorrow.ADV
31.10a Kin you-have gama finished aikin the-work ko not-so
31.10b Kin /kin/ 2SG.F.PERF gama /ɡama/ finish aikin /aikin/ work-DEF ko /ko/ TAG.Q
31.11a Ban I-did-not sani know ba not ko whether ya he tafi went ko or bai he-did-not tafi go ba not
31.11b Ban /ban/ 1SG.NEG.PERF sani /sani/ know ba /ba/ NEG ko /ko/ whether.CONJ ya /ja/ 3SG.M.PERF tafi /tafi/ go ko /ko/ or.CONJ bai /bai/ 3SG.M.NEG.PERF tafi /tafi/ go ba /ba/ NEG
31.12a Ko whether ka you zo come ko or ba not ka you zo come ba not za will mu we fara begin aiki work
31.12b Ko /ko/ whether.CONJ ka /ka/ 2SG.M.PERF zo /zo/ come ko /ko/ or.CONJ ba /ba/ NEG ka /ka/ 2SG.M.PERF zo /zo/ come ba /ba/ NEG za /za/ FUT mu /mu/ 1PL fara /fara/ begin aiki /aiki/ work
31.13a Ka you yi do shiru silence ko or kuma else ka you fita go-out daga from ɗakin the-room
31.13b Ka /ka/ 2SG.M.SUBJ yi /ji/ do shiru /ʃiru/ silence ko /ko/ or.CONJ kuma /kuma/ also/else.ADV ka /ka/ 2SG.M.SUBJ fita /fita/ go-out daga /daɡa/ from.PREP ɗakin /ɗakin/ room-DEF
31.14a Ko either dai indeed ka you ci eat abinci food yanzu now ko or kuwa else ka you jira wait har until dare night
31.14b Ko /ko/ either.CONJ dai /dai/ indeed.PTCL ka /ka/ 2SG.M.SUBJ ci /tʃi/ eat abinci /abintʃi/ food yanzu /janzu/ now.ADV ko /ko/ or.CONJ kuwa /kuwa/ moreover.PTCL ka /ka/ 2SG.M.SUBJ jira /dʒira/ wait har /har/ until.PREP dare /dare/ night
31.15a Ko perhaps ka you kammala completed aikin the-work da that na I sanya set ka you
31.15b Ko /ko/ Q.PTCL ka /ka/ 2SG.M.PERF kammala /kammala/ complete aikin /aikin/ work-DEF da /da/ REL na /na/ 1SG.PERF sanya /sanja/ put/assign ka /ka/ 2SG.M.DO
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31.1 Shayi ko kofi? → "Tea or coffee?"
31.2 Ruwa ko madara? → "Water or milk?"
31.3 Yau ko gobe? → "Today or tomorrow?"
31.4 Ɗaya ko biyu? → "One or two?"
31.5 Yaro ko yarinya? → "A boy or a girl?"
31.6 Kana son shayi ko kofi? → "Would you like tea or coffee?"
31.7 Za mu tafi yau ko gobe? → "Shall we go today or tomorrow?"
31.8 Yana zuwa makaranta da safe ko da yamma. → "He goes to school in the morning or in the afternoon."
31.9 Ko Audu ko Musa zai zo gobe. → "Either Audu or Musa will come tomorrow."
31.10 Kin gama aikin, ko? → "You've finished the work, haven't you?"
31.11 Ban sani ba ko ya tafi ko bai tafi ba. → "I don't know whether he has gone or not."
31.12 Ko ka zo ko ba ka zo ba, za mu fara aiki. → "Whether you come or not, we are going to start work."
31.13 Ka yi shiru, ko kuma ka fita daga ɗakin. → "Be quiet, or else leave the room."
31.14 Ko dai ka ci abinci yanzu, ko kuwa ka jira har dare. → "Either eat now, or else wait until night."
31.15 Ko ka kammala aikin da na sanya ka? → "Have you finished the work I set you?"
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31.1 Shayi ko kofi?
31.2 Ruwa ko madara?
31.3 Yau ko gobe?
31.4 Ɗaya ko biyu?
