A Grade 1 command combines two systems: Grade 1 supplies the -a stem and its object-sensitive length and tone, while the special bare imperative supplies a command melody. Ordinary boko hides most of that interaction, so Karanta!, Karanta saƙon!, and Karanta shi! retain the same written verb even though their spoken patterns are not identical. The basic singular-imperative guide explains when the subjectless construction is available.
All unlabelled forms are (neutral Nigerian Standard Hausa). Ordinary spelling does not mark tone or vowel length. Technical L…H means that the bare imperative begins low and ends high; target examples remain in standard unaccented boko.
The bare imperative is affirmative and singular
The special imperative addresses one person and has no preverbal subject marker. Its general tone melody is L…H: all nonfinal syllables are low and the last is high. This imperative melody overrides the ordinary high-initial Grade 1 melody. Descriptions differ slightly on gender: some treat the bare form as gender-neutral singular, while others restrict it to a male addressee and use ki + verb for a woman.
Karanta a hankali; rubutun ya yi ƙanƙanta.
Read carefully; the writing is small. (to one person)
Tsaya a nan har in dawo.
Wait here until I return. (to one person)
Kama da kyau kada ya faɗi.
Hold it firmly so that it does not fall. (to one person; object understood)
The bare forms Karanta and Tsaya contain no segmental gender marker. Where the bare imperative is used for either gender, context identifies the addressee; speakers who restrict it to a man use ki + verb for a woman. To mark the addressee overtly, use a subject-marked subjunctive command: ka for one male, ki for one female, ku for several people.
Ki karanta wannan sakin layi da ƙarfi.
Read this paragraph aloud. (to one woman)
Ku tsaya a bakin ƙofa har a kira ku.
Wait at the doorway until you are called. (to several people)
The lexical verb remains Grade 1. Ki/ku changes the directed actor, not the verb’s grade.
One Grade 1 verb in four command frames
With regular Grade 1 karanta “read,” boko writes the same letters throughout. The spoken form nevertheless responds to the following constituent.
| Command frame | Example | Technical point |
|---|---|---|
| no following object | Karanta! | bare imperative L…H melody |
| noun direct object | Karanta saƙon! | Grade 1 final -a is short; regular -a/-e verbs are all low before a noun object in the imperative |
| direct-object pronoun | Karanta shi! | verb and pronoun form one imperative tonal domain |
| indirect object | Karanta mini saƙon! | D-environment; ordinary Grade 1 spelling remains karanta |
Karanta! Za mu tattauna abin da ka fahimta daga baya.
Read! We will discuss what you understood afterward.
Karanta saƙon kafin ka amsa.
Read the message before you reply. (noun direct object)
Karanta shi sau biyu idan bai fito fili ba.
Read it twice if it is not clear. (masculine direct-object pronoun)
Karanta mini saƙon; ban kawo tabarau na ba.
Read the message to me; I did not bring my glasses. (indirect object)
An English learner may hear “same spelling” and conclude “invariant verb.” That conclusion misses the grammar. Grade 1 contrasts A/B/D with the noun-object C-form through tone and final-vowel length, and the imperative imposes its own melody.
Noun objects create a special spoken command form
Most Hausa bare imperatives have the general L…H command melody. Regular Grade 1 and Grade 4 verbs before a noun direct object are a notable exception: the verb is all low and ends in a short vowel. Boko still writes karanta saƙon and kama igiyar.
Kama igiyar da kyau kafin jirgin ya motsa.
Hold the rope firmly before the boat moves. (noun object)
Yanka albasa biyu, sannan ka wanke tumatir ɗin.
Cut two onions, then wash the tomatoes. (noun object)
Do not put tone marks into ordinary prose to display this fact. Learn it from audio and marked pedagogical paradigms, and retain normal spelling in messages, schoolwork, and published Hausa.
Pronoun objects stay immediately after the verb
The direct-object series is ni, ka, ki, shi, ta, mu, ku, su. In a Grade 1 imperative it follows the verb directly. The imperative melody extends across the verb-plus-pronoun unit; in a careful technical analysis the pronoun carries the high endpoint.
Kama shi kafin ya fita daga harabar.
Catch him before he leaves the compound.
Karanta ta yanzu, domin za a tambaye ka game da ita.
Read it now, because you will be asked about it. (ta refers to a feminine noun)
Gaya mini gaskiya kafin lamarin ya ƙara muni.
Tell me the truth before the matter gets worse.
In the last example mini is an indirect-object form selected by the “tell to me” frame, not the direct object ni. The direct object is gaskiya.
Indirect-object commands preserve lexical frames
Grade 1 normally uses its D-form before a recipient or beneficiary. Ordinary boko again leaves the stem as karanta, gaya, kama. The ma-series may be fused (mini, maka, miki, masa, mata, mana, muku, musu) or an overt noun may follow separate wa.
Karanta wa yaran wannan labarin kafin su kwanta.
Read this story to the children before they go to bed.
Kama mini jakar nan na ɗan lokaci.
