A definite Hausa noun keeps its definite form when an attributive adjective comes before it: sabon gidan “the new house,” sabuwar motar “the new car,” sabbin littattafan “the new books.” The adjective has its linker, and the noun has its own definite suffix. These two endings do different jobs and both are normally present.
A complete property statement has a different shape: Gidan sabo ne “The house is new.” Here the definite noun is the subject, while the free adjective and final ne/ce form the predicate. Unless marked otherwise, all patterns are neutral Nigerian Standard Hausa in (informal) speech and (formal) prose.
The suffix system itself is introduced on Definite Suffixes -n and -r: Overview.
Linked adjective plus definite noun
In the frequent pre-nominal order, a true adjective agrees with the head and carries -n for masculine singular or plural and -r for feminine singular. The following noun still carries its definite suffix.
| Class | Indefinite phrase | Definite phrase |
|---|---|---|
| masculine singular | sabon gida | sabon gidan |
| feminine singular | sabuwar mota | sabuwar motar |
| plural | sabbin littattafai | sabbin littattafan |
Sabon gidan yana ƙarshen layin.
The new house is at the end of the street.
Sabuwar motar tana gaban ofishin.
The new car is in front of the office.
Sabbin littattafan suna kan teburin malami.
The new books are on the teacher's table.
Doguwar hanyar zuwa ƙauyen tana bi ta cikin daji.
The long road to the village passes through the forest.
In sabuwar motar, the -r of sabuwar links the feminine adjective to mota, while the -r of motar makes the noun definite. The repetition is not redundant. English has only “the” and an invariant adjective, so learners often overlook one Hausa ending.
Definite subject plus property predicate
To assert a property about an identified noun, put the definite noun first, then a free agreeing adjective, then ne/ce.
Gidan sabo ne; an gama shi jiya.
The house is new; it was finished yesterday.
Motar sabuwa ce, amma ta yi tafiya mai nisa.
The car is new, but it has traveled a long distance.
Littattafan sababbi ne; babu wanda ya karanta su.
The books are new; nobody has read them.
Hanyar zuwa garin doguwa ce, don haka mu tashi da wuri.
The road to the town is long, so let's leave early.
The predicate adjective has no attributive linker: sabo, not sabon; sabuwa, not sabuwar; sababbi, not sabbin. Final ce agrees with a feminine singular subject; ne serves masculine singular and all plurals.
Compare the two structures directly:
| Hausa | Structure | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| sabon gidan | one definite noun phrase | the new house |
| Gidan sabo ne. | subject + property predicate | The house is new. |
| sabuwar motar | one definite noun phrase | the new car |
| Motar sabuwa ce. | subject + property predicate | The car is new. |
Definiteness is not adjective agreement
The noun’s definite suffix and the adjective’s agreement are related in form but not interchangeable. Removing the noun suffix changes definiteness; removing the adjective linker breaks the neutral pre-nominal attributive pattern.
Na ga farin rago kusa da ƙofar kasuwa.
I saw a white ram near the market gate.
Na sayi farin ragon da ka nuna mini.
I bought the white ram that you showed me.
Ta zaɓi farar riga.
She chose a white gown.
Ta sa farar rigar da muka saya.
She wore the white gown that we bought.
The contrast rago/ragon and riga/rigar marks the referent as nondefinite versus definite. The adjective remains linked in either phrase: farin for masculine, farar for feminine.
Quality nouns with definite heads
When English uses an adjective that corresponds to a Hausa quality noun, the definite suffix stays on the head and the mai/masu phrase follows.
Gidan mai kyau yana kusa da makaranta.
The good house is near the school.
Motar mai kyau ta riga ta sayu.
The good car has already been sold.
Ma’aikatan masu haƙuri sun taimaka mana.
The patient workers helped us.
Singular mai works with both gidan and feminine motar; plural masu agrees with ma’aikatan. The predicate counterparts are Gidan yana da kyau, Motar tana da kyau, and Ma’aikatan suna da haƙuri. Do not force the quality nouns kyau and haƙuri into true-adjective morphology.
The special definite form macen
The noun mace “woman” has definite macen, not a general definite form matar. Its plural is mata, with definite/linker matan.
Doguwar macen malama ce a makarantar.
The tall woman is a teacher at the school.
Macen doguwa ce, kuma tana da haƙuri.
The woman is tall, and she is patient.
Dogayen matan suna jiran motar haya.
The tall women are waiting for the taxi.
