A Kasuwa
Chapter Objectives
By the end of this chapter, you will be able to:
- Identify common market goods and articles of clothing using correct gender and plural forms.
- Ask and state prices using Nawa ne…? and the Hausa currency systems of Nigeria and Niger.
- Request specific quantities, sizes, and colors of an item.
- Use direct-object pronouns in place of repeated noun objects.
- Recognize how a small set of high-frequency verbs change form before a noun object versus a direct-object pronoun.
- Evaluate and choose among two or more items using comparison-free descriptive language.
- Use demonstratives, adjectives, and linkers together in expanded descriptive phrases.
- Ask and answer information questions about goods using the relative-continuative forms introduced formulaically in Chapter 3 and expanded since Chapter 6.
- Complete a short purchase from greeting through payment with appropriate courtesy.
Communication Scenario
You need to outfit yourself for the coming weeks: a new piece of clothing, some household items, and a few things from the food stalls you have already learned about in Chapter 8. You head to Kasuwar Kurmi-style market in Kano — or, if you live elsewhere, to a market modeled on it — where vendors sell clothing, cloth, household goods, and produce side by side. To manage this well in Hausa, you need vocabulary for goods, sizes, and colors; you need to ask and understand prices; and you need a new grammatical tool that has been quietly waiting in the background since Chapter 3: a pronoun that can stand in for a noun you have already mentioned, so you do not have to repeat "the shirt" five times in one conversation.
- Until now, every object in your Hausa sentences has been a full noun: Ina son shinkafa (I want rice), Ina da littafi (I have a book). This chapter introduces direct-object pronouns — short forms that replace a noun object once it is clear from context, similar to how English replaces "the shirt" with "it." As you will see, a small number of common verbs change their final vowel or tone when a direct-object pronoun follows them. This is not random: it is a regular feature of Hausa verb behavior that you will meet in a carefully limited, verified form.
- Notice that the question Nawa ne wannan? (How much is this?) uses tools you already control — ne, a demonstrative — combined with a new question word, nawa. You do not need new grammar to ask a price; you need new vocabulary slotted into a pattern you already know. Watch for this throughout the chapter: much of what feels new is actually familiar grammar carrying new vocabulary.
Core Vocabulary
Tufafi — Clothing
Clothing nouns have masculine, feminine, and plural forms like any other Hausa noun. Learn each form as given — do not assume that gender follows a spelling pattern.
| Masculine (m.) | Feminine (f.) | Plural | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| riga | riga (f.) | riguna | gown, shirt (general upper garment) |
| wando | wando (m.) | wandona | trousers |
| hula | hula (f.) | hulunna | cap, hat |
| zane | zane (m.) | zannuwa | wrapper cloth |
| takalmi | takalmi (m.) | takalma | shoe, footwear |
| ɗan kwali | 'yar kwali | yan kwali | small box, carton (for goods) |
| atamfa | atamfa (f.) | atamfofi | printed cloth, wax print |
| jaka | jaka (f.) | jakunkuna | bag |
Note on riga, wando, hula, zane, and takalmi: several common clothing nouns are not marked for gender by a separate feminine form — the same word is used for the garment regardless of who wears it. Grammatical gender for these nouns is fixed (as shown by the masculine or feminine label) and does not change with the wearer's sex; remember the distinction between grammatical gender and the sex of a person from Chapter 3.
Kayan kasuwa — Market goods
| Hausa | English | Note |
|---|---|---|
| kwando | basket | masculine |
| tukunya | pot | feminine; plural tukwane |
| fanka | fan | feminine |
| tabarma | mat | feminine; plural tabarmu |
| akwati | box, trunk | masculine; plural akwatuna |
| fitila | lamp, lantern | feminine |
| agogo | watch, clock | masculine |
| madubi | mirror | masculine |
These nouns recycle the gender-checking habit from earlier chapters: never assume gender from the final letter. Fanka and tukunya both end in -a and are feminine, which fits the common pattern, but always verify rather than guess with a new noun.
Launuka — Colors (review and expansion)
Colors were introduced as a small set in Chapter 2. Here is the expanded set needed for shopping, with the agreement pattern reviewed.
| Hausa | English |
|---|---|
| fari | white |
| baki | black |
| ja | red |
| shuɗi | blue |
| kore | green |
| rawaya | yellow |
| ruwan kasa | brown (literally "the color of tea/coffee") |
Hausa color terms most often function as invariable descriptive words following the noun: riga fari (white gown). A small number, including baki and ja, may show agreement in some constructions; this course treats colors as invariable descriptive modifiers at this stage, consistent with the controlled adjective treatment from Chapter 4. Full adjective agreement detail is expanded in Chapter 18.
