Sannu! First Encounters
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Greet someone and say goodbye in common everyday situations.
- State your name and ask another person's name.
- Introduce yourself using basic identity statements.
- Use core courtesy expressions including na gode, don Allah, and yi haƙuri.
- Respond to simple questions about well-being.
- Recognize the independent pronouns ni, kai/ke, shi/ita, mu, ku, and su.
- Recognize that ne identifies masculine singular referents and ce identifies feminine singular referents.
- Identify the letters of Nigerian Standard Boko, including the special letters ɓ, ɗ, ƙ, and 'y.
- Begin to hear Hausa as a tonal language by distinguishing high and low tones in familiar words.
Communication Scenario
You have arrived at a community language exchange in Kano, northern Nigeria. People are settling in, meeting one another before the session begins. Names are exchanged, greetings offered, courtesy expressions shared. Everyone wants to know: What is your name? Are you well? Where are you from? You have never spoken a word of Hausa — but by the time this chapter ends, you will be able to handle that entire opening exchange.
- In English, how do you greet someone you have just met for the first time? Think about what you actually say versus what you might say to a friend. In many Hausa-speaking communities, a greeting is a sustained exchange, not a single word — it is part of the conversation itself.
- Hausa is spoken as a first language by tens of millions of people across northern Nigeria and southern Niger, and as a widely used regional lingua franca across West and Central Africa. The variety you will learn in this course is contemporary Standard Hausa based on educated Kano usage, written in the standard Latin-based script called Boko.
Core Vocabulary
Greetings
| Hausa | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sannu. | Hello. / Greetings. | All-purpose, widely used greeting; also used when you approach someone already at work or at rest |
| Sannu da zuwa. | Welcome. (Greetings on your arrival.) | Said to someone who has just arrived somewhere |
| Ina kwana? | How did you sleep? / Good morning. | Morning greeting, used after waking |
| Lafiya lau. | Very well. / Fine and peaceful. | Standard response to Ina kwana? and many other greetings |
| Ina wuni? | How is the day going? | Greeting used during the day; wuni refers to the waking hours of the day |
| Ina yini? | How is the day? (variant form) | Alternative to Ina wuni?; common in some contexts |
| Ina yamma? | Good afternoon / Good evening. | Greeting used in the late afternoon or evening; yamma means the western part of the day |
| Ina lafia? | How are you? (lit. How is the health?) | Common general greeting asking about well-being |
| Lafiya. / Lafiya lau. | Fine. / Very well. | Standard responses to health and well-being questions |
| Yaya gajiya? | How is the tiredness? (Are you tired?) | Used when greeting someone who has been working or traveling |
| Ba gajiya. | Not tired. / No fatigue. | Standard response to Yaya gajiya? |
Farewells
| Hausa | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Sai an jima. | Goodbye. (lit. Until we meet again.) |
| Sai gobe. | See you tomorrow. (lit. Until tomorrow.) |
| Sai mun haɗu. | Until we meet again. |
| Ɗan Allah, mu tafi. | Right then, let's go. / Alright, I'm off. |
| Allah ya kai mu lafiya. | May God bring us there safely. |
| Barka da dare. | Good night. (lit. Congratulations on the night.) |
Barka appears in many Hausa expressions of congratulation, blessing, and good wishes for a particular time or occasion. You will encounter it frequently across this course.
Names and Identity
| Hausa | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Sunana… | My name is… | Suna = name; na = my (linker for masculine noun — you will learn this in Chapter 4) |
| Sunanka nawa? | What is your name? (to a man or boy) | -nka = your (masculine addressee) |
| Sunanki nawa? | What is your name? (to a woman or girl) | -nki = your (feminine addressee) |
| Ni ne… | I am… (masculine identification) | Use when you are identifying yourself as a named person (masculine) |
| Ni ce… | I am… (feminine identification) | Use when you are identifying yourself as a named person (feminine) |
| Shi ne… | He is… / It is… (masculine) | Identifying a masculine person or thing |
| Ita ce… | She is… / It is… (feminine) | Identifying a feminine person or thing |
The distinction between ne and ce is one of the most important patterns in Hausa. You will study it carefully in the Grammar section of this chapter.
