English "she" is one small word that changes only to "her" and "hers". Hausa has a whole family of forms for it, and which one you use depends on the job the pronoun is doing in the sentence. The word this lesson teaches is ita (Ajami اِتَ), the independent pronoun "she, her", together with its partner ta, the form that stands before the verb: Ita ce, "it's her"; Ta zo, "she has come"; Tana barci, "she is sleeping".
Hausa marks gender in only two places in its pronoun system: "you" (kai to a man, ke to a woman) and "he / she" (shi / ita). Everything you learned about shi in Lesson 16 has a feminine match, and in most places you simply put a t- where the masculine had a y-:
- ita — the independent pronoun, used alone, for emphasis, and with ce: Ita ce malama, "she is the teacher" - ta, tana, za ta, takan — the subject pronoun, which also carries tense and aspect: ta zo "she came", tana zuwa "she is coming", za ta zo "she will come", takan zo "she usually comes" - ta — the object "her" after a verb: Na gan ta, "I saw her" - mata — the indirect object "to her, for her": Na faɗa mata, "I told her" - -rta / -nta — the possessive "her", joined to a noun: sunanta, "her name"; mahaifiyarta, "her mother"
Hausa does not drop the subject pronoun. Even when the woman has just been named, the verb still needs its ta: Amina ta zo, "Amina (she) has come". English would say "Amina has come"; Hausa says the pronoun every time.
Ita is also "it" when the thing referred to is a feminine noun (Lesson 10): a car (mota), a gown (riga). This lesson keeps to people.
A warning about spelling. ta is one of the busiest little words in Hausa. In Lesson 32 it was the preposition "by, through"; in Lesson 33 (Section F) it was the ta of yi ta, "keep on doing". In this lesson it is "she" and "her". Hausa readers tell them apart by position and by tone, which standard spelling does not show.
FAQ: What does "she" mean in Hausa? "She" is ita when the pronoun stands alone or is emphasised (Ita ce, "It's her"), and ta (with its aspect forms tana, za ta, takan) before a verb (Ta tafi, "She went"). "Her" is ta after a verb (na kira ta), mata for "to her" (na faɗa mata), and -nta / -rta on a noun (gidanta, "her house").
- ita = "she / her" standing alone or emphasised; ta is the subject form before a verb. - The subject form carries aspect: ta (completed), tana (ongoing), za ta (future), takan (habitual), take (ongoing, after ina "where" and other question words). - "Her" has three forms: ta (direct object), mata (indirect object), -nta / -rta (possessive). - With ce: Ita ce … "She is …"; the copula is feminine ce, never ne. - The subject pronoun is never dropped: Amina ta zo, not Amina zo.
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ita is two syllables, /ʔita/, with a light glottal catch before the i, as every Hausa word that is written with an initial vowel has. Both vowels are pure: i as in machine, a as in Italian casa. In standard Kano speech both syllables are high in tone. ta is /ta/, with a clean unaspirated t, closer to French or Spanish t than to English t.
As in the earlier lessons, line b of every example gives a segmental IPA guide: it shows consonants and vowel qualities and does not mark tone or vowel length, which standard spelling also leaves unmarked. The perfective ta ("she has …") is long and high, the subjunctive ta ("that she …") short and low; listen for the difference in native speech (BBC Hausa, VOA Hausa).
