Verb Reference: nema — seek, look for | Hausa Grammar

Hausa nema means “seek, look/search for,” and extends naturally to “request, ask for, pursue, try to obtain.” It is a regular Grade 2 verb in its direct-object environments: nema with no following direct object, neme shi before a direct pronoun, and nemi aiki before a noun-like object. The broader Grade 2 overview explains the class. Its established all-high pre-dative form is nemar wa... or nemam ma..., used when a beneficiary immediately follows; a final-a D-form is also recorded for some speakers.

All ordinary examples are (neutral Nigerian Standard Hausa) in unaccented boko. Register labels are supplied where a construction is especially formal. English look for, seek, ask for, and request overlap only partly with Hausa, so learn the Hausa frames rather than choosing from an English gloss alone.

Compact form and environment table

Environment	Form	Natural frame
A: no following direct object	nema	Mun nema ko’ina. “We searched everywhere.”
B: direct-object pronoun	neme	ta neme shi “she looked for him/it”
C: noun-like direct object	nemi	ta nemi aiki “she looked for/requested work”
D: beneficiary	nemar / nemam; speaker-variable nema	nemar wa yaro magani; nemam masa magani; also nema masa magani for some speakers
strong verbal noun, no object	nema	yana nema “he is searching”
verbal noun + noun object	neman	yana neman aiki “he is looking for work”
verbal noun + pronominal object	nemansa / nemanta / nemansu	muna nemansu “we are looking for them”

Mun zagaya kasuwar har yamma, amma ba mu ga abin da muke nema ba.

We went around the market until evening, but we did not see what we were looking for. (A-form after an object gap)

Jami’in ya neme ni da safe domin ya tabbatar da bayanina.

The officer looked for me in the morning to verify my information. (B-form before direct ni)

Aisha ta nemi ɗaki kusa da asibitin da take aiki.

Aisha looked for a room near the hospital where she works. (C-form before a noun object)

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Look immediately to the right of the verb: no local object → nema; direct pronoun → neme; noun-like direct object → nemi. A fronted or relativized object leaves the A-form after the gap.

Looking for something or someone

The searched-for entity is a direct object. It can be a person, physical item, place to rent, opportunity, information, or solution. Hausa does not need a preposition corresponding to English for in this basic use.

Kina neman makullin ne? Na gan shi a kan firiji.

Are you looking for the key? I saw it on the refrigerator. (to one female)

Za su neme ku bayan an kammala binciken farko.

They will look for/contact you all after the preliminary investigation is completed. (future + pronoun object)

Muna neman mafita da za ta rage cunkoso ba tare da rufe kasuwar ba.

We are seeking a solution that will reduce congestion without closing the market. (formal/public-policy context)

English distinguishes look for from seek largely by register. Hausa nema spans everyday searching and formal pursuit; the object and surrounding style provide the register.

Requesting or asking for something

With items such as izini “permission,” taimako “help,” shawara “advice,” afuwa “forgiveness,” or bayani “information,” nema means seek or request. The requested thing remains the direct object.

Kafin ta ɗauki hotuna, ta nemi izini daga shugaban makarantar.

Before taking photographs, she asked the headteacher for permission.

Idan lissafin ya rikice ka, ka nemi taimako daga malami.

If the calculation confuses you, ask a teacher for help. (to one male)

The person or institution supplying the requested thing is commonly expressed with daga, daga wurin, or a wurin: nemi izini daga wurin manaja. Do not copy English ask the manager permission by placing two bare objects after nema.

Requests for an action commonly use nemi a + subjunctive/passive-like clause in formal or administrative prose, or name the requested noun and then add a purpose clause.

Ƙungiyar ta nemi a sake duba sakamakon zaɓen.

The association requested that the election result be reviewed. (formal)

Here a sake duba is an impersonal subjunctive clause: the request concerns a prospective action, not an established fact. English uses request that...; Hausa supplies a person-marked or impersonal clause rather than an unchanged infinitive.

Wanting: use so for a personal desire

English want can mean “desire an item” or “seek to obtain something.” Nema is natural when effort, search, application, or request is involved. Bare personal desire is usually so.

Ina so in sha ruwa, amma yanzu ina neman kwalbar da na ajiye.

I want to drink water, but right now I am looking for the bottle I put down.

This contrast prevents an English-driven overextension. Ina so... states a desire; ina neman... presents an active search or attempt to obtain.

The beneficiary D-form

When a beneficiary immediately follows, nema has an established all-high pre-dative form in -ar: nemar wa yaro mota “look for a car for the boy.” Before an m-initial fused indirect pronoun, r + m surfaces as m: nemam masa mota.