Courtesy Expressions
| Hausa | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Na gode. | Thank you. |
| Na gode ƙwarai. | Thank you very much. |
| Babu laifi. | You're welcome. (No fault. / No problem.) |
| Don Allah. | Please. (lit. For God.) |
| Yi haƙuri. | Excuse me. / Be patient. / I'm sorry. |
| Eh. | Yes. |
| A'a. | No. |
| To. | OK. / Alright. / I see. |
| To madalla. | Very good. / Excellent. |
Classroom Survival Expressions
| Hausa | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Ka/Ki sake faɗin haka, don Allah. | Please say that again. (to a man / to a woman) |
| A hankali, don Allah. | Slowly, please. |
| Ban fahimta ba. | I do not understand. |
| Na fahimta. | I understand. |
| Mene ne wannan a Hausa? | What is this in Hausa? |
| Mene ne wannan a Turanci? | What is this in English? |
Ka is used when speaking to a man or boy; ki when speaking to a woman or girl. This masculine-feminine distinction appears throughout Hausa and will be developed fully in Chapters 2 through 4. For now, learn these classroom expressions as complete useful phrases.
Common Titles
| Hausa | Meaning | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Malam / Mal. | Mr. / Teacher / Learned man | Respectful title for an adult man, especially one with education or religious knowledge; widely used |
| Malama / Mal. | Mrs. / Ms. / Female teacher | Feminine form of Malam; used for adult women, especially teachers |
| Alhaji | Respectful title for a Muslim man who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca | Also used more broadly as a mark of respect for older or distinguished men in many communities |
| Hajiya | Respectful title for a Muslim woman who has made the pilgrimage to Mecca | Similarly used as a mark of respect for older or distinguished women |
Pronunciation and Boko
Nigerian Standard Boko
Hausa has two writing systems in use today. Boko is the Latin-based standard used across Nigeria for education, publishing, broadcasting, and everyday writing. Ajami is an Arabic-script tradition with a long history; it remains in use for religious texts, poetry, and certain community contexts. This course teaches Boko as the productive writing system. You will read and write standard Boko from Chapter 1 onward.
The Boko alphabet contains most of the familiar Latin letters, plus four special letters that are unique to Hausa. These four must be learned, recognized, and written correctly from the start. They represent sounds that are genuinely different from any plain-letter equivalent, and they can change the meaning of a word entirely.
The Boko Letters
All the letters you will use in this course are shown below. Vowels appear in deep red. The four special Hausa letters appear in dark brown.
sh and ts each represent a single Hausa sound. 'y is the apostrophe-y combination; the apostrophe is part of the letter and must always be included. You will study the sounds of c, sh, and ts in Chapter 2.
The Four Special Letters
These four characters are essential to standard Boko. Never replace them with a plain-letter equivalent. They represent sounds that carry their own distinct identity in Hausa.
The hooked consonants ɓ, ɗ, and ƙ, and the apostrophe-y 'y, are made with a distinctive type of airstream that pulls inward rather than pushing outward from the lungs. Linguists call this an implosive for ɓ and ɗ, and the technical descriptions vary for ƙ and 'y. At this stage, you do not need the technical terms — you need to hear the contrast.
Listen carefully to your instructor, language partner, or audio model and notice that the hooked sounds feel slightly more inward or more held than their plain equivalents. With practice, your ear will learn to distinguish them reliably. The distinction matters: ba and ɓa are different words, as are da and ɗa. Your writing must reflect the correct letter.
The Five Vowels
Hausa has five vowel letters. Each represents a single, stable vowel quality. Unlike English vowels, which vary widely depending on neighboring sounds and spelling patterns, Hausa vowels are relatively consistent. However, Hausa also distinguishes short and long vowels — the same vowel held for a shorter or longer duration can make a real difference to meaning. Ordinary Boko does not mark this length difference in writing, but you will hear and practice it in every chapter.
| Letter | Approximate sound | Example word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| a | Like the a in "father" — an open, back vowel; never like the a in "cat" | sannu | hello / greetings |
| e | Like the e in "bed" — a mid-front vowel; relatively steady | mene | what (in questions) |
| i | Like the ee in "see" — a high front vowel; always clear | ina | where / how (in greetings) |
| o | Like the o in "go" — but without the glide; hold it steady | gode | to thank |
| u | Like the oo in "moon" — a high back rounded vowel | sunana | my name is |
Tone: Hausa as a Tonal Language
Hausa is a tonal language. This means that the pitch on a syllable — whether it is spoken on a higher or lower musical note — is part of the word itself, just as the consonants and vowels are. Two words can have identical consonants and vowels but completely different meanings because they are spoken on different tones.
