Hausa samu covers a broad but coherent family: “get, obtain, receive, find, reach/meet,” and in impersonal constructions “be available, occur.” It is a high-frequency Grade 2 verb whose form depends visibly on the following object: samu with no following direct object, same shi before a direct pronoun, and sami aiki before a noun-like direct object. The immediate-beneficiary D-environment instead uses lexical sama, as in ta sama masa aiki “she got him a job.” Its no-object form also has an exceptional tone pattern in careful speech, although ordinary boko does not show tone.
This entry applies the general Grade 2 system to a frequent exception. See Grade 2 lexical exceptions for its class and Grade 2 verbal nouns for the nominal object pattern.
All ordinary examples here are (neutral Nigerian Standard Hausa) and use unaccented boko with ɓ, ɗ, ƙ, ’y where required. No tone or vowel-length marks are inferred. Learn the written set samu—same shi—sami aiki—sama masa aiki together; English get alone does not tell you which Hausa environment you need.
Compact form and environment table
| Environment | Form | Example/analysis |
|---|---|---|
| A: no following direct object | samu | Mun daɗe muna nema, amma mun samu. “We finally got one.” |
| B: direct-object pronoun | same | Na same shi. “I found him/it.” |
| C: noun-like direct object | sami | Na sami aiki. “I got a job.” |
| D: indirect object/beneficiary | sama | Ta sama masa aiki. “She got him a job.” |
| strong verbal noun, no object | samu | yana samu “he is obtaining/succeeding” |
| verbal noun + noun object | samun | yana samun kuɗi “he earns/is getting money” |
| verbal noun + pronoun object | samunsa/samunta... | ina samunsa “I am finding/getting it” |
Bayan ta yi watanni uku tana neman aiki, Aisha ta sami aiki a asibiti.
After looking for work for three months, Aisha got a job at a hospital. (C-form before noun object)
Na kira Musa sau biyu, amma ban same shi a ofis ba.
I called Musa twice, but I did not find him at the office. (B-form before direct pronoun)
Mun daɗe muna neman masauki, amma daga ƙarshe mun samu.
We looked for accommodation for a long time, but finally we found a place. (A-form; object understood)
Lauyar ta sama masa kwafin takardar kafin kotu ta rufe.
The lawyer got him a copy of the document before the court closed. (female lawyer; lexical D-form sama with male beneficiary)
The final vowel is selected by the syntactic environment, not by past, present, or future time. Za ta sami aiki, ta sami aiki, and muna fata ta sami aiki gobe idan komai ya yi kyau all contain sami before a noun object, respectively in future, completive, and subjunctive contexts.
Meanings: acquisition, discovery, reception, and contact
With concrete or abstract things, samu can describe successful acquisition or availability: sami mota “get/find transport,” sami dama “get an opportunity,” sami lokaci “have/find time,” sami amsa “receive an answer.” Context, not a different English-style verb form, chooses among get, find, receive, and have available.
Za mu sami amsa kafin ƙarshen mako.
We will receive an answer before the end of the week. (future + noun object)
Idan muka tashi da wuri, za mu sami mota a tashar.
If we leave early, we will find transport at the station. (availability/acquisition)
Ban sami lokacin kammala rahoton jiya ba.
I did not get/have time to finish the report yesterday. (negative completive; abstract noun object)
With a human direct object, same often means “find, meet, reach”: same ni a ofis “find me at the office.” It also enters a small-clause-like frame in which the found participant is described by a following clause.
Mun same ta tana jiran likita a bakin ƙofa.
We found her waiting for the doctor by the door. (direct object plus simultaneous description)
Za ka same ni a ɗakin karatu bayan azahar.
You will find me in the library after noon. (to one male)
English meet can refer to a planned appointment or accidental encounter. Hausa same foregrounds reaching/finding the person; other verbs and expressions may be better when the meeting itself is the named event. Translate the whole scene rather than treating samu as a universal replacement for every sense of get or meet.
The strong verbal noun samu
Grade 2 samu has a strong verbal noun written samu. Before a noun object it takes masculine linker -n: samun aiki, samun dama, samun kuɗi. With a pronominal object, it takes possessive-type suffixes: samunsa “getting/finding him or it,” samunta “getting/finding her or it,” samunsu “getting/finding them.”
Matasa da yawa suna samun horo kafin su fara aiki.
Many young people receive training before they start work. (continuative verbal noun + noun object)
Samun maganin yana da wuya, amma ana samunsa a babban asibiti.
The medicine is hard to obtain, but it can be found at the main hospital. (nominal subject + impersonal continuative with pronominal object)
Samun ruwa mai tsabta ya zama babban ƙalubale a lokacin rani.
Obtaining clean water has become a major challenge in the dry season. (formal/neutral nominal subject)
Do not use finite sami after a continuative marker: yana sami kuɗi confuses the C-form with a verbal noun phrase. Do not leave a direct pronoun separate after the strong verbal noun: neutral continuative “he is finding it” is yana samunsa, not yana samu shi.
Aspect, future, and negation
Active “find/get” events are naturally bounded in the completive. The continuative can present repeated acquisition, an ongoing effort with repeated success, earnings, or general availability. Future za combines with the same object-conditioned finite forms.
Ta sami takardar jiya, amma har yanzu tana samun ƙarin bayani daga ofishin.
