Abinci da Abin Sha

Chapter Objectives

Communication Scenario

Core Vocabulary

Abinci — Foods

The following foods are productive for this chapter. Each Hausa food noun has its own gender and plural; do not guess these from the English meaning.

Note: tuwo, nama, kifi, wake, burodi, and kwai are treated as countable or mass nouns differently depending on context; this chapter introduces them as fixed lexical items and defers a full count/mass discussion. Kayan lambu and 'ya'yan itace are inherently plural-form expressions and are learned as set phrases.

Abin sha — Drinks

Abinci da rana — Meals and times of eating

Gidan abinci — Restaurant and cafe language

Yawa — Quantity expressions

Guda functions as a general counter: kwai guda biyu (two eggs, literally "egg piece two"). This chapter introduces guda receptively in counted examples; productive counter-word practice expands in Chapter 9.

So da ƙin so — Preference vocabulary

Pronunciation and Boko

Tone in negative particles and subject forms

The word ba appears twice in the negative continuative pattern taught in this chapter, and both occurrences carry tone that is part of the construction's identity. Tone also distinguishes the continuative subject forms (ina, yana, tana, and so on, reviewed from Chapter 7) from their negative counterparts. Ordinary Boko does not mark this tone, so listen carefully to your instructor or audio model and imitate the contour of the whole phrase rather than reading the words in isolation.

Vowel length in food vocabulary

Several food and drink words in this chapter contain vowel-length distinctions that affect natural pronunciation, including miya, nama, and shinkafa. Vowel length is not marked in ordinary Boko, but it is part of how the word is recognized in speech. Practice each new food word aloud with your instructor or audio model rather than relying on the written form alone.

Hooked consonants in common food names

Notice the hooked ƙ in kaɗan is not present — but the hooked ɗ appears in kaɗan (a little) and dunƙun dawa contains ƙ. Keep these letters distinct from their plain counterparts in both reading and writing. A mispronounced or misspelled hooked letter can change a word's meaning entirely.

Polite request intonation

A polite request in Hausa, such as Ina so shinkafa, don Allah (I would like rice, please), typically uses a falling, even intonation rather than a sharp or clipped tone. Abrupt, flat delivery of a request can sound demanding even when the words themselves are polite. Practice requests with a warm, slightly rising-then-falling contour, especially on don Allah at the end of the sentence.

Grammar Instruction

8.1 Review: continuative subject forms

Purpose: recall the continuative pattern from Chapter 7 before learning its negative.

In Chapter 7, you learned that Hausa expresses ongoing or regular activity with a continuative subject form plus a verbal noun: ina cin abinci (I am eating / I eat). The subject form carries person, number, and gender information. Review the forms you need for this chapter:

• Ina cin shinkafa.I am eating rice.
• Tana sha shayi.She is drinking tea.
• Muna son abinci.We want food.

Verbal nouns used in this chapter: ci (to eat) → verbal noun cin; sha (to drink) → verbal noun sha; so (to want/like) → verbal noun son. These verbal nouns have been verified individually and must be learned with their verbs; do not form a verbal noun by analogy.

8.2 The negative continuative

Purpose: say what is not happening or what someone does not regularly do.

The negative continuative uses the discontinuous pattern ba + continuative subject form + verbal noun or complement + ba. Both ba elements are required. Learn the complete negative pattern as a unit rather than treating the first ba as optional or interchangeable with the second.

• Ba ni cin nama ba.I am not eating meat. / I do not eat meat.ba + ni + [verbal noun] + ba
• Ba ya son shayi ba.He does not want tea.
• Ba ta cin wake ba.She is not eating beans. / She does not eat beans.
• Ba mu son miya mai zafi ba.We do not want spicy soup.

Notice that in the negative continuative, the first-person and second/third-person forms used after the initial ba are shortened compared to the plain affirmative continuative subject forms (ina → ni; yana → ya; tana → ta; muna → mu). This is a fixed feature of the negative pattern and must be learned as part of the construction — do not simply add ba … ba around the affirmative form unchanged.