Hausa uses three tone levels: high, low, and falling (a syllable that starts high and drops). At this stage, focus on hearing and producing the contrast between high and low. Your instructor or audio materials will model each new word with its correct tone pattern. Do not guess the tone from the spelling — ordinary Boko leaves tone unmarked.
Tone is not the same as English sentence intonation, which rises and falls to signal questions or emotions. Hausa tone is a property of individual words and grammatical forms that must be learned alongside each item. You will return to tone in every chapter of this course.
- Listen to your model carefully and repeat each word at the same pitch pattern.
- Pay attention to tone even in short grammatical words like ne, ce, ni, and ba.
- You will not be asked to write tone marks in ordinary Boko — but you will be asked to hear and produce tone accurately in spoken Hausa.
Vowel Length
In addition to tone, Hausa contrasts short and long vowels. A long vowel is held for roughly twice the duration of a short one. Ordinary Boko writing does not mark this difference, but it exists in spoken Hausa and affects word meaning. Your instructor or audio model will demonstrate vowel length. In this chapter, focus on hearing the difference. Productive control of vowel length develops over the first several chapters.
Writing Without Tone or Length Marks
Standard Boko spelling does not require tone marks or special length notation. In ordinary writing — texts, messages, exercises, and your written assignments — you will write words in standard Boko without adding any diacritics for tone or length. Tone and length will be modeled in pronunciation notes and heard in speech; they are not required in ordinary learner writing.
Grammar Instruction
1.1 Independent Pronouns
Purpose: refer to yourself and others in conversation and identity statements.
Hausa has independent pronouns that stand alone as the subject or predicate of a sentence. The set below covers the forms used in identity statements and direct reference. You will encounter additional pronoun forms — for subjects in aspect constructions, for possession, and for objects — in later chapters. For now, learn these as your basic toolkit for introducing yourself and identifying others.
Hausa distinguishes masculine and feminine forms in the singular second person (kai / ke) and third person (shi / ita). When you say "you" to a man or boy, you use kai; to a woman or girl, ke. When you say "he," you use shi; "she" is ita.
This is grammatical gender — a property of the language system — not a statement about personality, importance, or social role. The plural forms mu, ku, and su do not distinguish masculine and feminine.
1.2 Identification with ne and ce
Purpose: identify who or what someone or something is.
Hausa uses the words ne and ce to identify people or things. They appear after the word being identified and express a kind of "this is / that is / I am / he is / she is" relationship. The choice between ne and ce depends on the grammatical gender of the noun or person being identified:
- Use ne to identify a masculine singular person or thing.
- Use ce to identify a feminine singular person or thing.
For the most common identity patterns in this chapter:
- Sunana Musa ne.My name is Musa. (Musa is a masculine name.)
- Sunana Hafsa ce.My name is Hafsa. (Hafsa is a feminine name.)
- Ni ne Musa.I am Musa.
- Ni ce Hafsa.I am Hafsa.
- Shi ne Malam Bello.He is Malam Bello.
- Ita ce Malama Kande.She is Malama Kande.
Ne and ce identify a person or thing — they answer the question "Who is this?" or "What is this?" They are not general-purpose equivalents of every English use of the verb "be." Hausa expresses location ("The book is on the table"), existence ("There is water"), and possession ("She has a bag") through different constructions, which you will learn in Chapter 6. Do not use ne or ce for those meanings at this stage.
1.3 Name Questions
Purpose: ask for someone's name and state your own.