31.5 Yaro ko yarinya?
31.6 Kana son shayi ko kofi?
31.7 Za mu tafi yau ko gobe?
31.8 Yana zuwa makaranta da safe ko da yamma.
31.9 Ko Audu ko Musa zai zo gobe.
31.10 Kin gama aikin, ko?
31.11 Ban sani ba ko ya tafi ko bai tafi ba.
31.12 Ko ka zo ko ba ka zo ba, za mu fara aiki.
31.13 Ka yi shiru, ko kuma ka fita daga ɗakin.
31.14 Ko dai ka ci abinci yanzu, ko kuwa ka jira har dare.
31.15 Ko ka kammala aikin da na sanya ka?
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These are the grammar rules for ko in Hausa:
1. Simple alternatives: X ko Y. Ko stands between the two alternatives. They can be nouns (31.1, 31.2, 31.5), numbers (31.4), adverbs of time (31.3, 31.7) or whole phrases (da safe ko da yamma, 31.8). When the alternatives are phrases, each keeps its own preposition: da safe ko da yamma, not da safe ko yamma.
2. Alternative questions. Hausa asks "X or Y?" with no special word order. The statement becomes a question by intonation alone: Kana son shayi ko kofi? (31.6).
3. "Either … or": ko X ko Y. Putting ko before the first alternative as well as the second makes the choice explicit and exclusive: Ko Audu ko Musa zai zo (31.9). The fuller form ko dai … ko kuwa ("either indeed … or else", 31.14) is emphatic and common in careful and written Hausa. It is the pattern of the Bible verse in Section F. Dai is an emphatic particle and kuwa a particle of contrast. Neither has a one-word English equivalent.
4. "Whether … or not". Ko introduces a "whether" clause, and the alternative is the negative of that clause: - ko ya tafi ko bai tafi ba — whether he went or not (31.11) - ko ka zo ko ba ka zo ba — whether you come or not (31.12) The negative keeps the full Hausa negative frame ba … ba, with its closing ba at the end. For having and existing, use ko babu "or not" (literally "or there is none"): Kana da mai ko babu? "Do you have oil or not?" (31.19).
5. The tag ko? At the end of a statement, ko? asks for confirmation, like "…, haven't you?", "…, isn't it?", or French n'est-ce pas? (31.10, 31.21, 31.27). Unlike English tags, it never changes: one form serves every person and tense.
6. Question-initial ko. At the start of a question, ko makes it tentative or polite: "Have you perhaps…?", "I wonder whether…" (31.15, 31.22, 31.25). Ko kana da canji? is softer than Kana da canji?
7. Ko kuma "or else, or rather". Between clauses, ko kuma gives the alternative, often as a warning: Ka yi shiru, ko kuma ka fita (31.13).
8. Ko da "even if". Ko da ka ba ni dubu biyar "even if you give me five thousand" (31.26). Ko by itself before a noun can also mean "even": ko shugaban ƙasa "even the head of state".
9. Indefinites built on ko. These are written as one word, or with an apostrophe: - kowa — everyone, anyone (31.27, 31.28) - komai (also kome) — everything, anything - kowane (m.) / kowace (f.) — every, each - ko'ina — everywhere, anywhere - ko yaushe (also written koyaushe) — whenever; always (31.30)
10. Subject pronouns used with ko in this lesson (the pronoun carries the tense and aspect; the verb does not change): - Perfective (completed): na, ka, kin, ya, ta, mun, kun, sun - Negative perfective: ban … ba, ba ka … ba, bai … ba, ba ta … ba - Continuous: ina, kana, yana, tana, suna; with a question word or focus: nake, kake - Future: zan, za ka, zai, za mu - Subjunctive (commands and wishes): ka, ki, ya, mu
Mistake 1: using da for "or". Da means "and, with". Shayi da kofi is "tea and coffee" (both); shayi ko kofi is "tea or coffee" (one of them).
Mistake 2: dropping the final ba. In "whether … or not", the negative half needs both parts of the negative: ko bai tafi ba, never ko bai tafi.
Mistake 3: dropping the repeated preposition. Da safe ko da yamma, not da safe ko yamma.
Mistake 4: translating English "or" in negative sentences word for word. English "I didn't see Audu or Musa" is Hausa Ban ga Audu ko Musa ba: ko inside the negative frame gives the sense "neither … nor".
Mistake 5: reading ko- in kowa as a separate "or". Kowa yana ci means "everyone eats", not "or who eats".
