Hausa has a dedicated series for a pronominal indirect object: mini, maka, miki, masa, mata, mana, muku, musu. These forms most often identify a recipient or beneficiary — “to me,” “for her,” “to them” — but their precise interpretation comes from the verb, its grade, and the wider situation. They are not optional longer versions of the direct-object pronouns.
All unlabelled forms are (neutral Nigerian Standard Hausa). They are written as single words and ordinarily follow the verb immediately, before any direct object. The element ma- marks the indirect relation in this pronoun series; the first-person singular mini is the standard Kano-based form rather than a mechanically transparent mani.
The complete paradigm
| Person | Indirect object | English guide | With a following theme |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st singular | mini | to/for me | kawo mini littafi |
| 2nd masculine singular | maka | to/for you (one male) | kawo maka littafi |
| 2nd feminine singular | miki | to/for you (one female) | kawo miki littafi |
| 3rd masculine singular | masa | to/for him | kawo masa littafi |
| 3rd feminine singular | mata | to/for her | kawo mata littafi |
| 1st plural | mana | to/for us | kawo mana littafi |
| 2nd plural | muku | to/for you all | kawo muku littafi |
| 3rd plural | musu | to/for them | kawo musu littafi |
Aisha ta kawo mini littafin da na nema.
Aisha brought me the book I asked for.
The overt feminine subject Aisha still requires completive ta. Then mini marks the recipient, and littafin is the direct object or theme.
Zan aiko maka da adireshin yau.
I will send you the address today. (addressing one male)
Na rubuta miki saƙo amma ban tura ba.
I wrote you a message, but I did not send it. (addressing one female)
Malam ya nuna masa inda zai zauna.
The teacher showed him where he would sit.
Ta tanada mata kujera a gaba.
She reserved a seat for her at the front.
Mai gida ya dafa mana abincin dare.
The host cooked dinner for us.
Za mu bayyana muku tsarin kafin mu fara.
We will explain the procedure to you all before we begin.
An buɗe musu ƙofar da wuri.
The door was opened for them early.
Position before the direct object
The neutral order is verb + indirect object + direct object. This is structural, not a word-for-word copy of English.
| Subject–TAM | Verb | Indirect object | Direct object |
|---|---|---|---|
| ta | nuna | mini | hoton |
| ya | kawo | musu | ruwa |
| za mu | saya | miki | kyauta |
Maryam ta nuna mini hoton bikin.
Maryam showed me the photograph from the celebration.
Direban ya kawo musu ruwan sha.
The driver brought them drinking water.
Za mu saya miki kyauta kafin mu dawo.
We will buy you a present before we return. (addressing one female)
If both postverbal participants are pronouns, the ma- recipient still precedes the theme; that theme uses the independent series in this environment:
Na danƙa masa ita kafin na tafi.
I entrusted her to him before I left.
Ta kawo mana shi daga shago.
She brought it to us from the shop. (masculine singular item)
The noun counterpart is wa
An ordinary noun indirect object is introduced by wa in Nigerian Standard Hausa. A ma- pronoun replaces the whole wa + noun phrase, not just the noun.
Ya nuna wa Musa agogon.
He showed Musa the watch.
Ya nuna masa agogon.
He showed him the watch.
Ta saya wa Amina riga.
She bought Amina a dress.
Ta saya mata riga.
She bought her a dress.
For that reason, wa masa is double marking and is not the Standard construction. Some varieties use ma rather than wa before a noun; this is (regional) and should not be mixed with the Nigerian Standard target wa Amina.
Recipient, beneficiary, addressee, and affectee
The English labels to and for are useful but incomplete. Depending on the verb and grade, the indirect object can be the recipient of a thing, the person for whose benefit an action is performed, the addressee of speech, or another participant affected by the event. The two-object guide shows how this participant combines with a pronominal theme.
Ta kawo mini shayi.
She brought me tea. (recipient)
Ya gyara mata rediyo.
He repaired the radio for her. (beneficiary)
Ka karanta mana wasiƙar da ƙarfi.
Read the letter aloud to us. (addressee/audience; addressing one male)
Yaron ya buɗe musu ƙofa.
The boy opened a door for them. (affected beneficiaries)
There is no safe rule that translates every English for into ma-. English for two hours, for example, is a duration, not a beneficiary. Learn each Hausa verb with the roles it licenses and, where relevant, with its grade-specific pre-indirect-object form.