Sounds in this lesson that do not exist in English:
- ƙ /kʼ/ — ejective k: ƙwazo (diligence), maƙwabciya (neighbour), riƙe (keep, Section F) - ɗ /ɗ/ — implosive d: faɗa (tell, say), daɗi (pleasure) - ’y /ʔj/ — glottalised y: ’ya’ya (children) - c /tʃ/ and j /dʒ/ — as in church and judge: abinci (food), maƙwabciya, jiya (yesterday) - f — many speakers say /ɸ/, a soft f made with both lips: faɗa, Fatima, sassafe - ss — a doubled consonant, held slightly longer: sassafe (very early)
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34.1a Ita she ce is
34.1b Ita /ʔita/ 3SG.F.INDEP ce /tʃe/ COP.F
34.2a Ta she-has zo come
34.2b Ta /ta/ 3SG.F.PERF zo /zo/ come
34.3a Tana she-is barci sleeping
34.3b Tana /tana/ 3SG.F.CONT barci /bartʃi/ sleep.VN
34.4a Za will ta she tafi go
34.4b Za /za/ FUT ta /ta/ 3SG.F tafi /tafi/ go
34.5a Ita she malama teacher ce is
34.5b Ita /ʔita/ 3SG.F.INDEP malama /malama/ teacher.F ce /tʃe/ COP.F
34.6a Sunanta her-name Amina Amina
34.6b Sunanta /sunanta/ name.M-LNK-3SG.F.POSS Amina /ʔamina/ Amina.NAME
34.7a Na I-have gan seen ta her a at kasuwa market
34.7b Na /na/ 1SG.PERF gan /ɡan/ see.PRE-PRON ta /ta/ 3SG.F.DO a /ʔa/ at.PREP kasuwa /kasuwa/ market.F
34.8a Tana she-is aiki working a at asibiti hospital
34.8b Tana /tana/ 3SG.F.CONT aiki /ʔaiki/ work.VN a /ʔa/ at.PREP asibiti /ʔasibiti/ hospital.M
34.9a Ya he-has ba given ta her littafi book
34.9b Ya /ja/ 3SG.M.PERF ba /ba/ give ta /ta/ 3SG.F.IO littafi /littafi/ book.M
34.10a Ina where take she-is
34.10b Ina /ʔina/ where.Q take /take/ 3SG.F.REL.CONT
34.11a Ban I-have-not gan seen ta her ba not tun since jiya yesterday
34.11b Ban /ban/ NEG-1SG.PERF gan /ɡan/ see.PRE-PRON ta /ta/ 3SG.F.DO ba /ba/ NEG tun /tun/ since.PREP jiya /dʒija/ yesterday.ADV
34.12a Ita she kanta herself ta she-has ce said za will ta she zo come gobe tomorrow
34.12b Ita /ʔita/ 3SG.F.INDEP kanta /kanta/ self.M-LNK-3SG.F.POSS ta /ta/ 3SG.F.PERF ce /tʃe/ say za /za/ FUT ta /ta/ 3SG.F zo /zo/ come gobe /ɡobe/ tomorrow.ADV
34.13a Mahaifiyarta her-mother tana she-is zaune living a in Kano Kano
34.13b Mahaifiyarta /mahaifijarta/ mother.F-LNK-3SG.F.POSS tana /tana/ 3SG.F.CONT zaune /zaune/ sit.STATIVE a /ʔa/ in.PREP Kano /kano/ Kano.NAME
34.14a Idan when ta she-has dawo returned ka you faɗa tell mata to-her cewa that na I-have kira called ta her
34.14b Idan /ʔidan/ if/when.CONJ ta /ta/ 3SG.F.PERF dawo /dawo/ return ka /ka/ 2SG.M.SUBJ faɗa /faɗa/ tell mata /mata/ 3SG.F.IO cewa /tʃewa/ that.CONJ na /na/ 1SG.PERF kira /kira/ call ta /ta/ 3SG.F.DO
34.15a Ita she ce is-the-one ta she-has fi surpassed kowa everyone ƙwazo diligence a in ajinmu our-class
34.15b Ita /ʔita/ 3SG.F.INDEP ce /tʃe/ COP.F/FOC ta /ta/ 3SG.F.REL.PERF fi /fi/ exceed kowa /kowa/ everyone ƙwazo /kʼwazo/ diligence a /ʔa/ in.PREP ajinmu /ʔadʒinmu/ class.M-LNK-1PL.POSS
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34.1 Ita ce. → "It's her."
34.2 Ta zo. → "She has come."
34.3 Tana barci. → "She is sleeping."
34.4 Za ta tafi. → "She will go."
34.5 Ita malama ce. → "She is a teacher."
34.6 Sunanta Amina. → "Her name is Amina."
34.7 Na gan ta a kasuwa. → "I saw her at the market."
34.8 Tana aiki a asibiti. → "She works at the hospital."
34.9 Ya ba ta littafi. → "He gave her a book."
34.10 Ina take? → "Where is she?"
34.11 Ban gan ta ba tun jiya. → "I haven't seen her since yesterday."
34.12 Ita kanta ta ce za ta zo gobe. → "She herself said she would come tomorrow."
34.13 Mahaifiyarta tana zaune a Kano. → "Her mother lives in Kano."
34.14 Idan ta dawo, ka faɗa mata cewa na kira ta. → "When she gets back, tell her I called her."
34.15 Ita ce ta fi kowa ƙwazo a ajinmu. → "She is the most hard-working person in our class."
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34.1 Ita ce.