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Frequency and register. Ko is among the most frequent function words in Hausa. It is used in every register, from market bargaining to radio news and scripture. Its many jobs ("or", "whether", "even", the tag, the tentative question) all appear in everyday speech, so learners meet all of them from the first week.
Choice in the market. Hausa commerce is built on offered choices: shinkafa ko wake? (rice or beans?), ɗaya ko biyu? (one or two?), yanzu ko gobe? (now or tomorrow?). The Genre Section follows one such exchange. A seller who offers alternatives with ko is being courteous, because the buyer gets the last word.
Politeness. A question opened with ko (Ko za ka taimake ni? "Could you perhaps help me?") is gentler than the bare question. It is the usual way to ask a favour of an elder or a stranger. The tag …, ko? invites agreement and is friendly rather than challenging.
Fixed expressions. Ko da yake "although" is frequent in writing. Ko kaɗan "(not) in the least" appears in negative sentences: Ban gaji ba ko kaɗan "I'm not tired in the least". Ko yaushe "always, whenever" appears in greetings and in the welcome maraba (31.30).
Varieties. Ko has the same form and uses in the Kano standard, across northern Nigeria and in Niger. This lesson follows the Kano standard used by BBC Hausa and in schools.
Ajami. In Ajami the word is written كٛو, as in Lesson 29 (29.28). Ajami spelling conventions vary between writers and regions, and this lesson gives its examples in Boko only.
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Matthew 6:24 (Matiyu 6:24), Littafi Mai Tsarki, the Hausa Bible (Bible Society of Nigeria, 1979 edition).
The Hausa Bible is one of the most widely read books in Hausa prose. This verse, "No one can serve two masters", sets out a strict choice in the ko dai … ko kuwa form: "either … or else".
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Ba not mai one-who iya can bauta serve wa to iyayengiji masters biyu two
F.1b Ba /ba/ NEG mai /mai/ one-who.REL iya /ija/ be-able bauta /bauta/ serve wa /wa/ to.IO iyayengiji /ijajenɡidʒi/ master.PL biyu /biju/ two.NUM
F.2a ko either dai indeed ya he ƙi hate ɗaya one ya he so love ɗaya one
F.2b ko /ko/ either.CONJ dai /dai/ indeed.PTCL ya /ja/ 3SG.M.SUBJ ƙi /kʼi/ hate ɗaya /ɗaja/ one.NUM ya /ja/ 3SG.M.SUBJ so /so/ love ɗaya /ɗaja/ one.NUM
F.3a ko or kuwa else ya he amince be-faithful wa to ɗayan the-one ya he raina despise ɗayan the-other
F.3b ko /ko/ or.CONJ kuwa /kuwa/ moreover.PTCL ya /ja/ 3SG.M.SUBJ amince /amintʃe/ trust/be-loyal wa /wa/ to.IO ɗayan /ɗajan/ one-DEF ya /ja/ 3SG.M.SUBJ raina /raina/ despise ɗayan /ɗajan/ one-DEF
F.4a Ba not dama possible ku you bauta serve wa to Allah God da and dukiya wealth gaba front ɗaya one
F.4b Ba /ba/ NEG dama /dama/ possibility ku /ku/ 2PL.SUBJ bauta /bauta/ serve wa /wa/ to.IO Allah /allah/ God da /da/ and.CONJ dukiya /dukija/ wealth gaba /ɡaba/ front ɗaya /ɗaja/ one.NUM
F-B: Original → Translation
Ba mai iya bauta wa iyayengiji biyu; ko dai ya ƙi ɗaya, ya so ɗaya, ko kuwa ya amince wa ɗayan, ya raina ɗayan. Ba dama ku bauta wa Allah da dukiya gaba ɗaya.
→ "No one can serve two masters: either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth together."
F-C: Original Only
Ba mai iya bauta wa iyayengiji biyu; ko dai ya ƙi ɗaya, ya so ɗaya, ko kuwa ya amince wa ɗayan, ya raina ɗayan. Ba dama ku bauta wa Allah da dukiya gaba ɗaya.
