Grammar in a nutshell

The basic word order is subject–verb–object, as in English. A distinctive feature is the pronoun–aspect complex: instead of changing the verb for tense, Hausa places a short word beside the pronoun that shows whether an action is complete, ongoing or future. Aspect is more important than time.

Nouns have two grammatical genders, masculine and feminine, and nouns ending in a long -aa are usually feminine. Plurals are formed in many different ways and must usually be learnt word by word. Possession is shown by a linking ending, -n for masculine and -r for feminine nouns, so that “Audu’s house” is gidan Audu. Verbs are grouped into “grades” that change their meaning, for example from “do” to “do for someone” or “do completely”, a system described by Parsons and later by Newman and Jaggar.