34.2 Ta zo.
34.3 Tana barci.
34.4 Za ta tafi.
34.5 Ita malama ce.
34.6 Sunanta Amina.
34.7 Na gan ta a kasuwa.
34.8 Tana aiki a asibiti.
34.9 Ya ba ta littafi.
34.10 Ina take?
34.11 Ban gan ta ba tun jiya.
34.12 Ita kanta ta ce za ta zo gobe.
34.13 Mahaifiyarta tana zaune a Kano.
34.14 Idan ta dawo, ka faɗa mata cewa na kira ta.
34.15 Ita ce ta fi kowa ƙwazo a ajinmu.
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These are the grammar rules for ita in Hausa:
1. The independent pronoun ita. Ita stands where a whole noun could stand on its own: - alone, as an answer: Wa ya zo? — Ita. "Who came? — She did." - with the copula ce: Ita ce "it's her" (34.1); Ita malama ce "she is a teacher" (34.5) - in focus, before a relative pronoun: Ita ce ta fi kowa ƙwazo "she's the one who is most hard-working" (34.15) - for emphasis, before the subject pronoun: Ita kanta ta ce … "she herself said …" (34.12); Ita ma za ta ji daɗi "she too will be glad" (34.29) - after fa in "what about …?": Ita fa? "And her?"
2. The subject pronoun ta and its aspect forms. Before a verb Hausa uses a short pronoun that also carries tense and aspect. For "she": - Perfective (completed): ta — Ta zo "she has come" (34.2) - Relative perfective (after a relative, a focused word, sai "then", yaushe "when?"): ta — ita ce ta fi … (34.15) - Continuous: tana — Tana barci "she is sleeping" (34.3), tana aiki (34.8) - Relative continuous (after a question word, a relative or a focus): take — Ina take? "Where is she?" (34.10), Ina take aiki? (34.20) - Future: za ta — Za ta tafi (34.4) - Habitual: takan — Takan tashi da sassafe "she usually gets up very early" (34.22) - Subjunctive: ta — Allah ya sa ta zauna lafiya (34.30) - Negative perfective: ba ta … ba — Ba ta zo ba "she hasn't come"
The perfective and the subjunctive are both written ta. They differ in tone and length (Pronunciation Guide), and the sentence makes clear which is meant.
3. "Her" as object: ta. After a verb the direct object "her" is ta, written as a separate word: Na gan ta "I saw her" (34.7), na kira ta "I called her" (34.14). Remember from Lesson 33 that many verbs change their final vowel before a pronoun: gani "see" → gan ta; tambaya "ask" → tambaye ta (34.26).
4. "To her, for her": mata. The indirect object is mata: ka faɗa mata "tell her" (34.14), mu kai mata ziyara "let's pay her a visit" (34.27), zan dafa mata abinci "I'll cook food for her" (34.28). Before a noun, the same job is done by wa: ka faɗa wa Amina. The verb ba "give" is the exception: it takes the short form, ya ba ta littafi "he gave her a book" (34.9).
5. "Her" as possessive: -nta / -rta. The possessive is joined to the noun through the linker: -n after a masculine or plural noun, -r after a feminine noun ending in -a: - suna (M) → sunanta "her name" (34.6) - gida (M) → gidanta "her house" - miji (M) → mijinta "her husband" (34.25) - mahaifiya (F) → mahaifiyarta "her mother" (34.13) Compare the masculine of Lesson 28: sunansa "his name", mahaifiyarsa "his mother". Only the last syllable changes: -sa → -ta.
6. "Herself": kanta. Kai "head" with the possessive gives the reflexive and emphatic "herself": ita kanta "she herself" (34.12).
7. The copula agrees: ce. After ita, or after any feminine singular noun, the copula is ce: Ita ce, Ita malama ce. Shi ne is its masculine partner, and su ne the plural.
8. All the "she" forms in one place: - independent: ita - subject: ta, tana, take, za ta, takan - direct object: ta - indirect object: mata - possessive: -nta, -rta - reflexive: kanta
Mistake 1: dropping the subject pronoun. Amina zo is wrong. The verb always needs its pronoun: Amina ta zo.
Mistake 2: ita before a verb. Ita zo is wrong. Before a verb use ta: Ta zo. Ita may come first only for emphasis, and then ta still follows: Ita ta zo "SHE came".
Mistake 3: ne after ita. Ita ne is wrong. Ita is feminine and takes ce: Ita ce.
Mistake 4: ta for "to her". Na faɗa ta is wrong. "Tell her" is faɗa mata. Only ba "give" takes the short ta.
Mistake 5: tana after a question word. Ina tana? is wrong. After ina "where" use the relative form: Ina take?