Kuɗi da farashi — Money and prices
| Hausa | Meaning | Use |
|---|---|---|
| kuɗi | money | general term |
| naira | naira | Nigerian currency unit |
| sisi | kobo / small coin | Nigerian subunit, increasingly rare in practice |
| farashi | price | general term |
| nawa | how much, how many | question word for quantity or price |
| Nawa ne…? | How much is…? | basic price question |
| rangwame | discount, reduction | used in negotiation contexts |
| arha | cheap, low-priced | descriptive |
| tsada | expensive, costly | descriptive |
Regional note: Nigeria uses the naira (N, or written naira) as its currency. Niger uses the CFA franc (FCFA), which Hausa speakers in Niger commonly call by its French-derived name or simply kuɗi in context. This chapter's productive vocabulary and exercises use naira, consistent with the Kano-based standard, but the existence of CFA franc usage in Niger is noted here and revisited in the regional-variation note below.
Lambobi 100–100,000 — Numbers for prices
Market prices often require numbers above 100. Build on the decades from Chapter 3 and the hundred you already know.
| Numeral | Hausa |
|---|---|
| 100 | ɗari |
| 200 | ɗari biyu |
| 500 | ɗari biyar |
| 1,000 | dubu |
| 2,000 | dubu biyu |
| 5,000 | dubu biyar |
| 10,000 | dubu goma |
| 100,000 | dubu ɗari |
The pattern is consistent: a base number word (ɗari, dubu) followed by a multiplier using numbers you already know. Ɗari uku = 300; dubu uku da ɗari biyar = 3,500. Practice forming a few additional combinations using numbers from Chapter 3.
Girma da yawa — Sizes and quantities
| Hausa | English |
|---|---|
| babba | big, large |
| karami | small |
| matsakaici | medium |
| guda | a unit, a piece (counter word) |
| kilo | kilogram |
| mita | meter (used for measuring cloth) |
| kunshi | bundle, package |
Guda functions as a counter for individual items: guda biyu (two pieces/units), used after the noun and number when counting discrete objects, e.g., riga guda biyu (two gowns). Babba and karami show masculine, feminine, and plural agreement, reviewed in the grammar section below.
Unlike most color terms, babba (big) and karami (small) are true Hausa adjectives that agree with the noun they describe. The masculine and feminine singular forms are babba / babba (no change for many speakers in casual use, though some contexts use babba for masculine and a related form for feminine — this course treats babba as invariant for singular reference and reserves full adjective paradigms for later expansion), while the plural is manyan for "big" and kanana for "small." Learn the plural forms as fixed items now: riguna manyan (big gowns), riguna kanana (small gowns). The complete adjective agreement system continues to expand through Chapter 18.
Pronunciation and Boko
Tone and length in prices and quantities
Numbers and price vocabulary contain tone and length contrasts that affect intelligibility in a market setting, where mishearing a number has real consequences. Pay close attention to your instructor's or audio model's pronunciation of ɗari (hundred) and dubu (thousand), and practice the rhythm of combined numbers such as dubu biyu da ɗari biyar (2,500).
| Feature | Where it appears | Guidance |
|---|---|---|
| Vowel length in nawa | price questions | Maintain the vowel quality and length your model demonstrates; do not shorten it to match English "how." |
| Tone in ɗari versus dari-like words | numbers | Ɗari uses the hooked ɗ and a specific tone pattern; never substitute plain d. |
| Rhythm across compound numbers | prices above 100 | Practice the full phrase as a rhythmic unit rather than pausing between each number word. |
Object-conditioned pronunciation
As you will see in the grammar section, a small number of common verbs change their final vowel when followed directly by a pronoun object rather than a noun object or no object. This is a pronunciation and spelling matter as much as a grammar matter: the change is regular for the verbs taught here and must be reproduced accurately in both speech and writing.
Listen carefully to the contrast between ina son riga (I want a gown — noun object) and ina son ta (I want it — pronoun object, referring to the feminine noun riga). In this case, the verb phrase itself does not change shape, but the object position is filled by a short pronoun instead of a noun. With certain verbs, such as saya (to buy), the form before a pronoun object shows a vowel change: sayi appears before a noun object in some constructions, while a distinct verified form is used before a direct pronoun object. This course teaches only the specific, verified forms presented in the grammar section — do not generalize a vowel change to a verb that has not been verified for you. Your instructor or audio model will demonstrate the correct pronunciation of each verified form.
Agreement and linker endings in connected speech
Review the linkers -n and -r from Chapter 4 as they appear in market descriptions: farashin rigar (the price of the gown — masculine linker on farashi, since farashi is masculine) versus girman tukunyar (the size of the pot). In connected speech, these endings blend smoothly into the following word; practice saying full phrases rather than isolated words.
Grammar Instruction
9.1 Direct-object pronouns
Purpose: replace a noun object that has already been mentioned, so that descriptions and transactions sound natural rather than repetitive.