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
- ko dai … ko kuwa frames the two halves of the choice. Each half is a pair of subjunctive clauses (ya ƙi … ya so; ya amince … ya raina). The subjunctive ya here expresses a consequence ("he would, he must") rather than a completed event. - ɗaya … ɗaya "the one … the other" and ɗayan … ɗayan (with the definite -n) mirror each other across the two halves. The translator uses the bare form in the first half and the definite form in the second, which gives the verse its balance. - Ba mai iya … "there is no one who can …": mai "one who (has, does)" followed by a verb. - Ba dama "there is no possibility (that)", followed by a subjunctive: ba dama ku bauta "you cannot serve". - gaba ɗaya "together, at one and the same time", literally "front one". - The translator's dukiya "wealth, riches" renders the Greek mamōnas. The Hausa reader gets a plain everyday word where the English tradition keeps the loanword "mammon".
The verse is a model of the ko construction at its strongest: two alternatives, no third way. It is also a model of Hausa prose rhythm, built on short parallel clauses without subordinate conjunctions.
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Musa goes to the grain seller Malam Sani for rice. Every line of their exchange turns on a choice, so ko occurs in all of them: plain "or", the tag question, the tentative question, "or not", "even if", and the indefinites kowa and ko yaushe.
31.16a Barka blessing da with safe morning Me what kake you-are so wanting shinkafa rice ko or wake beans
31.16b Barka /barka/ blessing da /da/ with.PREP safe /safe/ morning Me /me/ what.Q kake /kake/ 2SG.M.REL.CONT so /so/ want.VN shinkafa /ʃinkafa/ rice ko /ko/ or.CONJ wake /wake/ beans
31.17a Shinkafa rice nake I-am so wanting Nawa how-much ne is mudu measure ɗari hundred biyar five ko or ɗari hundred shida six
31.17b Shinkafa /ʃinkafa/ rice.FOC nake /nake/ 1SG.REL.CONT so /so/ want.VN Nawa /nawa/ how-much.Q ne /ne/ COP.M mudu /mudu/ measure ɗari /ɗari/ hundred.NUM biyar /bijar/ five.NUM ko /ko/ or.CONJ ɗari /ɗari/ hundred.NUM shida /ʃida/ six.NUM
31.18a Mudu measure ɗaya one ɗari hundred shida six ne is Za will ka you ɗauki take ɗaya one ko or biyu two
31.18b Mudu /mudu/ measure ɗaya /ɗaja/ one.NUM ɗari /ɗari/ hundred.NUM shida /ʃida/ six.NUM ne /ne/ COP.M Za /za/ FUT ka /ka/ 2SG.M ɗauki /ɗauki/ take ɗaya /ɗaja/ one.NUM ko /ko/ or.CONJ biyu /biju/ two.NUM
31.19a Biyu two Kana you-are da with mai oil ko or babu there-is-none
31.19b Biyu /biju/ two.NUM Kana /kana/ 2SG.M.CONT da /da/ with.PREP mai /mai/ oil ko /ko/ or.CONJ babu /babu/ NEG.EXIST
31.20a Akwai there-is Kana you-are son wanting man oil-of gyaɗa groundnut ko or manja palm-oil
31.20b Akwai /akwai/ EXIST Kana /kana/ 2SG.M.CONT son /son/ want.VN-LNK man /man/ oil-LNK gyaɗa /ɟaɗa/ groundnut ko /ko/ or.CONJ manja /mandʒa/ palm-oil
31.21a Man oil-of gyaɗa groundnut Kwalba bottle ɗaya one ta it-has isa sufficed ko not-so
31.21b Man /man/ oil-LNK gyaɗa /ɟaɗa/ groundnut Kwalba /kwalba/ bottle.F ɗaya /ɗaja/ one.NUM ta /ta/ 3SG.F.PERF isa /isa/ suffice ko /ko/ TAG.Q
31.22a Ta it-has isa sufficed Ko perhaps kana you-are son wanting tumatir tomatoes kuma also
31.22b Ta /ta/ 3SG.F.PERF isa /isa/ suffice Ko /ko/ Q.PTCL kana /kana/ 2SG.M.CONT son /son/ want.VN-LNK tumatir /tumatir/ tomato kuma /kuma/ also.ADV
