Two singular noun phrases joined by da “and” normally form a plural subject. Hausa then uses plural agreement in the predicate even if both nouns are singular and even if one is masculine and the other feminine. Musa da Aisha dogaye ne means “Musa and Aisha are tall”: plural dogaye, plural copula ne.
English marks plurality mainly on “are.” Hausa can show it on a predicate adjective, a subject–TAM marker, a state form, and later pronouns. Unless marked otherwise, the patterns below are neutral Nigerian Standard Hausa in (informal) speech and (formal) prose.
Review the individual plural adjective forms on Plural Adjective Forms.
Two singular conjuncts make plural reference
The gender of the individual nouns matters inside each singular noun phrase, but the coordination as a whole denotes more than one entity.
Musa da Aisha dogaye ne.
Musa and Aisha are tall.
Gidanmu da motarsu sababbi ne.
Our house and their car are new.
Rigar da hular farare ne.
The gown and the cap are white.
Yaron da yarinyar ƙanana ne tukuna.
The boy and the girl are still young.
The true adjective takes a plural form—dogaye, sababbi, farare, or ƙanana—and the plural copula is ne. Feminine singular ce is not used merely because one conjunct, or even every conjunct, is feminine.
Agreement in quality-noun predicates
With a quality noun, plural agreement appears on the continuative subject marker: suna da. The quality noun remains unchanged.
Musa da Aisha suna da haƙuri da yara.
Musa and Aisha are patient with children.
Wuƙar da gatarin suna da kaifi.
The knife and the axe are sharp.
Gidan da shagon suna da kyau, amma suna da tsada.
The house and the shop are attractive, but they are expensive.
Compare a single subject: Wuƙar tana da kaifi “The knife is sharp.” Once wuƙar and gatarin form one subject, feminine singular tana gives way to plural suna. Kaifi does not take a plural ending because it is a noun naming sharpness.
Agreement in result predicates
Completed yi likewise takes plural sun with a coordinated subject.
Miyar da shayin sun yi sanyi.
The soup and the tea have gone cold.
Gidan da lambun sun yi kyau bayan gyaran.
The house and the garden looked good after the renovation.
Hanyar da gadar sun yi muni bayan ambaliyar.
The road and the bridge became badly damaged after the flood.
A singular subject would select ya or ta: Shayin ya yi sanyi; miyar ta yi sanyi. Coordination changes only the agreement frame; yi sanyi remains the same collocation.
State expressions take suke
In the state pattern a ... yake/take/suke, the coordinated subject takes plural suke.
Shagon da ofishin a rufe suke yau.
The shop and the office are closed today.
Ƙofar da tagar a buɗe suke.
The door and the window are open.
Musa da Aisha a shirye suke su tafi.
Musa and Aisha are ready to leave.
The shape of the last conjunct does not control the final form. Feminine taga does not trigger take in Ƙofar da tagar a buɗe suke, because the subject is the whole plural coordination.
Attributive agreement stays local
Inside a coordination, an adjective that belongs to one singular noun agrees with that noun. If both nouns need independent description, repeat the adjective with the appropriate singular form.
Sun sayi sabon gida da sabuwar mota.
They bought a new house and a new car.
Dogon yaro da doguwar yarinya sun taimaka mana.
A tall boy and a tall girl helped us.
Na ga farin rago da farar akuya a kasuwa.
I saw a white ram and a white goat at the market.
Here sabon/dogon/farin have the masculine linker -n, while sabuwar/doguwar/farar have feminine -r. These linked adjectives are inside separate noun phrases. They do not become plural merely because the two noun phrases are later joined.
Once the coordination serves as a subject of one shared predicate, plural agreement appears:
Sabon gidan da sabuwar motar dukansu sababbi ne.
The new house and the new car are both new.
The repeated attributive forms agree locally with gida and mota. Predicate sababbi ne agrees with the coordination as a whole.
Avoid unclear adjective scope
If one adjective appears before only the first noun, listeners normally attach it to that noun. English sometimes lets one adjective stretch across “a new house and car”; Hausa is clearer when each conjunct is marked.
Mun duba sabon gida da mota.
We inspected a new house and a car. (The adjective clearly belongs to gida; the car's status is not specified.)
Mun duba sabon gida da sabuwar mota.
