An indirect object immediately after a Hausa verb creates the traditional D-form environment. With Grade 2, D is the least predictable member of the paradigm: some verbs reverse the ordinary Grade 2 tone melody, some use an all-high pre-dative formation in -ar (or -am before an m-initial pronoun), and some allow both patterns. The indirect-object foundation explains the word order; this page concentrates on Grade 2’s lexical morphology.
All ordinary examples are (neutral Nigerian Standard Hausa). Technical tone formulas and marked displays are (academic/pedagogical). Variant D patterns are lexical alternatives, not differences of formality or tense.
The indirect object comes first
In the ordinary D-form two-object construction, the recipient or beneficiary immediately follows the verb and is marked by wa or the fused ma series. The theme comes later. This marked indirect-object construction should not be confused with the narrower linguistic label “double-object construction,” which is sometimes reserved for clauses with two unmarked noun phrases.
| Slot | Material | Role |
|---|---|---|
| verb | saya | buy |
| immediate indirect object | mata | for her |
| later direct object | littafi | a book |
Na saya mata sabon littafin da take nema.
I bought her the new book she was looking for.
Mun saya wa yaran kayan makaranta.
We bought the children school supplies.
Za su tambaya masa idan ya dawo.
They will ask on his behalf when he returns. (tone-reversal D-pattern)
English allows both buy her a book and buy a book for her. Do not copy that freedom by putting the Hausa theme before an ordinary D-form beneficiary. The neutral local order is verb → recipient/beneficiary → theme.
Pronoun and noun indirect objects
The ordinary pronominal set is mini, maka, miki, masa, mata, mana, muku, musu. An overt noun recipient follows separate wa.
| Meaning | Pronominal form | Noun pattern |
|---|---|---|
| for me | mini | wa Musa “for Musa” |
| for you (m.sg.) | maka | wa yaron “for the boy” |
| for you (f.sg.) | miki | wa yarinyar “for the girl” |
| for him/her | masa / mata | wa malamin / wa malamar |
| for us/you all/them | mana / muku / musu | wa iyalin “for the family” |
Idan ka je asibiti, don Allah ka saya mini maganin nan.
If you go to the hospital, please buy me this medicine. (one male addressee)
Mun saya muku ruwa kafin tafiyar.
We bought you all water before the journey.
Sun nemar wa matansu kuɓewa a kasuwa.
They sought okra for their wives at the market. (all-high -ar D-pattern)
The unusual-looking nemar wa belongs to the verb’s all-high pre-dative option. It is not ordinary C-form nemi plus a preposition.
Grade 2 has two major D strategies
The following table presents the two attested patterns in academic/pedagogical terms.
| Strategy | Shape | Verified frame |
|---|---|---|
| tone reversal | H-L(-H), usually long final -a | saya wa matansu kuɓewa |
| all-high pre-dative | all H + -ar; -am before m | nemar wa matansu kuɓewa; tambayam masa |
For the first strategy, low-initial Grade 2 saya changes to the high-initial melody characteristic of Grades 1 and 4 before the indirect object. Ordinary boko still writes saya. For the second, a visible -ar appears before wa, while r + m is realized as m before the fused ma series: tambayam masa.
Some verbs, including tambaya “ask,” permit both tambaya masa with tone reversal and tambayam masa with the all-high pre-dative formation. These are not casual versus formal endings and not tense variants.
Zan tambaya masa idan ya kasa zuwa taron.
I will ask on his behalf if he cannot attend the meeting. (tone-reversal D-pattern)
Zan tambayam masa idan ya kasa zuwa taron.
I will ask on his behalf if he cannot attend the meeting. (all-high -am D-pattern)
One lexeme across A, B, C, and D
| Environment | saya “buy” | Function |
|---|---|---|
| A | saya | no following object |
| B | saye shi | direct-object pronoun |
| C | sayi littafi | noun direct object |
| D | saya masa littafi | indirect object |
Na saya, amma launin bai yi mini ba.
I bought one, but the color did not suit me. (A)
Na saye shi bayan na gwada shi.
I bought it after trying it. (B)
Na sayi rigar a wajen tela bayan na gwada ta.
I bought the dress at the tailor's after trying it. (C)
Na saya wa ƙanwata rigar domin bikin.
I bought my younger sister the dress for the celebration. (D)
The D-form can resemble A in boko, but the syntactic frame and spoken tone distinguish them. A/B/C/D are environment labels, not merely four spellings.