31.23a A'a no Tumatir tomatoes ko or albasa onions duk all suna they-are gida home
31.23b A'a /ʔaʔa/ no.INTJ Tumatir /tumatir/ tomato ko /ko/ or.CONJ albasa /albasa/ onion duk /duk/ all.QUANT suna /suna/ 3PL.CONT gida /ɡida/ home
31.24a To well Za will ka you biya pay yanzu now ko or gobe tomorrow
31.24b To /to/ well.INTJ Za /za/ FUT ka /ka/ 2SG.M biya /bija/ pay yanzu /janzu/ now.ADV ko /ko/ or.CONJ gobe /ɡobe/ tomorrow.ADV
31.25a Yanzu now Ko perhaps kana you-are da with canji change
31.25b Yanzu /janzu/ now.ADV Ko /ko/ Q.PTCL kana /kana/ 2SG.M.CONT da /da/ with.PREP canji /tʃandʒi/ change(money)
31.26a Ina I-am da with canji change ko even da if ka you ba give ni me dubu thousand biyar five
31.26b Ina /ina/ 1SG.CONT da /da/ with.PREP canji /tʃandʒi/ change(money) ko /ko/ even.CONJ da /da/ if/with ka /ka/ 2SG.M.PERF ba /ba/ give ni /ni/ 1SG.IO dubu /dubu/ thousand.NUM biyar /bijar/ five.NUM
31.27a Ga here-is dubu thousand biyu two Kowa everyone yana he-is sayen buying shinkafa rice yau today ko not-so
31.27b Ga /ɡa/ PRESENTATIVE dubu /dubu/ thousand.NUM biyu /biju/ two.NUM Kowa /kowa/ everyone.INDEF yana /jana/ 3SG.M.CONT sayen /sajen/ buy.VN-LNK shinkafa /ʃinkafa/ rice yau /jau/ today.ADV ko /ko/ TAG.Q
31.28a Haka thus ne it-is Ko whether talaka poor-man ko or mai owner-of kuɗi money kowa everyone yana he-is ci eating
31.28b Haka /haka/ thus.ADV ne /ne/ COP.M Ko /ko/ whether.CONJ talaka /talaka/ commoner/poor ko /ko/ or.CONJ mai /mai/ owner.LNK kuɗi /kuɗi/ money kowa /kowa/ everyone.INDEF yana /jana/ 3SG.M.CONT ci /tʃi/ eat.VN
31.29a Na I-have gode thanked Zan I-will dawo return gobe tomorrow ko or jibi day-after-tomorrow
31.29b Na /na/ 1SG.PERF gode /ɡode/ thank Zan /zan/ 1SG.FUT dawo /dawo/ come-back gobe /ɡobe/ tomorrow.ADV ko /ko/ or.CONJ jibi /dʒibi/ day-after-tomorrow.ADV
31.30a Madalla excellent Ko ever yaushe when ka you zo come maraba welcome da with kai you
31.30b Madalla /madalla/ excellent.INTJ Ko /ko/ INDEF yaushe /jauʃe/ when.Q ka /ka/ 2SG.M.PERF zo /zo/ come maraba /maraba/ welcome da /da/ with.PREP kai /kai/ 2SG.M.INDEP
31.16 Malam Sani: Barka da safe! Me kake so, shinkafa ko wake? → "Good morning! What would you like, rice or beans?"
31.17 Musa: Shinkafa nake so. Nawa ne mudu, ɗari biyar ko ɗari shida? → "Rice is what I want. How much is a measure, five hundred or six hundred?"
31.18 Malam Sani: Mudu ɗaya ɗari shida ne. Za ka ɗauki ɗaya ko biyu? → "One measure is six hundred. Will you take one or two?"
31.19 Musa: Biyu. Kana da mai ko babu? → "Two. Do you have oil or not?"
31.20 Malam Sani: Akwai. Kana son man gyaɗa ko manja? → "I do. Do you want groundnut oil or palm oil?"
31.21 Musa: Man gyaɗa. Kwalba ɗaya ta isa, ko? → "Groundnut oil. One bottle is enough, isn't it?"
31.22 Malam Sani: Ta isa. Ko kana son tumatir kuma? → "It's enough. Would you perhaps like tomatoes as well?"
31.23 Musa: A'a. Tumatir ko albasa, duk suna gida. → "No. Tomatoes or onions, I've got them all at home."
31.24 Malam Sani: To. Za ka biya yanzu ko gobe? → "All right. Will you pay now or tomorrow?"
31.25 Musa: Yanzu. Ko kana da canji? → "Now. Do you have change, by any chance?"
31.26 Malam Sani: Ina da canji, ko da ka ba ni dubu biyar. → "I have change, even if you give me five thousand."
31.27 Musa: Ga dubu biyu. Kowa yana sayen shinkafa yau, ko? → "Here's two thousand. Everyone's buying rice today, aren't they?"