We inspected a new house and a new car.
When both entities share a property, a plural predicate after the coordination is another unambiguous option: Gidan da motar sababbi ne. Do not attach a single masculine or feminine linker to an entire mixed coordination by translating English word for word.
Definite conjuncts keep their own definiteness
Each identified noun normally carries its own definite form: gidan “the house,” motar “the car,” yaron “the boy,” yarinyar “the girl.” The coordination then triggers plural predication.
Gidan da motar suna da kyau.
The house and the car are attractive.
Yaron nan da yarinyar can dogaye ne.
This boy and that girl are tall.
Macen da yaron suna jiran motar.
The woman and the boy are waiting for the car.
Notice the correct definite macen “the woman.” Matar is not a general substitute: it is associated especially with the possessed relationship matar Audu “Audu’s wife.” Coordination does not alter that distinction.
Later pronouns remain plural
Once a coordination is established, later agreement normally continues with plural forms.
Musa da Aisha sun iso; suna cikin ɗakin yanzu.
Musa and Aisha have arrived; they are in the room now.
Gidan da motar dukansu sababbi ne, amma suna buƙatar inshora.
The house and the car are both new, but they need insurance.
Switching back to a singular pronoun would make the listener search for only one conjunct. Use su/suna/sun when both remain the topic.
A natural judgment in context
A ganina, Musa da Aisha ƙwararru ne, amma sabbin ma’aikatan suna buƙatar ƙarin horo.
In my view, Musa and Aisha are experts, but the new employees need more training.
Here plural nominal predicate ƙwararru ne describes the coordinated people. The later plural subject continues independently. Hausa plural agreement makes the discourse grouping explicit.
Practice
- A boy and girl are tall: Yaron da yarinyar dogaye ne.
- A knife and axe are sharp: Wuƙar da gatarin suna da kaifi.
- Soup and tea became cold: Miyar da shayin sun yi sanyi.
- A new house and a new car: sabon gida da sabuwar mota.
Common Mistakes
1. Agreeing only with the nearest conjunct
❌ Gidan da motar sabuwa ce.
Incorrect — the complete coordination is plural, not feminine singular.
✅ Gidan da motar dukansu sababbi ne.
The house and the car are both new.
2. Keeping a singular quality predicate
❌ Musa da Aisha yana da haƙuri.
Incorrect — two people require plural suna.
✅ Musa da Aisha suna da haƙuri sosai.
Musa and Aisha are very patient.
3. Using a singular completed marker
❌ Miyar da shayin ta yi sanyi.
Incorrect — the coordinated subject takes sun.
✅ Miyar da shayin sun yi sanyi yanzu.
The soup and tea have gone cold now.
4. Making local attributive agreement plural
❌ Sun sayi sababbin gida da mota.
Incorrect for two singular conjuncts; each attributive adjective should agree locally.
✅ Sun sayi sabon gida da sabuwar mota jiya.
They bought a new house and a new car yesterday.
Key Takeaways
- Two or more noun phrases joined by da normally form a plural subject.
- A shared true-adjective predicate takes a plural adjective plus ne.
- Quality predicates use suna da; completed result predicates use sun yi; state phrases use suke.
- Attributive adjectives inside separate conjuncts keep local masculine or feminine agreement.
- Repeat adjectives when necessary to make their scope over both conjuncts clear.
Now practice Hausa
Reading grammar gets you part of the way. The exercises are where it sticks — free, no signup needed.
Start learning Hausa →Related Topics
- Masculine and Feminine Adjective FormsA1 — Match Hausa singular adjectives to masculine and feminine nouns in linked attributive phrases and in predicates with ne and ce.
- Plural Adjective FormsA1 — Use Hausa plural adjective stems with plural nouns before the noun, after it, and in property predicates.
- Predicative Quality with ne and ceA2 — How agreeing Hausa adjectives form present-time quality predicates with clause-final ne and ce.
- Predicative Quality with yana da and tana daA2 — How Hausa describes properties through continuative agreement plus da and a quality noun.
- Predicative Quality with yiA2 — Use agreeing forms of yi with quality nouns to describe a change, resulting condition, or assessed outcome.
- Adjectives with Definite NounsA2 — Combine definite noun forms with linked attributive adjectives and distinguish them from complete property predicates.