She got the document yesterday, but she is still receiving additional information from the office. (completive versus continuative)
Ba za ku sami shagon a buɗe ranar Lahadi ba.
You will not find the shop open on Sunday. (plural/respectful negative future)
Ba mu same su a tashar ba, don haka muka kira su.
We did not find them at the station, so we called them. (negative completive + pronoun object)
Kada ka damu; za ka sami amsa nan ba da jimawa ba.
Do not worry; you will receive an answer soon. (neutral Nigerian Standard C-form)
Impersonal and result-like constructions
Impersonal an/ana samu does not always translate with an English agent. It can report occurrence or availability: an samu matsala “a problem occurred,” ana samun maganin “the medicine is available/can be found.” The noun remains the grammatical object inside an impersonal clause; Hausa has not turned samu into a copula.
An sami matsala a na’urar, amma an gyara ta da safe.
A problem occurred in the machine, but it was repaired in the morning. (formal/neutral report)
Ana samun wannan maganin a yawancin kantunan magani.
This medicine is available in most pharmacies. (general impersonal availability)
Ba a sami kujera ko ɗaya ba lokacin da muka isa.
Not a single chair was found when we arrived. (impersonal negative completive)
English often prefers existential there was or passive can be found. Hausa keeps samu as the lexical predicate under impersonal subject–TAM marking. This result-like use is productive but does not license omission of the TAM form.
Beneficiaries and the Grade 6 relative samo
An immediate beneficiary selects the lexical D-form sama: ta sama masa aiki “she got him a job,” mun sama wa yara guraben zama “we found seats for the children.” The beneficiary is not the thing obtained. With a pronominal beneficiary, use the ordinary ma series—mini, maka, miki, masa, mata, mana, muku, musu—because this is not the exceptional recipient paradigm of ba “give.”
Shugabar ta sama wa sabbin ma’aikata masauki kusa da ofis.
The director found accommodation for the new employees near the office. (lexical D-form sama + noun beneficiary with wa)
Related Grade 6 samo is an established lexical verb meaning “obtain, find, manage to get,” often with a contextual orientation toward a participant or center. Its meaning can overlap with samu, but it is not merely the B-form or benefactive form of samu.
Ta samo mana tikiti biyu na jirgin ƙasa duk da cewa saura kaɗan.
She managed to get us two train tickets even though only a few remained. (lexical Grade 6 samo)
Common Mistakes
1. Leaving samu unchanged before a noun object
❌ Na samu aiki bayan watanni uku ina nema.
Incorrect for the taught neutral Grade 2 C-form before noun object aiki.
✅ Na sami aiki bayan watanni uku ina nema.
I got a job after looking for three months.
2. Using sami before a direct pronoun
❌ Mun sami su a tashar jirgin ƙasa.
Incorrect standard object form — su requires the Grade 2 B-form.
✅ Mun same su a tashar jirgin ƙasa.
We found them at the railway station.
3. Using a finite form in the continuative
❌ Yana sami kuɗi daga wannan aikin.
Incorrect continuative — use strong verbal noun samun before the noun object.
✅ Yana samun kuɗi daga wannan aikin.
He earns money from this work.
4. Leaving the continuative pronoun separate
❌ Ina samu shi a ofis kowace Litinin.
Incorrect strong-verbal-noun construction.
✅ Ina samunsa a ofis kowace Litinin.
I find him at the office every Monday.
5. Using a direct pronoun as an ordinary beneficiary
❌ Ta samu shi aiki a kamfanin.
Incorrect for ‘she got him a job’ — shi is a direct object, not the ordinary beneficiary form.
✅ Ta sama masa aiki a kamfanin.
She got him a job at the company. (lexical D-form before masa)
Key Takeaways
- Learn the finite Grade 2 set samu—same shi—sami aiki—sama masa aiki by object environment.
- The lexical verbal noun is masculine samu: samun aiki, samunsa, samunta, samunsu.
- Context supplies English readings such as get, find, receive, have available, and reach; do not pick the Hausa frame from one English gloss alone.
- Impersonal an/ana samu expresses occurrence or availability without turning the verb into a copula.
- Keep basic samu distinct from lexical Grade 6 samo; use D-form sama with the ordinary ma series or wa + noun for beneficiaries.
Related Topics
- Grade 2 Lexical ExceptionsB1 — Handle the exceptional A-forms, stem alternations, D-forms, and strong verbal nouns that must be stored with individual Grade 2 lexemes.
- Grade 2 Verbal NounsB1 — Learn Grade 2 strong verbal nouns as lexical forms and use their genitive-style objects correctly in continuative and nominal constructions.
- The Three Object EnvironmentsA2 — Choose Hausa verb forms by whether no object, a noun direct object, or a direct-object pronoun immediately follows, while treating indirect objects separately.
- Genitive Linking before Noun ObjectsA2 — Attach -n or -r to a strong continuative verbal noun before its local noun object, choosing the linker from the verbal noun’s gender.
- Small-Clause-Like ComplementsB2 — Express object-plus-predicate meanings with Hausa frames such as a matsayin, a following agreeing clause, and causative sa.
- Grade 6 Lexicalized MeaningsB2 — Recognize Grade 6 verbs whose established meanings extend from literal motion toward a center to memory, causation, retrieval, and other conventional senses.