This chapter teaches the productive negative forms for first person singular and plural, third person singular and plural, and second person masculine singular and plural shown above. The second-person feminine singular negative form is presented for recognition only here; full contrast among all negative subject forms is consolidated in Chapter 16.

8.3 So — wanting and liking

Purpose: state what you want, like, or do not want using the verb so.

So ("to want," "to like") follows the same continuative pattern as other verbs: continuative subject form + verbal noun son + the thing wanted. So can take a noun directly or a verbal noun expressing a wanted action.

• Ina son shinkafa da miya.I want rice and soup.
• Yana son ruwan sanyi.He wants cold water.
• Muna son cin abinci yanzu.We want to eat now. (literally: we want eating food now)
• Ba ta son shayi ba — tana son kofi.She does not want tea — she wants coffee.

Caution: Hausa so covers a range that English splits between "want" and "like." Context determines which English equivalent fits best; do not assume a one-to-one mapping with either English verb in every sentence.

8.4 Polite requests

Purpose: request food, drink, or service politely.

A polite request for food or drink commonly uses ina so ("I would like") followed by the item, and closes with don Allah ("please") when extra courtesy is appropriate. This is the same so construction from section 8.3, used in a service context.

• Ina so shinkafa da miya, don Allah.I would like rice and soup, please.
• Ina so kofi guda ɗaya, don Allah.I would like one cup of coffee, please.
• Za mu so ruwa kaɗan, don Allah.We would like a little water, please. (recognition; za + so combination previewed; full future system in Ch. 14)

To decline an offer politely, use the negative continuative pattern from section 8.2 together with a courteous tone, optionally followed by an alternative request:

• Na gode, amma ba ni son nama ba. Ina so kifi maimakon.Thank you, but I do not want meat. I would like fish instead.

Amma = but; maimakon = instead. Both are introduced here as useful connecting words for polite refusal and substitution.

8.5 Quantity expressions with food

Purpose: specify how much or how many of an item you want.

Quantity words such as kaɗan (a little) and da yawa (a lot) follow the noun they describe. Container words such as kwalba (bottle) and kofi (cup) combine with a linker and the contained item, following the genitive-linker pattern reviewed from Chapter 4.

• Ina so ruwa kaɗan.I want a little water.
• Ina so shinkafa da yawa.I want a lot of rice.
• Kwalbar ruwa guda biyu, don Allah.Two bottles of water, please.kwalba + -r (linker) + ruwa + guda biyu

The linker form in kwalbar ruwa uses -r because kwalba is feminine, following the gender-sensitive linker pattern from Chapter 4. Verify the gender of any new container noun before attaching the linker.

Practice exercises

Atisayen A — Zaɓi madaidaicin kalma (Choose the correct form):

Choose the correct continuative subject form to complete each sentence.

1. _____ son shinkafa. (I want rice.) → Choose: Ina / Yana / Tana
2. _____ cin nama. (He is eating meat.) → Choose: Ina / Yana / Tana
3. _____ sha kofi. (She is drinking coffee.) → Choose: Yana / Tana / Kuna
4. _____ son ruwan 'ya'yan itace. (We want fruit juice.) → Choose: Muna / Kuna / Suna
5. _____ cin wake. (They are eating beans.) → Choose: Muna / Suna / Yana

Atisayen B — Korewa (Negate the sentence):

Rewrite each affirmative sentence in the negative continuative, using the correct negative subject form.

1. Ina son shayi.
2. Yana cin kifi.
3. Tana son madara.
4. Muna cin tuwo.
5. Suna son miya mai zafi.

Atisayen C — Roƙo mai ladabi (Polite requests):

Write a polite request using ina so and don Allah for each item, then add a quantity word.

1. Rice and soup, a lot.
2. One cup of tea.
3. Cold water, a little.
4. Two bottles of fruit juice.

Atisayen D — So da fi so (Want and prefer):

Write a sentence stating a preference between two foods or drinks using so, then a second sentence declining one item politely with the negative continuative.

1. Prefer tea over coffee.
2. Decline meat, request fish instead.
3. State that you like spicy soup.
4. State that your friend (use yana or tana) does not want sweet drinks.