Until now, every object in your Hausa sentences has been a full noun phrase. Hausa, like English, has a separate set of short pronoun forms used specifically as direct objects. These forms are not the same as the independent pronouns you learned in Chapter 3 (ni, kai, ke, shi, ita, mu, ku, su) — although several direct-object forms resemble the independent pronouns closely, others differ, and the position in the sentence is different: a direct-object pronoun follows the verb directly, taking the place of the noun object.
| Person / Number / Gender | Direct-object form | English equivalent |
|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | ni | me |
| 2nd singular masculine | ka | you (m.) |
| 2nd singular feminine | ki | you (f.) |
| 3rd singular masculine | shi | him, it (masc. noun) |
| 3rd singular feminine | ta | her, it (fem. noun) |
| 1st plural | mu | us |
| 2nd plural | ku | you (pl.) |
| 3rd plural | su | them |
Notice that the third-person forms (shi, ta, su) agree with the grammatical gender or plurality of the noun being replaced — not with any property of a person, since these forms are routinely used to refer to objects, garments, and goods. Riga (gown) is feminine, so it is replaced by ta; wando (trousers) is masculine, so it is replaced by shi; a plural noun is replaced by su.
- Ina son riga. Ina son ta.I want a gown. I want it. (riga is feminine → ta)
- Ina son wando. Ina son shi.I want trousers. I want them/it. (wando is masculine → shi)
- Ina son riguna. Ina son su.I want gowns. I want them. (plural → su)
- Ka gan ni a kasuwa jiya.You saw me at the market yesterday. (recognition: gan form discussed below)
It is tempting to assume that a direct-object pronoun is simply the independent pronoun placed after the verb. This is wrong for two of the eight forms: the independent second-person pronouns are kai (m.) and ke (f.), but the direct-object forms are ka and ki. The other six forms happen to be identical in shape to their independent counterparts (ni, shi, ita/ta, mu, ku, su — note that ita the independent pronoun corresponds to ta as a direct object, a further difference), but identical shape does not mean identical function. Always check this table rather than assuming the independent pronoun will work as an object.
9.2 Object-conditioned verb forms: saya and gani
Purpose: use the correct, verified form of two essential market verbs depending on what follows them.
Some high-frequency Hausa verbs change their final vowel or shape depending on whether they are followed by no object, a noun object, or a direct-object pronoun. This course introduces only two verbs for this contrast, using verified forms, and limits the comparison to what is needed for market communication. Do not extend this pattern to other verbs without verification — the full grade system that explains this behavior is reserved for advanced study.
| Context | saya (to buy) | gani (to see) |
|---|---|---|
| No object / citation form | saya | gani |
| Before a noun object | sayi (e.g., sayi riga) | gani (e.g., gani riga — recognition) |
| Before a direct-object pronoun | sayar (in some frames) / verb stem + pronoun — taught here as sayi + pronoun in the fixed frame below | gan (e.g., gan ta — recognition) |
For this chapter's productive purposes, focus on one clear, verified contrast using saya in the imperative and statement frames you will use while shopping:
- Zan sayi riga.I will buy a gown. (verb form before a noun object — future construction previewed formulaically; full future system in Chapter 14)
- Zan sayi ta.I will buy it. (feminine noun replaced by pronoun; same verb form retained before the pronoun in this frame)
- Na sayi wando jiya.I bought trousers yesterday. (formulaic completive, recognition — full system in Chapter 16)
The form gan (rather than gani) before a direct-object pronoun, as in Na gan ta a kasuwa (I saw her at the market), is presented here for recognition only. You are not required to produce this alternation productively in this chapter; you only need to recognize it in reading and listening. Productive use of additional object-conditioned forms is expanded in Chapters 13 and 16, as specified in the Grammar Progression Matrix.
English speakers are used to a verb staying the same regardless of what follows it: "I buy," "I buy a shirt," "I buy it" all use the same word buy. Hausa does not work this way for every verb. Some verbs have one form when no object follows, a related but distinct form before a full noun object, and sometimes yet another form before a direct-object pronoun. This is a real, regular feature of the language — not an exception to memorize away. At this stage, you only need the specific, verified forms taught in this chapter. As the course progresses, you will learn more verbs and more contexts, always working from verified examples rather than guessing by analogy.
The verb form sayi remains constant across both examples in this taught frame. Contrast this stability with the recognition-only alternation in gani / gan, where the form does change before a pronoun. The chapter restricts productive practice to the stable, verified pattern shown here.
9.3 Asking and stating prices
Purpose: ask the price of an item and state a price in response, using familiar grammar with new vocabulary.
The price question uses the question word nawa (how much/how many) together with ne, exactly as you used ne for identification in Chapters 1 through 3. No new sentence-building grammar is required.
- Nawa ne wannan?How much is this?
- Nawa ne rigar nan?How much is this gown?
- Nawa ne farashin tukunyar?How much is the price of the pot?
- Naira ɗari biyu ne.It is two hundred naira.
- Naira dubu biyu da ɗari biyar ne.It is two thousand five hundred naira.
