Grade 2 has a strong regular core—-a with no following direct object, -e before a direct-object pronoun, and -i before a noun-like direct object—but that core does not make every part of a lexical entry predictable. In Nigerian Standard/Kano descriptions, ɗauka “take,” ɗiba “dip or draw out,” and samu “get” have exceptional A-forms. Other verbs show stem consonant changes before -e/-i, all Grade 2 D-forms must be learned, and every Grade 2 strong verbal noun is lexical. The wider lexical-exceptions guide gives a cross-grade strategy for recording those principal parts.
All unlabelled examples are (neutral Nigerian Standard Hausa). Ordinary boko omits tone and vowel length. Technical statements about tone below therefore describe pronunciation without putting accents into target sentences.
Three frequent verbs have exceptional A-forms
Canonical two-syllable Grade 2 verbs begin low and end high in their A-form. Ɗauka, ɗiba, and samu depart from that canonical A-form tone pattern in the Kano-based standard. Their B- and C-forms return to the ordinary low-initial Grade 2 pattern.
| Lexeme | A: no object follows | B: direct pronoun | C: noun object |
|---|---|---|---|
| ɗauka “take” | ɗauka | ɗauke shi | ɗauki littafi |
| ɗiba “draw/dip out” | ɗiba | ɗebe shi | ɗebi ruwa |
| samu “get, obtain” | samu | same shi | sami aiki |
Na samu! Yanzu mu tafi.
I got one / I found it! Now let’s go. (exceptional A-form)
Na same shi a bakin ƙofa.
I found him at the doorway. (regular Grade 2 B environment)
Na sami aiki bayan watanni uku.
I found a job after three months. (regular Grade 2 C environment)
Direban ya ɗauka, amma bai dawo ba tukuna.
The driver picked it up, but he has not returned yet. (object understood; A-form)
Direban ya ɗauke su daga tashar.
The driver picked them up from the station. (B-form)
Direban ya ɗauki fasinjoji shida.
The driver picked up six passengers. (C-form)
The exception is limited and structured. It does not mean that ɗauka or samu can ignore the B/C distinction. In fact, the object forms are part of the evidence that these unusual citation forms belong to Grade 2.
Ɗiba changes its first vowel as well
Ɗiba is especially instructive because the B/C forms do more than replace the final vowel. The first syllable has e in ɗebe/ɗebi, not i. This stem alternation is lexical and must be included in the entry.
Ta ɗiba daga rijiyar kafin rana ta yi zafi.
She drew some from the well before the day became hot. (A-form; object understood)
Ta ɗebe shi da ludayi mai tsawo.
She dipped it out with a long ladle. (B-form)
Ta ɗebi ruwa domin girki.
She drew water for cooking. (C-form)
English keeps draw constant. A learner who changes only final -a → -e/-i would produce unattested ɗibe/ɗibi. Hausa’s grade pattern predicts the environment, but the lexicon stores the stem allomorph.
Palatalization creates visible but systematic alternations
Several Grade 2 stems end in an alveolar consonant that changes before the front vowels -e and -i. This process is phonological, but which lexemes participate and the exact lexical stem still have to be known.
| A-form | B-form | C-form | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| sata | sace shi | saci agogo | steal |
| cuta | cuce shi | cuci aboki | cheat, harm |
| gada | gaje shi | gaji gida | inherit |
| ciza | cije shi | ciji yaro | bite |
| amsa | amshe shi | amshi saƙo | receive, answer |
Kare ya ciji yaron, sai aka kai shi asibiti.
A dog bit the boy, so he was taken to hospital.
An sace ta a kasuwa, amma ’yan sanda sun same ta.
It was stolen at the market, but the police found it. (feminine object understood by ta)
Ta amshi saƙon da safe.
She received the message in the morning.
Do not treat these spellings as random irregulars, but do not overgeneralize them either. The front-vowel environment motivates t → c, d/z → j, s → sh in this lexical set; it does not authorize changing every final consonant in every Hausa verb.
The D-form remains lexical
The direct-object A/B/C system does not determine the form before an indirect object. Ɗauka can use a high-initial Grade 1-like D-form in the standard pattern, while many Grade 2 verbs use all-high -ar/-am, and some verbs allow alternatives.
The same verb ɗauka illustrates all four environments:
Jiya direban ya ɗauka da wuri.
Yesterday the driver picked it up early. (A; no object follows)
Jiya direban ya ɗauki kaya.
Yesterday the driver picked up the goods. (C; noun direct object)
Jiya direban ya ɗauke su.
Yesterday the driver picked them up. (B; direct-object pronoun)
Jiya direban ya ɗauka wa Yusuf kaya.
Yesterday the driver carried the goods for Yusuf. (D; wa + indirect object)
The preverbal completive ya is the same throughout. Neither exceptional ɗauka nor its D-form is a past-tense conjugation.