The irregular verb ba “give”
The very common verb ba does not use this paradigm for a pronominal recipient. Instead it takes the direct-object-shaped set ni, ka, ki, shi, ta, mu, ku, su in the recipient slot.
Na ba shi littafin.
I gave him the book.
Ta ba ni kuɗin mota.
She gave me the bus fare.
Malam ya ba ki dama ki sake gwadawa.
The teacher gave you a chance to try again. (addressing one female)
Thus na ba shi littafin, not na ba masa littafin. In speech, ba selects a low-tone realization of this recipient pronoun; ordinary boko does not show tone. This exception must be memorized because the semantic role is still indirect even though the form resembles the direct-object series.
Indirect object is not possession
Historically and formally, the ma- series is connected to possessive material, but modern learners must distinguish the constructions synchronically.
| Function | 3rd masculine singular | Example |
|---|---|---|
| direct object | shi | Na kira shi. |
| indirect object | masa | Na kawo masa littafi. |
| bound possessor | -nsa / -rsa | littafinsa / rigarsa |
| independent possessive | nasa / tasa | Wannan nasa ne. |
Na kira shi, sannan na ba shi littafinsa.
I called him, then I gave him his book.
The first shi is a direct object of kira. The second is the exceptional recipient after ba. The ending in littafinsa marks possession. English uses him/his to signal some of this, but Hausa builds each relation differently.
Practice: replace wa + noun
Replace the noun recipient with the matching ma- pronoun, except after ba.
Ya kawo wa Zainab littafi. → Ya kawo mata littafi.
He brought Zainab a book. → He brought her a book.
Sun bayyana wa yaran dokar. → Sun bayyana musu dokar.
They explained the rule to the children. → They explained the rule to them.
Ta ba Ado takardar. → Ta ba shi takardar.
She gave Ado the document. → She gave him the document. (ba exception)
Common Mistakes
1. Using the direct-object series for an ordinary beneficiary.
❌ Ya gyara ta rediyo.
Incorrect for ‘he repaired a radio for her’ — ta is a direct object.
✅ Ya gyara mata rediyo.
He repaired a radio for her.
2. Doubling the indirect-object marker.
❌ Ta kawo wa mini ruwa.
Incorrect — mini already expresses ‘to/for me’.
✅ Ta kawo mini ruwa.
She brought me water.
3. Ignoring the addressee's gender.
❌ Zan aiko maka hoton.
Incorrect when speaking to one woman — maka is masculine singular.
✅ Zan aiko miki hoton.
I will send you the photo. (addressing one female)
4. Using ma- after ba.
❌ Ya ba mini takardar.
Incorrect — ba takes the exceptional recipient form ni.
✅ Ya ba ni takardar.
He gave me the document.
5. Dropping the subject marker after an overt noun.
❌ Bala kawo musu abinci.
Incorrect — Bala still requires masculine singular ya.
✅ Bala ya kawo musu abinci.
Bala brought them food.
Key Takeaways
- The core indirect-object paradigm is mini, maka, miki, masa, mata, mana, muku, musu.
- It normally follows the verb and precedes a direct object.
- A noun counterpart usually takes Standard wa: wa Musa, but masa “to/for him.”
- The role may be recipient, beneficiary, addressee, or another affectee; verb meaning and grade matter.
- Ba “give” is exceptional: ba ni/ka/ki/shi/ta/mu/ku/su, not the ordinary ma- paradigm.
- Indirect-object forms are distinct from direct-object, independent, subject–TAM, and possessive forms.
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- mini, maka, and mikiB1 — Use mini for a first-person recipient and distinguish masculine maka from feminine miki when addressing one person.
- masa, mata, mana, muku, and musuB1 — Use Hausa masa, mata, mana, muku, and musu to mark recipients, beneficiaries, and other ma-linked participants without confusing them with direct objects.
- Object Pronouns with Two-Object VerbsA2 — Order Hausa recipients before themes, choose the indirect-object series for most recipients, and learn the special pattern used with ba ‘give’.
- Direct-Object Pronouns: Core ParadigmA2 — Learn Hausa ni, ka, ki, shi, ta, mu, ku, and su as direct objects and keep them distinct from independent, subject–TAM, indirect-object, and possessive forms.
- Indirect Objects Immediately after the VerbA2 — Place Hausa recipients and beneficiaries directly after the verb and recognize the special D-form environment they create.
- Possessive Pronouns after Masculine and Plural NounsB1 — Build joined Hausa possessives such as gidanka, littafinta, motocinmu, and takardunsu with the n-series selected by masculine and plural heads.