Hold this bag for me for a moment.
Whether a particular Grade 1 verb accepts a recipient, beneficiary, or other complement is lexical. The class supplies a D-form pattern, but it does not make every imaginable English “for” phrase natural.
Basic and derived commands are different lexical verbs
Grade 1 tsaya means “stop, stand, wait.” Its Grade 5 relative tsayar is transitive “stop or halt something.” The command does not derive one from the other on the fly.
Tsaya a gefen hanya, ba a tsakiyarta ba.
Stop at the side of the road, not in the middle of it.
Tsayar da motar a wurin bincike.
Stop the vehicle at the checkpoint.
Similarly, a Grade 1 form may be a lexical extension related to another grade. Rufa can mean to put a covering over someone or something, while rufe belongs to Grade 4 and commonly means “close/cover.” The difference is lexical grade and valency, not command politeness.
Rufa wa yaron bargo; sanyi yake ji.
Cover the boy with a blanket; he feels cold.
Only use a derived imperative when the derived verb and intended meaning are established. Replacing -a with some other ending is not productive command formation.
Negative and plural commands do not use the bare imperative
The special bare form has no negative counterpart. Use kada/kar + subjunctive marker + Grade 1 verb for prohibitions. Use ku + verb for plural addressees.
Kada ka karanta saƙon a gaban yara.
Do not read the message in front of the children. (to one man)
Kar ki gaya masa yanzu; yana cikin taro.
Don’t tell him now; he is in a meeting. (informal/conversational; to one woman)
Ku kama igiyar tare, sannan ku ja a hankali.
All of you hold the rope together, then pull gently.
The negative or plural construction supplies person and mood. The object environment continues to select the appropriate Grade 1 form inside it.
Exercises
Turn karanta into four bare command frames: no stated object Karanta!; noun object Karanta rahoton!; pronoun object Karanta shi!; indirect object Karanta mini rahoton! Then change the noun-object command for one woman to Ki karanta rahoton!, for a group to Ku karanta rahoton!, and to a prohibition addressed to one man: Kada ka karanta rahoton!
For each answer, identify two facts: who is directed, and what follows the Grade 1 verb. Do not label the final -a as present tense.
Common Mistakes
1. Adding a subject marker to the special bare imperative.
❌ Kai karanta saƙon yanzu.
Incorrect neutral command — independent kai is not a singular imperative subject marker.
✅ Karanta saƙon yanzu.
Read the message now. (to one person)
2. Inventing a Grade 2-style -e form before a pronoun.
❌ Karante shi kafin ka amsa.
Incorrect — karanta is Grade 1, not a variable-vowel Grade 2 verb.
✅ Karanta shi kafin ka amsa.
Read it before you reply.
3. Using a bare imperative for several people.
❌ Karanta rahoton!
Incorrect if addressed to a group as a grammatically explicit plural command.
✅ Ku karanta rahoton!
Read the report! (to several people)
4. Negating the bare imperative with ba … ba.
❌ Ba karanta saƙon ba!
Incorrect standard prohibition — the bare imperative has no ba … ba negative.
✅ Kada ka karanta saƙon!
Do not read the message! (to one man)
5. Treating written identity as proof of identical pronunciation.
❌ Dole ne a furta karanta da karanta saƙon iri ɗaya, domin rubutunsu ɗaya ne.
Incorrect analysis — ordinary boko omits the relevant Grade 1 and imperative distinctions.
✅ Karanta saƙon da ƙarfi.
Read the message aloud. (the noun-object command has its Grade 1 spoken pattern)
Key Takeaways
- The bare imperative is an affirmative command to one person and has a general L…H melody.
- Grade 1 keeps written -a, but noun-object, pronoun-object, and no-object commands differ in spoken tone and length.
- Before a noun object, regular Grade 1 imperatives are all low with a short final vowel.
- Direct-object pronouns follow the verb immediately; indirect objects use their own lexical frame.
- Plural and negative commands use subject-marked subjunctive constructions.
- A derived command such as tsayar da mota belongs to a different lexical grade from basic tsaya.
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Start learning Hausa →Related Topics
- Singular Imperatives: Basic FormationA2 — Form affirmative commands to one Hausa addressee with the special subjectless imperative while respecting its tonal and verb-class limits.
- Grade-Sensitive Imperative FormsA2 — Recognize how Hausa verb grade and following-object type shape commands without confusing stem alternations with person, tense, or politeness.
- Imperatives with Direct ObjectsA2 — Place noun and pronoun objects correctly in Hausa commands while preserving person marking and the Grade 2 object-conditioned verb forms.
- Direct Objects after Regular VerbsA2 — Place Hausa direct-object pronouns immediately after regular Grade 1 and Grade 4 verbs while preserving the verb's correct pre-pronoun form.
- 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.
- Indirect-Object Pronouns with ma-B1 — Use Hausa mini, maka, miki, masa, mata, mana, muku, and musu for recipients, beneficiaries, and other affected participants.