The most common ways to ask for and state a name in Hausa:
- Sunanka nawa?What is your name? (asking a man)
- Sunanki nawa?What is your name? (asking a woman)
- Sunana Audu ne.My name is Audu.
- Sunana Zainab ce.My name is Zainab.
nawa is the question word meaning "how much / how many / what" used here to ask for a name. Learn this phrase as a complete unit at this stage.
1.4 Basic Word Order
Purpose: build simple Hausa identity sentences correctly.
The default word order in a Hausa sentence is Subject — Verb or Predicate — Object or Complement. In the identity sentences of this chapter, this looks like:
- Ni (subject) · ne (identifying particle) · Musa (name).I am Musa.
- Sunana (subject) · Zainab (name) · ce (identifying particle).My name is Zainab.
Notice that in the Sunana… pattern, ne or ce comes after the name. In the Ni ne… pattern, it comes after the pronoun. Both are natural and common. Learn both as whole patterns — analyzing the exact position of every word comes later.
Practice — Choose ne or ce:
- Sunana Ibrahim ___. (Ibrahim is a masculine name.)
- Ni ___ Fatima. (Fatima is a feminine name.)
- Shi ___ Alhaji Sani.
- Ita ___ Hajiya Ramatu.
- Sunana Bello ___.
Practice — Write the question for each answer:
- Sunana Musa ne. (The person being asked is a man.)
- Sunana Hadiza ce. (The person being asked is a woman.)
Language Focus
1. Hausa is a tonal language, and tone is not marked in ordinary Boko writing. Every word in Hausa has a tone pattern — a sequence of high and low pitches on its syllables — and that pattern is part of the word, like the consonants and vowels. Two words can look identical in writing but mean completely different things when spoken on different tones. English uses pitch as sentence intonation (rising for surprise, falling for statements), but English pitch does not change the identity of individual words the way Hausa tone does. You must learn Hausa through listening as well as reading, because the writing alone does not give you the complete picture.
2. Hausa uses ne and ce — not a single general "be" — for identification. When you say "I am Audu" or "She is the teacher" in English, you use the same word "be" in both. Hausa uses ne or ce for identification, and those words carry grammatical gender information. You will not find one Hausa word that covers every English use of "be," "have," "there is," and "is located at." Each of these meanings has its own Hausa expression, which you will learn over the first several chapters.
3. Grammatical gender is a property of the language, not of people or things. Hausa nouns and pronouns carry grammatical gender — roughly masculine or feminine. This is a grammatical system, not a social claim. The pronouns kai (you, masculine) and ke (you, feminine) are used according to the gender of the person being addressed, but for nouns, gender is a property you must learn with each word — it is not reliably predictable from meaning or spelling alone. The agreement between a noun's gender and the identifying particle (ne vs. ce) is one of the first patterns you will practice in this course.
Language Building Block
- Sunana Audu ne.My name is Audu. (masculine name)
- Sunana Hafsa ce.My name is Hafsa. (feminine name)
- Ni ne Malam Bello.I am Malam Bello.
- Ita ce Malama Kande.She is Malama Kande.
Use ne after a masculine name or masculine pronoun (shi). Use ce after a feminine name or feminine pronoun (ita). With ni (I), choose ne or ce according to your own gender.
Model Dialogue
Setting: A community language exchange in Kano, northern Nigeria. Two participants arrive at the same moment and greet each other before the session begins. Register: polite and warm, between adult strangers meeting for the first time. Audu is a man; Kande is a woman.
(The session facilitator enters and addresses the group.)
Tambayoyin fahimta — Comprehension questions:
- What greeting does Kande use when Audu arrives? What does it tell you about the time of day?
- How does Audu ask Kande her name? Is the form he uses the same as the one she used to ask him? Why or why not?
- Find two examples of ne and two examples of ce in the dialogue. Write each in full.
- What does Kuma mean? Use context to make your best guess.
- What does the facilitator say when he arrives? How does the response from the group differ from an individual response?
Listening
Listening Script for Instructor, Partner, or Text-to-Speech Use. Read each introduction at a natural pace, pausing between items. Each introduction should be read twice.
Gabatarwa 1 (Introduction 1): "Sannu. Sunana Usman ne. Lafiya lau, na gode."