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Frequency and register. ita and its family are among the most frequent words in Hausa. Every register uses them, from the market (na gan ta a kasuwa) to scripture (Section F). Because the subject pronoun is never dropped, a Hausa story about a woman repeats ta … tana … ta … in nearly every clause.
Titles and names. A woman is usually spoken of with a title or kin term rather than by her name alone: Malama (teacher, or a respectful "Mrs"), Hajiya (a woman who has made the pilgrimage, and widely any respected older woman), Inna or Mama (mother). The pronoun follows whatever the title is: Hajiya ta zo, "Hajiya has come."
Neighbours and visits. Visiting a new neighbour with a gift of cooked food is ordinary courtesy in Hausa towns, and so is the long exchange of greetings that opens every visit. The Genre Section is a dialogue of this kind. It is pedagogical; the people in it are not real.
Varieties. This lesson follows the Kano standard used in schools. The forms of "she" are much the same in all Hausa dialects, and the differences are of tone and vowel length, which the spelling does not show.
Ajami. In Ajami ita is written اِتَ and ta تَ, as in the earlier lessons of this course. The examples in this lesson are given in Boko only.
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Luke 2:19 (Luka 2:19), Littafi Mai Tsarki, the Hausa Bible (Bible Society of Nigeria, 1979 edition).
After the shepherds have told what they saw, the evangelist turns to Mary: "But Mary kept all these things, pondering them in her heart." In one verse the Hausa uses two of this lesson's forms, ta (she kept) and tana (she was going over), and shows how a noun subject still takes its pronoun.
F-A: Interlinear Construed Text
F.1a Maryamu Mary kuwa as-for sai then ta she riƙe kept duk all abubuwan the-things da that aka one-has faɗa said
F.1b Maryamu /marjamu/ Mary.NAME kuwa /kuwa/ as-for.PTCL sai /sai/ then ta /ta/ 3SG.F.REL.PERF riƙe /rikʼe/ hold/keep duk /duk/ all abubuwan /ʔabubuwan/ thing.PL-DEF da /da/ REL aka /ʔaka/ IMPERS.REL.PERF faɗa /faɗa/ say
F.2a tana she-is biya going-over su them a in zuci heart
F.2b tana /tana/ 3SG.F.CONT biya /bija/ go-over su /su/ 3PL.DO a /ʔa/ in.PREP zuci /zutʃi/ heart
F-B: Original → Translation
Maryamu kuwa sai ta riƙe duk abubuwan da aka faɗa, tana biya su a zuci.
→ "As for Mary, she kept all the things that had been said, going over them in her heart."
F-C: Original Only
Maryamu kuwa sai ta riƙe duk abubuwan da aka faɗa, tana biya su a zuci.
F-D: Grammar and Literary Commentary
- Maryamu … ta riƙe "Mary … she kept": the noun subject is named, and the pronoun ta still stands before the verb (Section D, Mistake 1). - sai ta: in narrative, sai "then" is followed by the relative perfective, here ta. The same order runs through Hausa storytelling: sai ya tafi, sai suka zo. - tana biya su "she (was) going over them": a continuous clause added without any conjunction describes what was going on at the same time, where English uses an -ing form. Biya is best known as "pay"; it is also the word for going over a text again, as a pupil goes over a lesson, and that is its sense here. - su "them" is the plural object pronoun (Lesson 24), referring back to abubuwan "the things". - da aka faɗa "that one had said", that is, "that had been said": the impersonal aka (relative perfective of an) does the work of an English passive, as in Lessons 32 and 33. - kuwa sets Mary apart from the shepherds and the hearers of the previous verse: "as for Mary". In Lesson 33 it marked contrast in the same way. - a zuci "in the heart": zuci is a short form of zuciya "heart", common in fixed phrases. English adds "her"; Hausa leaves it understood.
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Lawal and Fatima, husband and wife, talk about the woman who has just moved in next door. Dialogue is the natural home of pronouns: once she has been named, every line refers to her as ita, ta, tana, take, mata or -nta. The dialogue is pedagogical; the people in it are invented.