Model Dialogue

Vocabulary notes for the dialogue: ku zo lafiya = welcome (literally "may you come in peace"); me kuke so = what do you (pl./respectful) want (recognition; relative-continuative form, full grammar Ch. 7 and 16); to = okay, well; ba damuwa = no problem; miyar kuka, miyar taushe = named regional soup varieties; naman alade = pork; naman sa = beef; kaza = chicken; mun fahimta = we understand; zan kawo muku = I will bring you (recognition; future, Ch. 14); nan da nan = right away; mun ji daɗin zuwa nan = we are glad to come here (recognition expression).

Tambayoyin fahimta — Comprehension questions:

1. What two food items does Amina order? What kind of soup does she ask for, and what does she say she does not want?
2. Why does Bello ask specifically for beef or chicken? What does he say he does not eat?
3. What drink does each person request? Find and quote both lines.
4. Find one example of the negative continuative pattern in the dialogue spoken by Amina, and one spoken by Bello. Write both sentences and their English meanings.
5. Find the sentence where Bello states a preference for hot tea over cold drinks with food. Write it in Hausa.

Listening

Ask your instructor, a partner, or a text-to-speech tool to read the following exchanges aloud, twice each. Complete the tasks after listening.

Kula na A — Cike tebur (Complete the table): Listen to Sauraro na A and note: the two food items ordered, the soup type, the item declined, the substitute item, and the drink with quantity.

Kula na B — Gaskiya ko ƙarya? (True or false?): Listen to Sauraro na B. Mark each statement T or F and correct any false ones.
(a) Yana son kofi da safe.    (b) Yana son shayi da safe.    (c) Tana son madara da safe.    (d) Tana son shayi sosai.

Kula na C — Amsoshi (Answers): Listen to Sauraro na C and answer: (1) What kind of food does the speaker like? (2) What does the speaker not want much of? (3) What does the speaker want a lot of? (4) What does the speaker want only a little of?

Rubutun sauraro don malami, abokin karatu, ko amfani da rubutun lantarki. Duba amsoshi a sashi na amsoshi.
(Listening Script for Instructor, Partner, or Text-to-Speech Use. See Answer Key for expected responses.)

Reading

Read the two short texts below. They have been written for learners at this stage of the course. As you read, look for what each person wants, does not want, and prefers.

Tambayoyin fahimta — Comprehension questions:

1. What does Hauwa want to eat, and what does she say she does not eat?
2. What does Hauwa say about the drink? What two options does she mention?
3. In the second text, what does the mother want, and what does she not want?
4. What do the children prefer instead of a lot of vegetables?
5. Find every example of ba … ba negation in both texts. Write each sentence and identify whether it negates identification or a continuative statement.
6. Compare the two texts: name one food or drink preference that appears in both readings.

Writing Workshop

1. Karanta samfuri. Reread Rubutu na 2 (the home food note) above. Underline every so statement. Circle every negative continuative sentence.
2. Shirya bayananka. Decide on a short shopping note, meal description, or restaurant order to write. List the foods, drinks, and at least one preference and one thing you do not want.
3. Rubuta farkon rubutunka. Write six to eight Hausa sentences. Include at least one affirmative continuative statement with so, one negative continuative statement, one polite request with don Allah, and one quantity expression.
4. Duba da jerin bincike. Check your draft against the editing checklist before writing the final version.
5. Rubuta siffa ta ƙarshe. Produce a clean final version for your portfolio.

Jerin binciken gyara — Editing checklist:

• Each continuative statement uses the correct subject form for the speaker or subject (ina, yana, tana, and so on).
• Each negative continuative uses both elements: ba + negative subject form + verbal noun + ba.
• The negative subject form (ni, ya, ta, mu, ku, su) is used after the first ba, not the affirmative form.
• Polite requests use ina so and include don Allah where appropriate.
• Quantity words (kaɗan, da yawa) and container-plus-linker phrases are correctly formed.
• Food and drink nouns are spelled correctly, with hooked letters preserved.
• Each sentence ends with a full stop. Names are capitalized.

Speaking Practice

Culture and Communication

Common Mistakes

Chapter Review

Chapter Performance Task

Looking Ahead