Hausa ƙare means “finish, come to an end, be used up, run out.” A meeting, time period, supply, battery charge, or person’s patience can be its subject: Taron ya ƙare “the meeting ended,” Kuɗin sun ƙare “the money ran out.” It also has an established transitive use “finish/complete something,” although everyday Hausa often chooses gama when an agent’s completion of an activity is the clearest point.
The hooked letter matters. Ƙare “finish/end” is not plain-k kare, which is the noun “dog” and also a distinct verb “protect/defend.” Traditional analysis places ƙare in Grade 4. Its ordinary boko forms look alike across object environments because boko does not mark the relevant tone and vowel-length differences. Its weak verbal noun is ƙarewa.
All unlabelled examples are (neutral Nigerian Standard Hausa).
Core forms and licensed environments
| Environment | Standard form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| intransitive finite | taron ya ƙare | the meeting ended |
| exhausted supply | maganin ya ƙare | the medicine ran out |
| transitive + noun object | sun ƙare aikin | they completed the work |
| transitive + pronoun object | sun ƙare shi | they completed/used it up |
| core indirect object | not a preferred lexical frame | use gama mini aikin when “finish the task for me” is intended |
| continuative, no object | lokaci yana ƙarewa | time is running out |
| independent event noun | ƙarewa; ƙarewar lokaci | ending; expiration of time |
Taron ya ƙare da ƙarfe huɗu, amma kwamitin ya ci gaba da aiki.
The meeting ended at four, but the committee continued working. (intransitive event ending)
Tikiti sun ƙare tun da safe, don haka aka rufe ƙofar shiga.
The tickets sold out early in the morning, so the entrance gate was closed. (supply exhausted)
Ma’aikatan sun ƙare aikin gyaran rufin kafin damina.
The workers completed the roof repairs before the rainy season. (transitive noun object)
Rahoton fa? Mun ƙare shi, saura shugaban ya sa hannu.
What about the report? We have finished it; only the director’s signature remains. (pronoun object)
Intransitive ƙare: ending and exhaustion
The most productive modern frame gives ƙare a subject that reaches its endpoint or becomes exhausted. Nothing acts on a direct object: the meeting ends, the month expires, food is used up, or a battery loses its remaining charge.
Wa’adin neman gurbin zai ƙare ranar Juma’a da tsakar dare.
The application deadline will expire at midnight on Friday. (formal/administrative)
Man fetur ya kusa ƙarewa; mu tsaya a gidan mai na gaba.
The fuel is nearly running out; let’s stop at the next filling station. (continuative verbal noun)
Haƙurinta ya ƙare bayan an ɗage zaman karo na uku.
Her patience ran out after the session was postponed for the third time. (abstract exhaustion)
Batirin wayata bai ƙare ba tukuna, amma cajinsa ya yi ƙasa.
My phone battery has not run out yet, but its charge is low. (negative completive)
The subject is not always a physical quantity. Magana ta ƙare can mean “the matter/discussion is over,” and lokaci ya ƙare means the allotted time has expired. English often inserts there is no ... left; Hausa can instead present the resource itself as the subject of ƙare.
Transitive completion and the contrast with gama
Transitive ƙare is established, especially with the sense “bring to completion, finish completely.” Grade 4’s frequent totality or effective-completive association fits this use. Nevertheless, gama is extremely common for “finish doing/using” and for the everyday frame gama da X. The verbs overlap; they are not mechanically interchangeable in every idiom.
Ku ƙare sallar, sannan ku koma wuraren aikinku.
Finish the prayer, then return to your workplaces. (transitive completion)
Bello ya gama mini sauran aikin lissafin yayin da nake wurin likita.
Bello finished the rest of the accounting work for me while I was at the clinic. (natural beneficiary alternative with gama)
Mun gama cin abinci, amma abincin bai ƙare ba; akwai saura.
We finished eating, but the food was not used up; some remains. (gama activity versus ƙare supply)
That last contrast is especially useful. Mun gama cin abinci locates us at the endpoint of eating. Abincin ya ƙare says the supply of food is exhausted. If speakers say mun ƙare abincin, they present the participants as consuming the supply completely. See gama — finish for its own complement frames.
Finite ƙare and verbal-noun ƙarewa
The finite form follows completive, future, habitual, and subjunctive marking: ya ƙare, zai ƙare, yakan ƙare, ya ƙare in a licensed subjunctive context. No-object continuatives use ƙarewa. The same form behaves as a feminine event noun, producing ƙarewar before a dependent.
Lokacin gabatarwar yana ƙarewa, don haka ki kawo muhimmin batu yanzu.
The presentation time is running out, so raise the main point now. (to one woman)
Ƙarewar wa’adin ba ta hana hukumar karɓar ƙorafin da aka aika tun jiya ba.