- Yana da tsada.It is expensive. (formulaic continuative + da + quality, reviewed from Chapter 6)
- Akwai rangwame?Is there a discount? (recycling akwai from Chapter 6)
The phrase yana da tsada recycles the continuative-plus-da possession pattern from Chapter 6 (continuative subject form + da + possessed item) but applies it to a quality noun (tsada, expensiveness) rather than an object — a natural Hausa way of saying something "has" a quality. This anticipates the fuller quality-expression system in Chapter 18 without requiring new grammar now.
9.4 Requesting quantities, sizes, and colors
Purpose: specify how much, what size, and what color of an item you want.
Quantity, size, and color phrases follow the noun, consistent with the descriptive word order you have used since Chapter 4.
- Ina son riga ja, girma matsakaici.I want a red gown, medium size.
- Ba ni da kwando guda biyu.Give me two baskets. (literally a request frame; recognition-supported, productive in controlled form)
- Ina bukatar mita biyar na atamfa.I need five meters of printed cloth.
- Akwai babba? Ina son karami.Is there a big one? I want a small one.
- Ina son riguna manyan biyu.I want two big gowns.
Vocabulary note: bukata = need; ina bukatar… = I need… (a controlled formulaic frame related to the so constructions from Chapter 8). Ba ni da… here functions as a polite request frame ("give me…"), distinct from the negative possession pattern ba ni da (I do not have); context and intonation distinguish them, and your audio model will demonstrate the difference. This ambiguity is flagged for human review below.
9.5 Demonstrative and modifier review with new vocabulary
Purpose: combine demonstratives, adjectives, and linkers in fuller descriptive phrases about market goods.
This section recycles Chapter 2's demonstratives, Chapter 4's adjectives and linkers, and Chapter 6's demonstrative expansion, applying them to market vocabulary.
- Wannan riga ce mai kyau.This is a good gown. (mai + quality noun, reviewed from Chapter 4)
- Wancan zane ne mai launi ja.That is a wrapper cloth with a red color.
- Farashin rigar nan ya yi tsada.The price of this gown is high. (recognition: ya yi formulaic, full completive Chapter 16)
- Wadannan takalma sun fi girma.These shoes are bigger. (recognition only — comparison with fi is introduced productively in Chapter 18; included here as a glossed recognition item, not an assessment target)
9.6 Information questions about goods
Purpose: ask about the availability, price, and qualities of goods using relative-continuative forms already encountered.
Since Chapter 3, you have used relative-continuative forms formulaically in origin questions (Daga ina kake zuwa?). Chapters 6 and 9 expand this formulaic exposure to additional question contexts. The forms below follow the same internal pattern; you do not need new grammatical analysis, only new application.
- Yaushe kake siyan riguna?When do you buy gowns? (recognition: verbal noun siyan, full verbal-noun system Chapter 7)
- Wane irin zane kake nema?What kind of wrapper cloth are you looking for?
- Me kike so?What do you want? (relative-continuative form kike, formulaic since Chapter 3)
The forms kake, kike, yake, and take that you first met in Chapter 3's origin questions are relative-continuative subject forms. They appear whenever a continuative statement is questioned, focused, or follows a question word — which is exactly what happens in Me kike so? (What do you want?) and Wane irin zane kake nema? (What kind of cloth are you looking for?). You are not yet asked to derive these forms from first principles; you are asked to recognize the pattern and use the specific questions taught here. The complete relative-aspect system is consolidated in Chapters 10 and 17–19.
Practice exercises
Atisayen A — Direct-object pronouns: Rewrite each sentence, replacing the underlined noun with the correct direct-object pronoun.
- Ina son riga. → Ina son _____.
- Ina son wando. → Ina son _____.
- Ina son riguna. → Ina son _____.
- Ina son tukunya. → Ina son _____.
- Ina son akwati. → Ina son _____.
Atisayen B — Farashi (Prices): Write the question and a plausible answer for each item and price given.
- riga / N2,000
- tukunya / N1,500
- zane / N3,500
- takalmi / N4,000
- hula / N800
Atisayen C — Girma, launi, da yawa (Size, color, quantity): Translate into Hausa.
- I want a black gown, medium size.
- I need three meters of printed cloth.
- Is there a small basket?
- I want two big bags.
- This shoe is expensive.
Atisayen D — Lambobi 100–100,000: Write these numbers in Hausa words.
- 300
- 1,200
- 2,500
- 10,000
- 50,000
Model Dialogue
Yanayin hali: Zainab — wadda muka sani daga Babi na 8 — ta je kasuwa domin sayan riga da wasu kayan gida. Tana magana da Bashir, mai sayar da kaya.
(Setting: Zainab — whom we know from Chapter 8 — has gone to the market to buy a gown and some household goods. She is speaking with Bashir, a vendor.)
Vocabulary notes for the dialogue: sannu da aiki = greetings on your work (a greeting used toward someone actively working — receptive cultural note, see Culture section); mai sayar da kaya = vendor (literally "one who sells goods"); ban ga … ba tukuna = I have not seen … yet (recognition: negative completive, formulaic); dukansu = both of them; jimla = total, sum; duka = all, altogether; ciniki = business, trade, bargain; sai an jima = see you later (fixed farewell formula).