34.16a Fatima Fatima kin you-have ga seen sabuwar new maƙwabciyarmu our-neighbour
34.16b Fatima /fatima/ Fatima.NAME kin /kin/ 2SG.F.PERF ga /ɡa/ see.PRE-NOUN sabuwar /sabuwar/ new.F-LNK maƙwabciyarmu /makʼwabtʃijarmu/ neighbour.F-LNK-1PL.POSS
34.17a Ee yes na I-have gan seen ta her jiya yesterday da in safe morning
34.17b Ee /ʔeː/ yes na /na/ 1SG.PERF gan /ɡan/ see.PRE-PRON ta /ta/ 3SG.F.DO jiya /dʒija/ yesterday.ADV da /da/ with/in.PREP safe /safe/ morning
34.18a Mene what ne is sunanta her-name
34.18b Mene /mene/ what.Q ne /ne/ COP.M sunanta /sunanta/ name.M-LNK-3SG.F.POSS
34.19a Sunanta her-name Hauwa Hauwa Ita she likita doctor ce is
34.19b Sunanta /sunanta/ name.M-LNK-3SG.F.POSS Hauwa /hauwa/ Hauwa.NAME Ita /ʔita/ 3SG.F.INDEP likita /likita/ doctor ce /tʃe/ COP.F
34.20a Ina where take she-is aiki working
34.20b Ina /ʔina/ where.Q take /take/ 3SG.F.REL.CONT aiki /ʔaiki/ work.VN
34.21a Tana she-is aiki working a at asibiti hospital kusa near da with kasuwa market
34.21b Tana /tana/ 3SG.F.CONT aiki /ʔaiki/ work.VN a /ʔa/ at.PREP asibiti /ʔasibiti/ hospital.M kusa /kusa/ near.ADV da /da/ with.PREP kasuwa /kasuwa/ market.F
34.22a Takan she-usually tashi get-up da at sassafe very-early
34.22b Takan /takan/ 3SG.F.HAB tashi /taʃi/ rise da /da/ with/at.PREP sassafe /sassafe/ early-morning.ADV
34.23a Tana she-is da with yara children
34.23b Tana /tana/ 3SG.F.CONT da /da/ with.PREP yara /jara/ child.PL
34.24a Ee yes tana she-is da with ’ya’ya children biyu two mace female da and namiji male
34.24b Ee /ʔeː/ yes tana /tana/ 3SG.F.CONT da /da/ with.PREP ’ya’ya /ʔjaʔja/ offspring.PL biyu /biju/ two mace /matʃe/ woman/female.F da /da/ and.CONJ namiji /namidʒi/ man/male.M
34.25a Mijinta her-husband fa what-about
34.25b Mijinta /midʒinta/ husband.M-LNK-3SG.F.POSS fa /fa/ what-about.PTCL
34.26a Ban I-do-not sani know ba not Ban I-have-not tambaye asked ta her ba not
34.26b Ban /ban/ NEG-1SG.PERF sani /sani/ know ba /ba/ NEG Ban /ban/ NEG-1SG.PERF tambaye /tambaje/ ask.PRE-PRON ta /ta/ 3SG.F.DO ba /ba/ NEG
34.27a Bari let mu we kai take mata to-her ziyara visit gobe tomorrow
34.27b Bari /bari/ let mu /mu/ 1PL.SUBJ kai /kai/ take mata /mata/ 3SG.F.IO ziyara /zijara/ visit.F gobe /ɡobe/ tomorrow.ADV
34.28a To well zan I-will dafa cook mata for-her abinci food
34.28b To /to/ well.INTERJ zan /zan/ 1SG.FUT dafa /dafa/ cook mata /mata/ 3SG.F.IO abinci /ʔabintʃi/ food.M
34.29a Ita she ma too za will ta she ji feel daɗi pleasure
34.29b Ita /ʔita/ 3SG.F.INDEP ma /ma/ also.PTCL za /za/ FUT ta /ta/ 3SG.F ji /dʒi/ feel/hear daɗi /daɗi/ pleasure
34.30a Allah God ya may-he sa cause ta she zauna live lafiya in-health a in unguwarmu our-neighbourhood
34.30b Allah /ʔallah/ God ya /ja/ 3SG.M.SUBJ sa /sa/ put/cause ta /ta/ 3SG.F.SUBJ zauna /zauna/ settle/live lafiya /lafija/ health/peace a /ʔa/ in.PREP unguwarmu /ʔunɡuwarmu/ ward.F-LNK-1PL.POSS