The deadline’s expiration did not prevent the agency from receiving the complaint sent yesterday. (formal nominalization; feminine agreement)
Ba za a ƙare binciken yau ba saboda shaidu biyu ba su iso ba.
The investigation will not be completed today because two witnesses have not arrived. (negative future, impersonal)
Do not use ƙarewa as every finite form. Aikin ya ƙare jiya reports a bounded ending; aikin yana ƙarewa presents an ending in progress, a recurring endpoint, or an imminent exhaustion according to context.
Hooked ƙ versus plain k
In Nigerian Standard Hausa, ƙ and k distinguish words. ƙare “finish/end” has ejective ƙ. Plain kare can mean “dog,” while the separate plain-k verb kare means “protect/defend.” Context may rescue a misspelling, but the misspelling still collapses a real lexical contrast.
Lokacin ya ƙare, amma jami’an tsaro suna kare ƙofar.
The time has expired, but the security officers are guarding the door. (ƙare versus kare)
Karen ya kwanta a inuwa bayan wasan ya ƙare.
The dog lay in the shade after the game ended. (kare ‘dog’ versus ƙare ‘end’)
Result, endpoint, and explicit causers
Because ƙare can be intransitive, English speakers sometimes force an agent into the wrong frame. If the event simply comes to an end, make the event the subject. If someone completes it, a transitive ƙare or gama clause is possible. If someone causes a supply to be used up, state that participant explicitly.
Ruwan rijiyar ya ƙare bayan makonni biyu ba a yi ruwa ba.
The well water ran out after two weeks without rain. (no external agent asserted)
Baƙi sun ƙare ruwan sanyi, sai muka sake cika firiji.
The guests used up the cold water, so we refilled the refrigerator. (agentive transitive use)
There is no reason to manufacture a special pronoun stem: sun ƙare shi is the boko form. A beneficiary is not part of ƙare’s core lexical valency; ya gama mini aikin is the transparent everyday way to say “he finished the work for me.” Nor should ƙarewa be treated as an English infinitive that can replace ƙare after every TAM marker.
Common Mistakes
1. Dropping the hooked letter
❌ Lokacin rajista ya kare jiya.
Incorrect spelling for ‘the registration period ended’—plain-k kare is a different lexical item.
✅ Lokacin rajista ya ƙare jiya.
The registration period ended yesterday.
2. Giving an exhausted supply an unnecessary English-style dummy subject
❌ Babu shi ya ƙare da fetur a motar.
Incorrect calque—the resource itself can be the subject of ƙare.
✅ Fetur ɗin motar ya ƙare a kan hanya.
The vehicle ran out of fuel on the road.
3. Using ƙarewa as a finite completive
❌ Taron ya ƙarewa da ƙarfe huɗu jiya.
Incorrect—plain completive requires finite ƙare.
✅ Taron ya ƙare da ƙarfe huɗu jiya.
The meeting ended at four yesterday.
4. Assuming gama and ƙare always say the same thing
❌ Mun gama cin abinci, wato dole abincin ya ƙare.
Incorrect inference—people may finish eating while food remains.
✅ Mun gama cin abinci, amma akwai saura a tukunya.
We finished eating, but some food remains in the pot.
5. Adding final ba to a prohibition
❌ Kada ku ƙare ruwan duka ba.
Incorrect—kada plus subjunctive does not take closing ba.
✅ Kada ku ƙare ruwan duka; a bar wa masu zuwa.
Do not use up all the water; leave some for those coming.
Key Takeaways
- Ƙare with hooked ƙ is Grade 4 “finish/end”; plain kare belongs to different words.
- Intransitive subjects reach an endpoint or become exhausted: taron ya ƙare, kuɗin sun ƙare.
- Established transitive use is possible: sun ƙare aikin, sun ƙare shi.
- Use ƙarewa in no-object continuatives and nominal expressions: yana ƙarewa, ƙarewar wa’adi.
- Distinguish completing an activity with gama from a resource itself running out with ƙare.
Related Topics
- Grade 4: Core Form PatternB1 — Recognize Grade 4's e-final form, its hidden A/B/C/D contrasts, and its frequent totality or result meaning.
- Grade 4 Semantics and Completive ForceB1 — Interpret Grade 4's endpoint, totality, and separation tendencies without confusing lexical meaning with completive TAM.
- Continuative with -wa Verbal NounsA2 — Form the Hausa continuative with weak -wa verbal nouns and remove -wa when a direct object follows.
- Verb Reference: gama — finishB2 — Use agentive Grade 1 gama for finishing work and being through with something, distinct from inchoative ƙare ‘come to an end.’
- Hooked Letter ƙ versus Plain kA1 — Master the Hausa contrast between plain k and ejective ƙ in pronunciation, spelling, and everyday words.
- Using the Verb Citation Form before Every ObjectB1 — Repair object-conditioned Hausa verb forms by identifying the verb's grade and the kind of expression that follows it.