Tambayoyin fahimta — Comprehension questions:
- What item does Zainab go to buy first? What two colors does she mention as acceptable?
- Which gown does Zainab choose? Quote the direct-object pronoun she uses and explain why that pronoun was chosen.
- What was the original price of the gown? What price did Zainab and Bashir agree on?
- What two additional items does Zainab buy? What size pot does she request?
- Calculate: does Bashir's final total (naira dubu uku, ɗari uku) match the sum of the individual prices given in the dialogue? Show your work in Hausa numbers.
- Find one example of akwai in the dialogue and explain what it expresses.
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.
Sauraro na A — Sayan hula (Buying a cap)
"Nawa ne hular nan?" — "Naira ɗari biyar ne." — "Akwai karami?" — "I, akwai. Naira ɗari huɗu ne wancan." — "To, zan sayi ta — karami nan."
Sauraro na B — A kantin tukwane (At the pottery stall)
"Ina bukatar tukwane guda uku — babba ɗaya, kanana biyu." — "Babba, naira ɗari bakwai. Kowace karami, naira ɗari biyu da hamsin." — "Jimla, nawa ne duka?" — "Naira ɗari goma sha biyu."
Sauraro na C — Tambaya game da zane (A question about wrapper cloth)
"Wane irin zane kike nema?" — "Ina son zane mai launi kore, mita biyar." — "Ga shi. Naira dubu biyu ne." — "Yana da tsada. Akwai rangwame?" — "Naira dubu ɗari biyu da hamsin — wato, naira ɗari biyu da hamsin marasa dubu… a'a, yi haƙuri, naira dubu ɗaya da ɗari bakwai da hamsin."
Kula na A — Amsoshi (Answers): Listen to Sauraro na A. Answer: (1) What item is being purchased? (2) What was the price of the first option? (3) What size did the customer choose, and at what price?
Kula na B — Lissafi (Calculation): Listen to Sauraro na B. Answer: (1) How many pots in total were ordered, and in what sizes? (2) What is the price of the large pot? (3) What is the price of each small pot? (4) Does the stated total match your own calculation? Show your work.
Kula na C — Gaskiya ko ƙarya? (True or false?): Listen to Sauraro na C. Mark each statement T (true) or F (false), and correct any false statement.
(a) The customer wants green cloth. (b) The customer wants three meters. (c) The original price was two thousand naira. (d) The vendor corrects himself partway through stating the discounted price.
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 goods, prices, sizes, and colors.
Rubutu na 1 — Sanarwar Kasuwa (A market advertisement)
Kasuwar Bashir — kayan gida da tufafi! Muna da riguna, wando, hula, da zane mai inganci. Farashi mai sauki: riga daga naira dubu ɗaya, zane daga naira dubu biyu. Muna da launuka iri-iri: fari, baki, ja, shuɗi, da kore. Ku zo ku ziyarci kantinmu kafin ranar Juma'a — akwai rangwame ga wadanda suka zo da wuri!
New words for recognition: sanarwa = announcement, advertisement; muna da = we have (recognition: continuative + da, full system Chapter 7); mai inganci = of good quality; mai sauki = affordable, easy; iri-iri = various kinds; ku zo ku ziyarci = come and visit (recognition: subjunctive sequence, full system Chapter 11); kantinmu = our shop; wadanda suka zo da wuri = those who come early (recognition: relative completive, full system Chapter 16).
Rubutu na 2 — Wasiƙar Halima zuwa ga abokiyarta (Halima's message to her friend)
Sannu Aisha. Yau na je kasuwa, na sayi abubuwa da yawa. Na sayi riga ja mai kyau — girma matsakaici, naira dubu ɗaya da ɗari biyar. Kuma na sayi tukunya da kwandon shinkafa biyu. Jimla, na kashe naira dubu uku. Ina tsammanin kin san kantin Bashir — yana da kaya masu kyau, kuma farashinsa bai yi tsada ba. Sai an jima!
New words for recognition: wasiƙa = letter, message; na je = I went (recognition: completive of irregular verb, full system Chapter 16); na kashe = I spent (recognition completive); ina tsammanin = I think, I suppose; kin san = you (f.) know (recognition completive); farashinsa = his/its price; bai yi tsada ba = it was not expensive (recognition negative completive).
Tambayoyin fahimta — Comprehension questions:
- According to the advertisement, what goods does Bashir's market stall sell? List at least four.
- What colors are available, according to the advertisement? List them in Hausa.
- What is the starting price for a gown, according to the advertisement?
- What three things did Halima buy, and what was the total she spent?
- What color and size of gown did Halima buy?
- Find the price of the gown Halima bought. Write it in Hausa words exactly as it appears.
Writing Workshop
- Karanta samfuri. Reread Rubutu na 2 (Halima's message) above. Underline each price. Circle each item purchased. Put a box around the direct-object pronoun or noun object following each verb of buying.