34.16 Lawal: Fatima, kin ga sabuwar maƙwabciyarmu? → "Fatima, have you seen our new neighbour?"
34.17 Fatima: Ee, na gan ta jiya da safe. → "Yes, I saw her yesterday morning."
34.18 Lawal: Mene ne sunanta? → "What's her name?"
34.19 Fatima: Sunanta Hauwa. Ita likita ce. → "Her name is Hauwa. She's a doctor."
34.20 Lawal: Ina take aiki? → "Where does she work?"
34.21 Fatima: Tana aiki a asibiti kusa da kasuwa. → "She works at the hospital near the market."
34.22 Fatima: Takan tashi da sassafe. → "She usually gets up very early."
34.23 Lawal: Tana da yara? → "Does she have children?"
34.24 Fatima: Ee, tana da ’ya’ya biyu, mace da namiji. → "Yes, she has two children, a girl and a boy."
34.25 Lawal: Mijinta fa? → "And her husband?"
34.26 Fatima: Ban sani ba. Ban tambaye ta ba. → "I don't know. I didn't ask her."
34.27 Lawal: Bari mu kai mata ziyara gobe. → "Let's pay her a visit tomorrow."
34.28 Fatima: To, zan dafa mata abinci. → "All right, I'll cook some food for her."
34.29 Lawal: Ita ma za ta ji daɗi. → "She'll be pleased too."
34.30 Fatima: Allah ya sa ta zauna lafiya a unguwarmu. → "May God let her live here in peace among us."
34.16 Lawal: Fatima, kin ga sabuwar maƙwabciyarmu?
34.17 Fatima: Ee, na gan ta jiya da safe.
34.18 Lawal: Mene ne sunanta?
34.19 Fatima: Sunanta Hauwa. Ita likita ce.
34.20 Lawal: Ina take aiki?
34.21 Fatima: Tana aiki a asibiti kusa da kasuwa.
34.22 Fatima: Takan tashi da sassafe.
34.23 Lawal: Tana da yara?
34.24 Fatima: Ee, tana da ’ya’ya biyu, mace da namiji.
34.25 Lawal: Mijinta fa?
34.26 Fatima: Ban sani ba. Ban tambaye ta ba.
34.27 Lawal: Bari mu kai mata ziyara gobe.
34.28 Fatima: To, zan dafa mata abinci.
34.29 Lawal: Ita ma za ta ji daɗi.
34.30 Fatima: Allah ya sa ta zauna lafiya a unguwarmu.
- Every form of "she" in one conversation. ita (34.19, 34.29), ta subject (34.29, 34.30), tana (34.21, 34.23, 34.24), take (34.20), takan (34.22), ta object (34.17, 34.26), mata (34.27, 34.28), -nta (34.18, 34.19, 34.25). - kin: "you" to a woman. Lawal speaks to Fatima, so he uses the feminine kin "you have" (34.16). To a man it would be ka. "You" and "she" are the only places where Hausa pronouns show gender. - ga and gan. Both mean "see". Ga is used before a noun (kin ga sabuwar maƙwabciyarmu, 34.16), gan before a pronoun (na gan ta, 34.17). - tana da: "she has". Possession is "be with": tana da ’ya’ya biyu "she has two children" (34.24; Lesson 11). Its negative is ba ta da … "she hasn't …", with no second ba. - Ina take aiki? The question word ina "where" takes the relative continuous take, not tana (34.20). The answer goes back to tana (34.21). - Possessive on a feminine noun. maƙwabciya (F) → maƙwabciyarmu "our neighbour" (34.16), unguwa (F) → unguwarmu "our ward" (34.30): the -r linker, the same as in mahaifiyarta (34.13). - Mijinta fa? fa after a noun asks "what about …?" (34.25). - Allah ya sa ta … "May God cause her to …": the subjunctive ta after sa (34.30). Wishes of this shape (Allah ya …) close many Hausa conversations. - yara and ’ya’ya. Both are "children": yara children in general (34.23), ’ya’ya someone's own offspring (34.24).
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- ita /ʔita/ and ta /ta/: pure vowels, an unaspirated t, a light glottal catch before the i of ita. - The object ta is written as a separate word: na gan ta, ban tambaye ta ba, na kira ta. So is mata: faɗa mata, dafa mata. - The possessive is written joined to its noun: sunanta, mijinta, mahaifiyarta, kanta, and so are the linkers -n and -r. - Hooked letters are separate letters and are always written: ƙ in ƙwazo, maƙwabciya, riƙe; ɗ in faɗa, daɗi. - ’y in ’ya’ya is one letter, a glottalised y. It is written with an apostrophe before the y; in some texts you will see ƴ. - Ee "yes" is written with two vowels for its long e. You will also see I and Ii in older and Niger texts. - Long and short vowels are not marked. The perfective ta (long) and subjunctive ta (short) are spelled the same, as are many other pairs. - Punctuation. In a written dialogue the speaker's name is followed by a colon, as in the Genre Section.
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