Gabatarwa 2 (Introduction 2): "Ina kwana? Lafiya. Sunana Halima ce. Ni ce Malama Halima."
Gabatarwa 3 (Introduction 3): "Sannu da zuwa. Sunana Balarabe ne. Ni ne Malam Balarabe Sani."
Gabatarwa 4 (Introduction 4): "Ina wuni? Lafiya lau. Sunana Amina ce. Na gode ƙwarai."
Task A — Identification: Listen to each introduction and fill in the table.
| Speaker | Name | Greeting used | ne or ce? | Title (if given) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ______ | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| 2 | ______ | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| 3 | ______ | ______ | ______ | ______ |
| 4 | ______ | ______ | ______ | ______ |
Task B — Gaskiya ko ƙarya? (True or false?) Listen again and decide whether each statement is true (Gaskiya) or false (Ƙarya). Correct the false statements.
- Sunana Usman ne.
- Malama Halima ta ce "Ina wuni?"
- Malam Balarabe ya ce "Sannu da zuwa."
- Amina ta ce "Na gode ƙwarai."
- Halima ce malama a cikin gabatarwa ta huɗu.
Reading
The following name cards are displayed at the entrance to the language exchange. Read each one carefully in Boko.
Task A — Tambayoyi (Questions):
- Write a complete identification sentence for Kande using ce: Sunana Kande…
- Write a complete identification sentence for Aliyu using ne: Shi ne…
- How many women appear on the name cards? How many men?
- Which two participants carry the title Malam or Malama as their primary title on the card? What does this title typically suggest?
- Look at the special letters in these names and titles. Can you find any of the four special Boko characters? Write them out.
Now read the following short exchange posted on the welcome board at the entrance:
Barka da zuwa! — Welcome!
Sannu. Ina kwana? Lafiya lau, na gode. Sunanka nawa? Sunana Bello ne. Sunanki nawa? Sunana Falmata ce. To madalla. Barka da zuwa, Falmata. Na gode, Bello. Sai an jima.
Task B — Reread the exchange above and answer:
- What are the two names in this exchange?
- One speaker uses ne and the other uses ce. Why?
- What does To madalla express in this context?
- What farewell expression appears at the end? What does it mean?
- Find the greeting used at the start. Is it a morning greeting, a daytime greeting, or a general greeting? How do you know?
Writing Workshop
- Study the model. Read this short self-introduction: Sannu. Sunana Musa ne. Ni ne Malam Musa Garba. Na gode, sai an jima. Identify: the greeting, the name statement with ne or ce, the full identification sentence, and the closing courtesy expression.
- Plan. Decide which greeting you want to use. Write down your name. Decide whether your name takes ne or ce. Choose a closing expression.
- Write your first draft. Write four sentences introducing yourself in Hausa. Use the model as your guide.
- Check. Review your draft using the checklist below.
- Write your final version. Rewrite your introduction cleanly. This goes into your writing portfolio.
Jerin dubawa — Revision checklist:
- I used a greeting from this chapter's vocabulary.
- I used Sunana… to state my name.
- I chose ne or ce correctly to match my name.
- I used Ni ne… or Ni ce… for a full identification sentence.
- I ended with a courtesy or farewell expression.
- I checked that all five vowels in my Hausa words are spelled correctly in standard Boko.
- I preserved any special Boko letters (ɓ, ɗ, ƙ, 'y) that appear in words I used.
- I did not add any tone marks or vowel-length marks — ordinary Boko writing does not require them.
Second task — Introduce another person: Write three to four sentences introducing a partner, classmate, or invented person. Use the third-person forms: Sunana… ne/ce. and Shi ne… / Ita ce…
Speaking Practice
Controlled Practice — Greeting Circuit
With a partner, take turns greeting each other using at least three different greetings from this chapter — for example, Sannu, Ina kwana?, and Ina lafia? — and respond appropriately to each one. Practice the full greeting-response pair, not just the greeting alone. Hausa greeting exchanges often include a follow-up, so model that two-turn rhythm from the start.