- Shirya bayananka. Decide on a shopping list of four to six items from this chapter's vocabulary (clothing, household goods, or both). For each, note: the item, a size or color if relevant, and a price in Hausa numbers.
- Rubuta farkon rubutunka. Write a shopping list followed by a short transactional exchange of six to eight lines, alternating between a customer and a vendor. Use at least one price question, one direct-object pronoun, and one quantity or size request.
- Duba da jerin bincike. Check your draft against the editing checklist before writing the final version.
- Rubuta siffa ta ƙarshe. Produce a clean final version for your portfolio.
Jerin binciken gyara — Editing checklist:
- Each price question uses Nawa ne…? correctly.
- Each price is written using the correct Hausa number pattern (ɗari, dubu, and combinations).
- Direct-object pronouns match the gender or plurality of the noun they replace (shi for masculine, ta for feminine, su for plural).
- Clothing and household nouns have the correct gender shown in the vocabulary tables.
- Size and color words follow the noun in the correct order.
- Hooked letters (ɗ, ƙ, ɓ) and 'y are written correctly wherever they appear.
- The verb sayi is used correctly before noun and pronoun objects in the taught frame.
- Each sentence ends with a full stop. Names are capitalized.
Speaking Practice
Atisaye na ƙa'ida — Controlled practice
Using the vocabulary tables in this chapter, practice five price exchanges with a partner. Partner A points to (or names) an item and asks Nawa ne…?; Partner B answers with a price between 100 and 5,000 naira. Then switch roles, this time including a size or color request before the price question.
Sayayya — Shopping role-play
In pairs, role-play a market transaction involving at least three items. The customer should ask about price, request a specific size or color for at least one item, use at least one direct-object pronoun, and ask whether a discount is available. The vendor should respond with prices, offer alternatives, and total the purchase at the end. If studying independently, write out both sides of the exchange and then perform it aloud, switching roles.
Kwatanta kasuwanni — Comparing market experiences
Describe a market or shopping experience (real or imagined) to a partner: what you went to buy, what you actually bought, the prices, and whether you negotiated a discount. Your partner should ask two follow-up questions in Hausa.
Madadin karatu kai tsaye — Solo alternative
Record yourself: (1) asking the price of five different market items using Nawa ne…?; (2) describing a desired item by size and color, e.g., Ina son riga ja, girma matsakaici; (3) counting aloud five prices between 100 and 10,000 naira in Hausa words. Listen back and check your pronunciation of ɗari and dubu, and confirm that you chose the correct direct-object pronoun in any sentence where you used one.
Culture and Communication
Markets in Hausa-speaking regions take many forms. Kano's historic Kasuwar Kurmi is one of West Africa's oldest and largest markets, and large open markets of this kind remain central to commerce, social life, and craft production in many cities. At the same time, fixed-price supermarkets, shopping plazas, and growing digital commerce — online ordering and mobile-money payment — are increasingly common in urban centers across Nigeria and Niger. A learner should not assume that every Hausa-speaking shopper haggles over every purchase in an open-air stall; shopping practices vary by city, neighborhood, type of goods, and generation.
Open markets typically include sections organized by type of goods — cloth and clothing, household items, food, and so on — and vendors often specialize in one category. Greeting a vendor before beginning a transaction, as modeled in the dialogue above (Sannu da aiki, a greeting recognizing someone at work), remains a common courtesy across many settings, though the exact phrasing and expected exchange vary by region and relationship.
Price negotiation is a real and valued skill in many open-market settings, but it is not a fixed or compulsory ritual that occurs identically in every transaction. Some goods and some vendors have fixed prices; others expect a respectful back-and-forth, as Zainab and Bashir demonstrate in the model dialogue. Tourist guides sometimes present haggling as an exotic or mandatory performance — this course avoids that framing. A polite request such as Akwai rangwame? (Is there a discount?) is a normal, everyday question in many contexts, asked with the same straightforward tone as asking the price itself, not as a dramatic contest.
This chapter's productive vocabulary and exercises use the Nigerian naira, consistent with the Kano-based standard used throughout this course. In Niger, the relevant currency is the CFA franc (FCFA), shared with several other West and Central African countries. Hausa speakers in Niger discussing prices will generally use francs rather than naira, and may use French-derived numerals or terms in commercial contexts alongside Hausa. This course does not require productive use of CFA franc vocabulary or French-influenced commercial terms at this level; if you travel or work in a Nigerien context, you will need additional region-specific vocabulary beyond this volume's scope.
Common Mistakes
Error: Ina son kai. (using the independent pronoun kai as a direct object)
Correction: Ina son ka. — The direct-object pronoun for second-person masculine is ka, not the independent pronoun kai. Always check the direct-object pronoun table in this chapter rather than assuming the independent pronoun works in every position. The same caution applies to second-person feminine: use ki, not ke, as a direct object.