The expression matar Audu means “Audu’s wife” in the special possessed relationship. It should not replace macen simply because an adjective is present.
Doguwar matar Audu likita ce.
Audu's tall wife is a doctor.
Thus doguwar macen means “the tall woman,” while doguwar matar Audu means “Audu’s tall wife.” Keeping this contrast prevents a small suffix error from changing the relationship being described.
Definite coordinated nouns and shared predicates
Each conjunct keeps its own definite form. A property predicate shared by the coordination then takes plural agreement.
Gidan da motar haya dukansu sababbi ne.
The house and the rental car are both new.
Yaron gidan da yarinyar maƙwabta dogaye ne.
The boy from the household and the neighbors' girl are tall.
Macen da mutumin suna da haƙuri.
The woman and the man are patient.
The last noun does not impose its singular gender on the predicate. The complete coordination is plural, so use sababbi ne, dogaye ne, or suna da.
Identifying a noun phrase versus describing its referent
A nominal equation can identify which entity is meant, while an adjective predicate describes that entity.
Wannan shi ne sabon gidan da muka saya.
This is the new house that we bought.
Wannan gidan sabo ne, amma yana buƙatar fenti.
This house is new, but it needs paint.
In the first sentence, sabon gidan da muka saya is the identified definite noun phrase. In the second, wannan gidan is already the subject and sabo ne asserts a property. English uses “is” in both, but the Hausa constituent structure differs.
A natural selection in context
Akwai gidaje biyu; ina son babban gidan, domin ɗakunansa suna da faɗi.
There are two houses; I prefer the big house because its rooms are spacious.
Babban gidan selects an identified member of the pair. The following quality predicate uses suna da faɗi because plural ɗakuna are characterized through the quality noun faɗi “spaciousness/width.” One English sentence can therefore contain two different Hausa property strategies.
Practice
- The new house: sabon gidan.
- The new car: sabuwar motar.
- The books are new: Littattafan sababbi ne.
- The tall woman: doguwar macen; Audu’s tall wife: doguwar matar Audu.
Common Mistakes
1. Dropping the noun’s definite suffix
❌ Na sayi sabon gida da ka nuna mini.
Incorrect when referring to the specific house already shown; gida is not marked definite.
✅ Na sayi sabon gidan da ka nuna mini.
I bought the new house that you showed me.
2. Dropping the adjective linker
❌ Sabuwa motar tana waje.
Incorrect — a pre-nominal feminine adjective needs the linked form sabuwar.
✅ Sabuwar motar tana waje.
The new car is outside.
3. Carrying the linker into a predicate
❌ Waccan motar sabuwar ce.
Incorrect as the neutral statement 'That car is new'; predicate sabuwa has no linker.
✅ Waccan motar sabuwa ce.
That car is new.
4. Replacing macen with matar
❌ Doguwar matar tana jiran mota.
Incorrect for the intended 'The tall woman is waiting'; matar invites the meaning 'wife' and normally needs a possessor.
✅ Doguwar macen tana jiran mota.
The tall woman is waiting for a car.
Key Takeaways
- In sabon gidan, the adjective linker and noun’s definite suffix are both required.
- A complete predicate instead has a definite subject plus free adjective + ne/ce: Gidan sabo ne.
- Quality-noun modifiers follow definite heads through mai/masu: motar mai kyau.
- Each noun in a definite coordination keeps its own form, while a shared predicate takes plural agreement.
- Preserve mace → macen → mata/matan; use matar Audu specifically for “Audu’s wife.”
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Start learning Hausa →Related Topics
- Definite Suffixes -n and -r: OverviewA2 — How Hausa uses joined -n and -r forms for recoverable reference and noun linking, with the crucial gender, number, and sound-pattern asymmetries.
- Plural Definite FormsA2 — How every Hausa plural uses the common -n definite/linking series while retaining its own lexical plural shape and boundary adjustments.
- Core Attributive AdjectivesA1 — Build Hausa noun phrases with the small core of agreeing adjectives, their gender and number forms, and the required pre-nominal linker.
- Adjectives before and after NounsA1 — Distinguish the common linked adjective-before-noun pattern from post-nominal contrast, quality-noun phrases, and adjectival predicates.
- Predicative Quality with ne and ceA2 — How agreeing Hausa adjectives form present-time quality predicates with clause-final ne and ce.
- Agreement with Coordinated NounsA2 — Use plural agreement when two or more Hausa noun phrases joined by da form one subject.