Communicative Task — First Meeting
Stand up and introduce yourself to three different classmates. For each interaction: (1) greet the person and respond to their greeting; (2) ask their name using the correct form for their gender (Sunanka nawa? or Sunanki nawa?); (3) state your own name with ne or ce; (4) close with a courtesy expression or farewell. Keep each exchange to four to six turns.
Independent Alternative
If you are studying without a partner: record yourself performing both sides of a complete first-meeting exchange — greeting, name question, name response with ne or ce, and farewell. Listen back. Ask yourself: Did I use the correct ne or ce? Did I model the expected greeting response rather than just the opening? Did I close the exchange naturally?
Culture and Communication
In many Hausa-speaking communities, greeting is one of the most important social acts. Arriving at a home, entering a shop, approaching a market stall, or beginning a conversation — each typically begins with an appropriate greeting and a response. The greeting is not merely a warm-up to the "real" conversation. It is part of the conversation, expressing care, respect, and acknowledgment of the other person.
In practice, greeting exchanges can be brief or extended depending on the relationship, age, status, setting, and time available. A quick Sannu, lafiya? on a busy street is perfectly natural. A longer exchange of several greetings — asking after health, after the family, after the work — is typical when meeting someone you know well, when meeting an elder, or when arriving at someone's home. Learn to read the context as your experience grows. This course builds the full range of greeting language progressively so that you can adapt to different situations.
Malam and Malama are among the most widely used respectful titles in Hausa-speaking communities. They apply to educated people, teachers, and community members generally deserving of respect, and are appropriate in a wide range of everyday situations. The titles Alhaji and Hajiya have religious significance — they mark a person who has made the Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca — but they are also used more broadly as marks of respect for older or distinguished individuals in many communities.
Which title is appropriate depends on the person, the relationship, the setting, and the community. Observe and adapt rather than applying one rule everywhere. As you build vocabulary and cultural knowledge across this course, you will learn more about how age, status, gender, and setting shape forms of address in Hausa.
The Arabic greeting Assalamu alaikum (Peace be upon you) and its response Wa alaikum assalam (And upon you peace) are widely used among Muslim speakers and are a normal part of daily life in many Hausa-speaking communities across Nigeria and Niger. You will encounter them frequently. These greetings are used in appropriate social and religious contexts between Muslim speakers; they are not interchangeable with all-purpose secular greetings in every setting. The fact that Hausa vocabulary includes many Arabic-origin words does not make every Hausa speaker Muslim, and not every speaker uses these expressions in every context. This course treats greetings as context-dependent and avoids presenting any one set of expressions as universal for all Hausa speakers everywhere.
The core variety in this course is contemporary Standard Hausa based on educated Kano usage, written in Nigerian Standard Boko. Hausa is also spoken widely across southern Niger, where it serves as a major lingua franca alongside French as the official language. Spellings and some vocabulary differ between Nigerian and Nigerien usage. The most visible orthographic difference is that the standard Nigerian letter 'y (apostrophe-y) corresponds to the letter ƴ in common Nigerien Hausa spelling. Both forms represent the same sound. In this course, you will learn Nigerian Standard Boko — including 'y — as your productive standard, and you will recognize the Nigerien form ƴ when it appears in labeled notes or readings.
Common Mistakes
Error: Using ne for a feminine name or ce for a masculine name — for example, writing Sunana Hafsa ne or Sunana Musa ce.
Correction: Ne is used after a masculine singular name or identity, ce after a feminine singular name or identity. Sunana Hafsa ce and Sunana Musa ne are the correct forms. When you learn a new person's name, also note whether it is masculine or feminine so that you can select the right particle.
Error: Writing b instead of ɓ, d instead of ɗ, or k instead of ƙ because the plain letter is easier to type.
Correction: The four special Boko letters — ɓ, ɗ, ƙ, and 'y — are part of standard Hausa spelling and must be written correctly. Substituting a plain letter changes the word or makes it incorrect. Learn to type or write these characters from the start; they appear in common words you will use every day.
Error: Treating ne and ce as general-purpose equivalents of English "be" and using them in sentences about location, such as Littafi ne kan tebur to mean "The book is on the table."