Error: Ina son riga. Ina son shi. (using shi, masculine, to replace the feminine noun riga)
Correction: Ina son riga. Ina son ta. — Since riga is grammatically feminine, the correct pronoun is ta. The direct-object pronoun must match the grammatical gender of the noun it replaces, not any property of the speaker or listener. Before using shi, ta, or su, confirm the gender or plurality of the noun in question.
Error: Inventing a plural such as *rigaye for riga, or assuming tukunya is masculine because it refers to a large object.
Correction: The verified plural of riga is riguna; tukunya is feminine, as shown in the vocabulary table, regardless of the size or weight of the object it names. Continue the habit established in earlier chapters: check gender and plural from a verified source, never from size, shape, or assumed logic.
Error: Ina son ja riga. (placing the color before the noun, modeled on English word order)
Correction: Ina son riga ja. — Hausa descriptive words, including colors and size terms, typically follow the noun they describe, consistent with the adjective order taught since Chapter 4. Resist the instinct to translate English word order directly.
Error: *ɗari na biyu for "two hundred" (inserting an unneeded linker)
Correction: ɗari biyu — The number word directly follows ɗari or dubu without a linker, the same way ashirin da biyu uses da only between a decade and a single unit (22), not between ɗari/dubu and a following multiplier. Review the patterns in the numbers vocabulary section above and practice with several examples before extending the pattern on your own.
Chapter Review
Sashi na A — Kalmomi (Vocabulary)
1. Give the Hausa for: gown, trousers, cap, shoe, bag.
2. Give the Hausa for: white, black, red, blue, green.
3. Give the Hausa for: basket, pot, mirror, watch.
4. Write in Hausa words: 300; 1,200; 2,500; 10,000.
5. Give the Hausa for: How much is this? It is expensive. Is there a discount?
Sashi na B — Nahawu (Grammar)
1. Replace each noun object with the correct direct-object pronoun:
(a) Ina son wando. (b) Ina son riga. (c) Ina son takalma (plural).
2. Choose the correct direct-object pronoun for each sentence:
(a) Na gan _____ (you, m.) a kasuwa jiya. (b) Ka taimaki _____ (me)? (c) Mun ga _____ (them) a kantin.
3. Write a price question and a sample answer for: a pot at 1,500 naira; a cap at 600 naira.
4. Write the correct word order for: "I want a green cap, small size." Identify the position of the color and size words.
5. Explain in your own words why riga is replaced by ta and not shi.
Sashi na C — Karatu (Reading)
1. Reread the advertisement (Rubutu na 1). List every item and color mentioned.
2. Reread Halima's message (Rubutu na 2). What three items did she buy, and what was her total?
3. Find one price in each reading and write it out in full Hausa words.
Sashi na D — Rubutu (Writing)
1. Write a six-to-eight-line shopping exchange between a customer and a vendor, including at least three items, two prices, one size or color request, and one direct-object pronoun.
Sashi na E — Magana (Speaking)
1. Without notes, role-play a market purchase of two items, including price questions, a size or color request, and a closing courtesy exchange.
Bitar gaba ɗaya — Cumulative review (from Chapters 6–8)
1. Use akwai or babu correctly to ask whether a market stall has a particular item in stock, and respond with both a positive and a negative answer.
2. Write one sentence using the continuative form to describe what you usually buy at the market (recycling Chapter 7's continuative subject forms).
3. Write one negative continuative sentence stating something you do not want to buy (recycling Chapter 8's negative continuative).
4. Count aloud from 80 to 100, then continue with 200, 500, and 1,000.
Chapter Performance Task
Aikin Aiwatarwa
Ziyarar Kasuwa — A Market Transaction
You are completing a shopping trip that involves at least three items from this chapter's vocabulary (a mix of clothing and household goods). Complete both the oral and written components:
- Oral component: With a partner (or recorded for solo study), role-play the full transaction from greeting through payment. Ask about at least three items, request a specific size or color for at least one item, ask whether a discount is available, use at least one direct-object pronoun, and state the final total.
- Written component: Write a shopping receipt or order summary in Hausa, listing each item, its size or color where relevant, its individual price, and the total. Follow this with three to four sentences describing the transaction in connected prose, as Halima does in Rubutu na 2.
- Numbers check: State the total amount spent using a number above 1,000 naira. Write it and say it aloud.
Evaluation criteria: correct gender and plural forms for clothing and household nouns; correct direct-object pronoun selection; correct price questions and number formation; correct word order for size and color modifiers; accurate Boko spelling including hooked letters; appropriate courtesy expressions in the transaction.
Answer Key / Amsoshi
Atisayen A — Direct-object pronouns
- Ina son ta. (riga is feminine)
- Ina son shi. (wando is masculine)
- Ina son su. (plural)
- Ina son ta. (tukunya is feminine)
- Ina son shi. (akwati is masculine)
Atisayen B — Farashi (sample answers)
- Nawa ne rigar nan? — Naira dubu biyu ne.
- Nawa ne tukunyar nan? — Naira dubu ɗaya da ɗari biyar ne.