A later direct pronoun does not select B
When the theme is pronominal, it follows the indirect object. The Grade 2 form still responds to the immediate indirect object.
Na saya wa Amina ita bayan ta zaɓi launin.
I bought it for Amina after she chose the color.
Compare saye ta “buy it” with saya mata ita “buy it for her.” In the second phrase, beneficiary mata intervenes between the verb and theme ita, so B cannot be selected.
The exceptional recipient construction of ba
The verb ba “give” does not use the ordinary fused ma series. Its recipient forms are ni, ka, ki, shi, ta, mu, ku, su.
Ta ba shi sabon littafin bayan taron makaranta.
She gave him the new book after the school meeting.
Malamar ta ba ni dama in gabatar da ra’ayina.
The teacher gave me a chance to present my opinion.
Recipient shi after ba is not evidence that saya may take direct-form shi for a beneficiary. Say saya masa littafi, but ba shi littafi. This is a lexical selection fact.
D-form is not derived-grade morphology
D adapts a Grade 2 lexeme to an immediate indirect object. Grade derivation creates a related verb with its own semantics and valency.
Hauwa ta sayi kayan makaranta a sabon shago.
Hauwa bought school supplies at a new shop. (basic Grade 2 C-form)
Hauwa ta sayo mana kayan makaranta daga Kano.
Hauwa bought and brought us school supplies from Kano. (derived Grade 6)
Mai shagon ya sayar da tsofaffin kayan da suka rage.
The shopkeeper sold the old goods that remained. (derived Grade 5)
Sayo contributes a ventive meaning, while sayar is the established verb “sell.” Neither is simply the D-form of saya. The grade system exposes relationships, but it does not make every derivative or D-frame freely productive.
Practice
Build outward from the verb: saya + mata + littafi → Na saya mata littafi; saya + wa Musa + mota → Mun saya wa Musa mota; tambaya + masa + batun → Zan tambaya masa batun; alternative attested D strategy tambayam masa batun. With ba, override the ordinary paradigm: ba + shi + littafi → Ta ba shi littafi.
Common Mistakes
1. Putting the theme before the beneficiary.
❌ Na saya sabon littafi mata jiya.
Incorrect neutral D-order—the indirect object belongs next to the verb.
✅ Na saya mata sabon littafi jiya.
I bought her a new book yesterday.
2. Using B before an indirect pronoun.
❌ Mun saye musu abinci kafin suka hau mota.
Incorrect—musu is indirect, not a core direct-object pronoun.
✅ Mun saya musu abinci kafin suka hau mota.
We bought them food before they got into the car.
3. Omitting wa before a noun recipient.
❌ Ta saya Amina riga domin bikin.
Incorrect in the ordinary noun-recipient construction.
✅ Ta saya wa Amina riga domin bikin.
She bought Amina a dress for the celebration.
4. Failing to assimilate -ar before an m-initial indirect pronoun.
❌ Zan tambayar masa.
Incorrect for the all-high pre-dative option—r assimilates before m.
✅ Zan tambayam masa.
I will ask on his behalf. (all-high -am D-pattern)
5. Applying the ma series to ba “give.”
❌ Malamar ta ba mini sabon aikin gida.
Incorrect recipient form selected by ba.
✅ Malamar ta ba ni sabon aikin gida.
The teacher gave me new homework.
Key Takeaways
- An indirect object immediately after a Grade 2 verb creates the D-environment.
- Indirect pronouns normally use mini/maka/miki/masa/mata/mana/muku/musu; noun recipients use separate wa.
- Grade 2 D-forms divide lexically between tone-reversal and all-high -ar/-am strategies, and some verbs allow both.
- The later theme does not override the immediate indirect object.
- Ba “give” exceptionally selects recipient ni/ka/ki/shi/ta/mu/ku/su.
Related Topics
- Grade 2 Variable-Vowel Verbs: OverviewB1 — Use the Grade 2 A, B, and C forms selected by no following object, a direct-object pronoun, or a noun-like direct object.
- Indirect Objects Immediately after the VerbA2 — Place Hausa recipients and beneficiaries directly after the verb and recognize the special D-form environment they create.
- Indirect-Object Pronouns with ma-B1 — Use Hausa mini, maka, miki, masa, mata, mana, muku, and musu for recipients, beneficiaries, and other affected participants.
- 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’.
- Tone and Vowel Length in Verb MorphologyA2 — Hear the tone and final-vowel length patterns that distinguish Hausa verb grades and object environments even when ordinary boko hides them.