31.28 Malam Sani: Haka ne. Ko talaka ko mai kuɗi, kowa yana ci. → "That's right. Poor or rich, everyone eats it."
31.29 Musa: Na gode. Zan dawo gobe ko jibi. → "Thank you. I'll be back tomorrow or the day after."
31.30 Malam Sani: Madalla! Ko yaushe ka zo, maraba da kai. → "Excellent! Whenever you come, you're welcome."
31.16 Barka da safe! Me kake so, shinkafa ko wake?
31.17 Shinkafa nake so. Nawa ne mudu, ɗari biyar ko ɗari shida?
31.18 Mudu ɗaya ɗari shida ne. Za ka ɗauki ɗaya ko biyu?
31.19 Biyu. Kana da mai ko babu?
31.20 Akwai. Kana son man gyaɗa ko manja?
31.21 Man gyaɗa. Kwalba ɗaya ta isa, ko?
31.22 Ta isa. Ko kana son tumatir kuma?
31.23 A'a. Tumatir ko albasa, duk suna gida.
31.24 To. Za ka biya yanzu ko gobe?
31.25 Yanzu. Ko kana da canji?
31.26 Ina da canji, ko da ka ba ni dubu biyar.
31.27 Ga dubu biyu. Kowa yana sayen shinkafa yau, ko?
31.28 Haka ne. Ko talaka ko mai kuɗi, kowa yana ci.
31.29 Na gode. Zan dawo gobe ko jibi.
31.30 Madalla! Ko yaushe ka zo, maraba da kai.
- Seven uses of ko in one conversation. Plain "or" (31.16, 31.17, 31.18, 31.20, 31.23, 31.24, 31.29). "Or not" with babu (31.19). The tag …, ko? (31.21, 31.27). The tentative opening Ko …? (31.22, 31.25). "Even if", ko da (31.26). "Whether … or", ko … ko (31.28). The indefinites kowa (31.27, 31.28) and ko yaushe (31.30). - Focus with nake / kake. Me kake so? (31.16) and Shinkafa nake so (31.17) use the relative continuous forms kake, nake. These are required when a question word or a focused word stands before the verb. Compare the neutral Kana son shinkafa?. - so / son. The verbal noun so "wanting" becomes son when an object follows directly: kake so (object fronted) against kana son man gyaɗa (object follows). - Linker -n. man gyaɗa "oil of groundnut": mai "oil" + linker = man. The same linker appears in sayen shinkafa (31.27). - Kwalba … ta isa. Kwalba "bottle" is feminine, so the pronoun is ta (31.21, 31.22). - Money. Prices are counted in naira, with the currency word omitted: ɗari shida "six hundred", dubu biyu "two thousand". A mudu is the standard market measuring bowl for grain. - Maraba da kai "welcome to you": kai is the independent pronoun "you (m.)". To a woman: maraba da ke.
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- ko /kóː/ (dictionary kō): long vowel, high tone. In the fused indefinites the same syllable begins the word: kowa /kóːwáː/ "everyone" (Newman, A Hausa-English Dictionary, 2007). - Hooked letters are separate letters of the alphabet and must always be written: ɗ in ɗaya, ɗari, ɗakin, gyaɗa, kuɗi; ƙ in ƙi. Writing daya for ɗaya is a spelling error, not a simplification. - The apostrophe marks the glottal stop: a'a "no", ko'ina "everywhere". - ny, gy, sh, ts are single sounds written with two letters: yarinya (the n and y run together), gyaɗa /ɟaɗa/, shinkafa /ʃinkafa/. - c is always /tʃ/, as in ci "eat" and canji "change". It is never /k/ or /s/. - Punctuation. Hausa questions take the ordinary question mark. The tag ko is set off by a comma: Kin gama aikin, ko? - Word division. Kowa, komai, kowane and kowace are written as one word. Ko yaushe is written both as two words and as koyaushe. Ko'ina keeps its apostrophe.
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Course Index: [latinum.substack.com/p/index](https://latinum.substack.com/p/index)