Correction: Ne and ce are used specifically for identification — stating what or who something or someone is. Location, existence, and possession are expressed through different Hausa constructions that you will learn in Chapter 6. At this stage, use ne and ce only for the identification patterns taught in this chapter.
Error: Giving only the opening greeting without modeling the expected response — for example, saying Ina kwana? but not knowing what comes next when someone responds Lafiya lau.
Correction: Hausa greeting exchanges work in pairs: the greeting and the response both belong to the learner's repertoire. Practice the full exchange — Ina kwana? / Lafiya lau — as a single unit, the way a musician practices both notes of an interval. Knowing only the opening half of a greeting exchange leaves a gap in your conversational ability.
Error: Using kai when addressing a woman, or ke when addressing a man.
Correction: Hausa distinguishes the second-person singular pronoun by gender: kai is used for a man or boy, ke for a woman or girl. Similarly, the name question Sunanka nawa? is addressed to a man and Sunanki nawa? to a woman. These forms are different words, and using the wrong one is a noticeable error.
Chapter Review
Part A — Vocabulary
1. Write the appropriate response to Ina kwana?
2. How do you say "Please say that again" to a man? To a woman?
3. What does don Allah mean? Give one situation where you would use it.
4. Write three different farewell expressions in Hausa with their English meanings.
5. What is the difference between Sannu and Sannu da zuwa?
Part B — Grammar
1. Complete: Sunana Ibrahim ___. (Ibrahim is a masculine name.)
2. Complete: Ita ___ Malama Ramatu.
3. Write the question whose answer is: Sunana Bello ne. (You are asking a man.)
4. Write the question whose answer is: Sunana Falmata ce. (You are asking a woman.)
5. Give the Hausa independent pronouns for: I, you (man), you (woman), he, she, we, you all, they.
6. A classmate writes: Ni ne Hadiza. What correction is needed, and why?
Part C — Pronunciation and Spelling
1. Write the five vowel letters of Hausa Boko and give one example word for each from this chapter's vocabulary.
2. Name the four special Boko letters. Write each one and its plain-letter counterpart.
3. A classmate writes Na gode kwari instead of Na gode ƙwarai. Identify the two errors.
4. Why can you not determine the tone of a Hausa word from its Boko spelling alone?
Part D — Reading
1. Reread the model dialogue. List every Hausa greeting that appears in it.
2. Find one use of ne and one use of ce in the dialogue. Copy each complete sentence.
3. From the reading exercise, what farewell does Bello use at the end of the exchange?
Part E — Writing
1. Write a four-to-six-line introductory exchange between two people meeting for the first time. Include a greeting, name question and response (with ne or ce), a full identification sentence, and a farewell. Use only vocabulary and grammar from this chapter.
Part F — Speaking (Self-Assessment)
1. Without looking at the book, greet a partner, ask their name using the correct form for their gender, state your own name with the correct ne or ce, and say goodbye — all in Hausa. If working independently, record yourself performing both sides of the exchange.
Chapter Performance Task
Aiki na Ƙarshe — Performance Task
Haɗuwa ta Farko — First Meeting
With a partner, conduct a complete introductory exchange of four to six turns. Your exchange must include:
- An appropriate greeting and response.
- A name question addressed in the correct form for your partner's gender.
- A name response using ne or ce correctly.
- A full identification sentence using Ni ne… or Ni ce… for yourself.
- At least one courtesy expression.
- An appropriate farewell.
Then write the exchange out in full exactly as you performed it, and check it against the revision checklist in the Writing Workshop. Be sure that every ne and ce is correctly matched to its referent's gender and that all special Boko letters are correctly written.
Answer Key
Grammar Practice — ne or ce
1. ne 2. ce 3. ne 4. ce 5. ne
Grammar Practice — Write the question
1. Sunanka nawa? (addressing a man) 2. Sunanki nawa? (addressing a woman)
Listening — Task A
- Speaker 1: Usman — Sannu — ne — (no title given)
- Speaker 2: Halima — Ina kwana? — ce — Malama
- Speaker 3: Balarabe — Sannu da zuwa — ne — Malam
- Speaker 4: Amina — Ina wuni? — ce — (no title given)
Listening — Task B
1. Gaskiya. 2. Ƙarya — Malama Halima ta ce "Ina kwana?" (not "Ina wuni?"). 3. Gaskiya. 4. Gaskiya. 5. Ƙarya — Halima ce malama a cikin gabatarwa ta biyu, ba ta huɗu ba.