Strong verbal nouns add another lexical field
Grade 2 does not productively form a weak -wa verbal noun. Samu uses strong samu, visible as samun aiki; ɗauka uses strong ɗauka, visible as ɗaukar kaya; ɗiba has strong ɗiba, as in ɗibar ruwa. Their grammatical gender and linker are part of the lexical entry.
Samun aikin ya sa ta koma Kano.
Getting the job made her move back to Kano.
Yana ɗaukar kaya zuwa sito.
He is carrying goods to the storeroom.
Ɗibar ruwan rijiyar tana ɗaukar lokaci.
Drawing water from the well takes time.
The spelling of a strong verbal noun may equal the A-form, but the syntax does not. Ya ɗauka contains a finite predicate; yana ɗaukar kaya contains a feminine verbal noun linked to its object.
A root family can preserve unrelated-looking lexical facts
Derived grades provide useful semantic tendencies, but their actual members and meanings remain lexical. Grade 2 ɗauka “take” has Grade 6 ɗauko “take and bring toward the relevant center.” Grade 2 samu “get” is related to an intransitive samu meaning “be obtainable” in a different grade analysis; identical boko spelling does not guarantee identical valency or tone.
Ka ɗauko kujerar daga ɗaki.
Bring the chair from the room. (Grade 6 ɗauko, directional meaning)
Kujerar ba ta samu a kasuwar nan ba.
The chair is not obtainable in this market. (intransitive lexical use of samu)
Na sami kujerar a kasuwar nan.
I found the chair in this market. (Grade 2 transitive C-form)
Do not manufacture a derived form merely because its meaning would be convenient. A grade contributes a tendency only where speakers have an established lexeme.
What is not a Grade 2 exception
The all-high verbs kira “call,” jira “wait for,” biya “pay,” and riga “precede” keep long -a across their principal object environments. Modern analyses often assign them to a small Grade 0 or minor class. Their final written -a does not make them defective Grade 2 verbs.
Na kira likita, amma bai ɗauki waya ba.
I called the doctor, but he did not answer the phone.
Classify a verb from its full behavior, not its last letter. This prevents two opposite errors: forcing samu out of Grade 2 because its A-form ends in -u, and forcing kira into Grade 2 because it ends in -a.
Exercises
Complete each triplet. (1) samu—same shi—sami aiki; (2) ɗauka—ɗauke ta—ɗauki jaka; (3) ɗiba—ɗebe shi—ɗebi ruwa; (4) sata—sace shi—saci agogo; (5) ciza—cije ta—ciji yaro. Then identify the D-form in Ya ɗauka wa Amina kaya and the verbal noun in Yana ɗaukar kaya.
Common Mistakes
1. Regularizing the exceptional A-form from its C-form.
❌ Na sama jiya.
Incorrect invented A-form of samu.
✅ Na samu jiya.
I got one yesterday.
2. Changing only the last vowel of ɗiba.
❌ Ta ɗibi ruwa daga rijiya.
Incorrect—the B/C stem has ɗeb-, not ɗib-.
✅ Ta ɗebi ruwa daga rijiya.
She drew water from the well.
3. Keeping the A-stem consonant before a front vowel.
❌ Kare ya cizi yaron.
Incorrect standard C-form of ciza.
✅ Kare ya ciji yaron.
The dog bit the boy.
4. Treating an indirect object as a B-form trigger.
❌ Direban ya ɗauke wa Yusuf kaya.
Incorrect standard D-frame—wa Yusuf is not a direct-object pronoun.
✅ Direban ya ɗauka wa Yusuf kaya.
The driver carried the goods for Yusuf.
5. Adding -wa to create a Grade 2 verbal noun.
❌ Yana samuwa aiki cikin sauƙi.
Incorrect for Grade 2 ‘getting work’—samuwa belongs to an intransitive ‘be obtainable/be available’ formation.
✅ Yana samun aiki cikin sauƙi.
He finds work easily.
Key Takeaways
- Ɗauka, ɗiba, samu have exceptional A-forms in the Nigerian Standard/Kano description but regular Grade 2 object environments.
- Ɗiba → ɗebe/ɗebi includes an internal vowel change.
- Front vowels trigger established consonant alternations such as sata → sace/saci and ciza → cije/ciji.
- D-forms and strong verbal nouns remain lexical even when A/B/C is regular.
- Derived relatives contribute only attested meanings; identical boko spelling can hide different grade analyses.
- Final spelling alone never establishes grade membership.
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.
- Lexical Exceptions to Grade PredictionsA2 — Use Hausa verb grades as strong structural guides without forcing common irregular verbs, exceptional frames, or lexicalized meanings into false regularity.
- 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.
- Indirect Objects Immediately after the VerbA2 — Place Hausa recipients and beneficiaries directly after the verb and recognize the special D-form environment they create.
- Verbal Nouns and Grade MembershipA2 — Use Hausa verb grades to anticipate verbal-noun patterns while learning the strong, weak, and sometimes multiple forms each lexical verb actually permits.
- Grade 1 IrregularitiesB1 — Separate genuine lexical exceptions and lookalike minor classes from the regular Grade 1 object pattern.