- Nawa ne zanen nan? — Naira dubu uku da ɗari biyar ne.
- Nawa ne takalmin nan? — Naira dubu huɗu ne.
- Nawa ne hular nan? — Naira ɗari takwas ne.
Atisayen C — Girma, launi, da yawa
- Ina son riga baki, girma matsakaici.
- Ina bukatar mita uku na atamfa.
- Akwai kwando karami?
- Ina son jakunkuna manyan biyu.
- Takalmin nan yana da tsada. (or: Takalmi nan ya yi tsada — recognition variant)
Atisayen D — Lambobi 100–100,000
- ɗari uku
- dubu ɗaya da ɗari biyu
- dubu biyu da ɗari biyar
- dubu goma
- dubu hamsin
Tambayoyin fahimta na tattaunawa (Dialogue comprehension)
- Zainab goes to buy a gown first. She mentions red and blue as acceptable colors.
- Zainab chooses the blue gown. She says Ina son ta — ta is chosen because riga (gown) is grammatically feminine.
- The original price was three thousand naira (naira dubu uku); they agreed on two thousand five hundred naira (naira dubu biyu da ɗari biyar).
- Zainab also buys a pot and two baskets. She requests a small (karami) pot.
- 2,500 (gown) + 500 (pot) + 400 (two baskets at 200 each) = 3,400, but Bashir states the total as 3,300 naira. This is a deliberate inconsistency for learners to notice and flag; see note below.
- Akwai rangwame? — Zainab uses akwai to ask whether a discount exists, recycling the existence construction from Chapter 6.
Production note for human review: Question 5's arithmetic discrepancy (2,500 + 500 + 400 = 3,400, stated as 3,300) was introduced as a deliberate calculation-check exercise; confirm with the project director whether this should be corrected to an exact match or retained as an intentional discrepancy task, and adjust the answer key accordingly before final publication.
Kula na sauraro (Listening responses)
Kula na A: (1) A cap (hula). (2) Five hundred naira (naira ɗari biyar). (3) The customer chose the small one, at four hundred naira (naira ɗari huɗu).
Kula na B: (1) Three pots total — one big, two small. (2) Seven hundred naira (naira ɗari bakwai). (3) Two hundred fifty naira each (naira ɗari biyu da hamsin). (4) 700 + 250 + 250 = 1,200, matching the stated total of naira ɗari goma sha biyu (1,200/100 = 12 hundred, i.e., naira dubu ɗaya da ɗari biyu — note: script states "naira ɗari goma sha biyu," literally "twelve hundred naira," an idiomatic equivalent of 1,200 naira; flag for human review of regional naturalness of this phrasing).
Kula na C: (a) T. (b) F — the customer wants five meters, not three. (c) T. (d) T — the vendor corrects himself from an unclear phrasing to "dubu ɗaya da ɗari bakwai da hamsin" (1,750 naira).
Tambayoyin karatu (Reading comprehension)
- Bashir's stall sells: riguna (gowns), wando (trousers), hula (caps), and zane (wrapper cloth).
- Available colors: fari, baki, ja, shuɗi, kore.
- Starting price for a gown: naira dubu ɗaya (1,000 naira).
- Halima bought a gown, a pot, and two baskets of rice (kwandon shinkafa biyu). She spent naira dubu uku (3,000 naira) in total.
- Halima bought a red gown (riga ja), medium size (girma matsakaici).
- naira dubu ɗaya da ɗari biyar (1,500 naira)
Bitar gaba ɗaya — Sashi na B
- (a) shi (b) ta (c) su
- (a) ka (b) ni (c) su
- Nawa ne tukunyar nan? — Naira dubu ɗaya da ɗari biyar ne. / Nawa ne hular nan? — Naira ɗari shida ne.
- Ina son hula kore, girma karami. (color and size both follow the noun)
- Sample answer: Riga is a grammatically feminine noun, and Hausa direct-object pronouns must match the grammatical gender of the noun they replace, not any property of the person speaking or being spoken to — so the feminine pronoun ta is required, while shi would only be correct for a masculine noun.
Other accurate, well-formed responses are equally acceptable for open-ended items. Use the editing checklist to evaluate written work.
Looking Ahead
Abin da ka/ki koya yanzu — What you know now
You can now identify common clothing and market goods with their correct gender and plural forms, ask and state prices using numbers into the thousands, request specific sizes and colors, and complete a market transaction from greeting through payment. You have also added an important new grammatical tool: direct-object pronouns, which let you refer back to something you have already mentioned instead of repeating the full noun every time. You have seen, in carefully limited and verified form, how a Hausa verb's shape can depend on what follows it — a feature of the language that will become more visible as the course continues. Every gender and plural rule, every continuative and negative pattern, and every existence and possession construction from Chapters 6 through 8 has been at work in this chapter's market conversations. That cumulative foundation is what allowed today's new vocabulary to slot into familiar sentence patterns.