Reading — Task A (Name Cards)
1. Sunana Kande ce (or: Sunana Kande Bello ce). 2. Shi ne Alhaji Aliyu Musa. 3. Three women (Kande, Ramatu, Binta); three men (Audu, Isa, Aliyu). 4. Malam Isa Umar and Malama Binta Garba — the title Malam / Malama typically suggests educational or religious standing, or general community respect. 5. The special letter ƙ appears in no name card; learners should note any hooked letters found (these names do not contain ɓ, ɗ, ƙ, or 'y — a good observation to make).
Reading — Task B (Welcome Board)
1. Bello and Falmata. 2. Bello uses ne because Bello is a masculine name; Falmata uses ce because Falmata is a feminine name. 3. To madalla expresses approval, satisfaction, or enthusiasm — "Very good!" or "Excellent!" 4. Sai an jima — "Goodbye / Until we meet again." 5. The greeting is Sannu, which is a general, all-purpose greeting not limited to a specific time of day.
Chapter Review — Part A
1. Lafiya lau. 2. Ka sake faɗin haka, don Allah (to a man); Ki sake faɗin haka, don Allah (to a woman). 3. Don Allah means "Please" (lit. For God). Use it when making a polite request, such as asking someone to repeat something or to do something for you. 4. Any three from: Sai an jima (Goodbye / Until we meet again); Sai gobe (See you tomorrow); Sai mun haɗu (Until we meet again); Barka da dare (Good night). 5. Sannu is a general greeting used on arrival or when approaching someone; Sannu da zuwa specifically welcomes someone who has just arrived at a place.
Chapter Review — Part B
1. ne 2. ce 3. Sunanka nawa? 4. Sunanki nawa? 5. ni, kai, ke, shi, ita, mu, ku, su 6. The error: Ni ne Hadiza uses ne for a feminine name. Since Hadiza is a feminine name, the correct form is Ni ce Hadiza. The identifying particle must match the grammatical gender of the person or name being identified.
Chapter Review — Part C
1. a (e.g. sannu) · e (e.g. mene) · i (e.g. ina) · o (e.g. gode) · u (e.g. sunana). 2. ɓ (plain: b); ɗ (plain: d); ƙ (plain: k); 'y (plain: y). 3. Two errors: (a) ƙwarai begins with the hooked letter ƙ, which has been replaced by plain k; (b) the final -ai has been omitted — the complete word is ƙwarai, not kwari. 4. Ordinary Boko does not mark lexical tone. Two words can be spelled identically in Boko but pronounced on different pitch patterns with different meanings. Tone is learned through listening to a speaker or audio model, not from the written form alone.
Chapter Review — Part D
1. Greetings in the dialogue: Sannu; Sannu da zuwa; Ina kwana?; Barka da zuwa; Sannu da zuwa (repeated); Ina kwana? (repeated). 2. Sample ne: Sunana Audu ne. Sample ce: Sunana Kande ce. (Other accurate examples are equally acceptable.) 3. The farewell from the reading board exchange is Sai an jima.
Chapter Review — Part E (model answer)
A: Sannu. B: Sannu da zuwa. Ina kwana? A: Lafiya lau, na gode. Sunanka nawa? B: Sunana Bello ne. Sunanki nawa? A: Sunana Amina ce. Na gode. Sai an jima. B: Sai an jima. Other natural and accurate exchanges are equally acceptable — evaluate against the revision checklist.
Looking Ahead
Abin da ka/ki koyi yanzu — What you know now
You can greet someone in multiple ways appropriate to the time and setting, exchange names using ne and ce correctly, state who you or another person is, respond to questions about well-being, and say goodbye. You have been introduced to Nigerian Standard Boko — including its four special letters — and have begun to hear Hausa as a tonal language in which pitch is part of the meaning of words. These are genuine, usable conversational skills in Hausa.