Zan nemar wa kakata maganin da likita ya rubuta.

I will look for the medicine the doctor prescribed for my grandmother. (D-form + wa noun)

’Yan’uwansa suna nemam masa masauki kusa da jami’a.

His relatives are looking for accommodation near the university for him. (D-form + masa)

The beneficiary is not what is being sought; magani/masauki is the theme. Compare neme shi “look for him” with nemam masa masauki “look for accommodation for him.” The latter is not built with B-form neme.

Some speakers also have a final-a D-form in the same environment. Thus zan nema mata ɗaki can mean “I will look for a room for her.” Its distribution, and any nuance beside nemar/nemam, is speaker-sensitive; it is not the no-object A-form merely followed by an unrelated phrase.

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Direct shi means he is sought: neme shi. Indirect masa means someone seeks something for his benefit: nemam masa masauki.

The strong verbal noun nema

The continuative and other nominal environments use strong masculine verbal noun nema. It takes -n before a noun complement and possessive-type suffixes with pronominal objects.

Matasa da yawa suna neman horo kafin su fara sana’a.

Many young people seek training before starting a trade. (continuative verbal noun + noun object)

Na kira yaran, amma mahaifinsu ya ce suna nemansa a kasuwa.

I called the children, but their father said they were looking for him at the market. (attached masculine pronominal object)

Outside the continuative, nema is also a noun meaning a search, pursuit, or effort to obtain. Bayan dogon nema means “after a long search.” That noun-like behavior is why neman aiki is not an ordinary finite verb followed unchanged by an object.

Aspect, future, and negation

Searching can be bounded as a completed attempt or viewed as ongoing. Future and negative constructions preserve the form required by the local object.

Jiya muka nemi takardar a tsohon fayil, amma ba mu same ta ba.

Yesterday we looked for the document in the old file, but we did not find it. (bounded completed search)

Ba na nemanka don in yi faɗa; ina son mu gyara abin da ya faru ne.

I am not looking for you to quarrel; I want us to put right what happened. (to one male; negative continuative)

Ba za mu nemi sabon ofis ba sai kwangilar nan ta ƙare.

We will not look for a new office until this contract ends. (negative future + noun object)

Negative continuative ba na nemanka does not take a closing ba. Negative future ba za mu ... ba does. Those are TAM facts; the object forms are still built from strong verbal noun nemanka and finite C-form nemi, respectively.

Frequent collocations

Store common combinations: nemi aiki “seek work,” nemi izini “request permission,” nemi taimako “seek help,” nemi shawara “seek advice,” nemi afuwa “ask forgiveness,” nemi mafita “seek a solution,” and nemi bayani “request information.” Grade 6 nemo means seek/find and bring toward a relevant center or manage to get; it is a related lexical verb, not the pronoun-object form of nema.

Common Mistakes

1. Leaving nema before a noun object.

❌ Ta nema aiki a asibitin unguwa.

Incorrect neutral Grade 2 form before noun object aiki.

✅ Ta nemi aiki a asibitin unguwa.

She looked for work at the neighborhood hospital.

2. Using nemi before a direct pronoun.

❌ Mun nemi su a tashar mota har dare.

Incorrect standard form before direct pronoun su.

✅ Mun neme su a tashar mota har dare.

We looked for them at the bus station until night.

3. Copying the English double-object request frame.

❌ Ta nemi manaja izini ta fita.

Incorrect for neutral ‘She asked the manager for permission’; do not stack the source and requested item as bare objects.

✅ Ta nemi izini daga wurin manajan domin ta fita.

She asked the manager for permission to leave.

4. Using the direct-object form before a beneficiary.

❌ Zan neme masa ɗaki kafin ya iso.

Incorrect D-frame; masa is an immediate beneficiary, not a direct object.

✅ Zan nemam masa ɗaki kafin ya iso.

I will look for a room for him before he arrives.

5. Leaving a strong-verbal-noun pronoun separate.

❌ Suna nema shi tun safe.

Incorrect continuative form with a pronominal object.

✅ Suna nemansa tun safe.

They have been looking for him since morning.

Key Takeaways

Learn Grade 2 nema — neme shi — nemi abu by the following object environment.
Nema covers active searching and conventional requests such as nemi izini/taimako/shawara.
Name a source with daga/daga wurin/a wurin; do not copy an English double-object request frame.
The benefactive D-forms include nemar wa... and nemam ma...; some speakers also use final-a nema wa.../nema ma.... None is direct-object neme.
Strong masculine verbal noun nema gives neman aiki, nemansa, nemanta, nemansu.

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