Every Grade 2 verb has a strong verbal noun, but Grade 2 does not provide one productive ending from which that noun can safely be guessed. Saya “buy” has saye, faɗa “say” has faɗi, koya “learn” has koyo, while nema “look for” has a verbal noun written nema. The grade predicts that a strong, non--wa form is required; the individual lexeme supplies its shape and grammatical gender. The general verbal-noun and grade-membership guide places this Grade 2 requirement beside the other grade patterns.
All unlabelled forms are (neutral Nigerian Standard Hausa). Ordinary boko does not show lexical tone or vowel length, so a finite verb and its verbal noun may look identical even when their pronunciation and grammar differ.
A Grade 2 verbal noun is a noun, not a fourth finite form
Outside the continuative, Grade 2 saya alternates among finite saya, saye, sayi according to the following direct object. In the continuative, yana or another continuative marker licenses the verbal noun saye. With a noun object, the verbal noun takes a genitive linker; with a pronominal object, it takes a joined possessive-type ending.
| Construction | Form | Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| finite, no object follows | ya saya | Grade 2 A-form |
| finite + direct pronoun | ya saye shi | Grade 2 B-form + separate object |
| finite + noun object | ya sayi littafi | Grade 2 C-form |
| continuative, no object | yana saye | strong verbal noun |
| continuative + noun object | yana sayen littafi | saye + masculine linker -n |
| continuative + pronoun object | yana sayensa | saye + possessive-type object -nsa |
Jiya Musa ya sayi fanfo, amma yau yana sayen bututu.
Yesterday Musa bought a pump, but today he is buying pipes. (finite C-form versus verbal noun + -n)
Ina saye yanzu; ka kira ni bayan awa ɗaya.
I am shopping now; call me in an hour. (strong verbal noun with no stated object)
Amina tana sayen kayan makaranta a kasuwa.
Amina is buying school supplies at the market. (saye + -n + noun object)
Wayar tana da tsada, amma har yanzu yana sayenta.
The phone is expensive, but he is still buying it. (saye + feminine object -nta)
English uses the same buying before either school supplies or it. Hausa marks the verbal noun’s noun-like relation to its object. This is why sayen kaya and sayensa cannot be built as finite saye kaya or saye shi after a continuative marker.
The strong form is lexically unpredictable
Grade 2 verbal nouns fall into recurring shapes, but no phonological recipe predicts the member chosen by every verb. The following ordinary boko forms are worth learning as complete dictionary entries.
| Grade 2 citation form | Meaning | Strong verbal noun | Object phrase |
|---|---|---|---|
| saya | buy | saye | sayen kaya |
| faɗa | say, tell | faɗi | faɗin gaskiya |
| koya | learn | koyo | koyon Hausa |
| zaɓa | choose | zaɓe | zaɓen shugaba |
| nema | seek | nema | neman aiki |
| ɗauka | take | ɗauka | ɗaukar kaya |
| tambaya | ask | tambaya | tambayar hanya |
| taimaka | help | taimako | taimakon yara |
The table deliberately includes several strategies: final -e, -i, -o, and a form spelled like the citation form. Ɗaukar and tambayar use feminine -r, while neman uses masculine -n. Final written -a does not by itself determine verbal-noun gender.
Tana neman aiki tun watan jiya.
She has been looking for work since last month. (nema + masculine linker -n)
Yana ɗaukar kaya zuwa mota.
He is carrying the goods to the car. (ɗauka + feminine linker -r)
Muna koyon Hausa domin mu yi aiki a Kano.
We are learning Hausa so that we can work in Kano.
Kada ka ji tsoron faɗin gaskiya.
Do not be afraid of telling the truth.
Taimakon yaran ya ɗauki lokaci mai tsawo.
Helping the children took a long time. (verbal noun used as a clause subject)
There is no honest shortcut here: memorize the strong verbal noun and its gender with each Grade 2 verb. A useful entry is ɗauka—ɗaukar kaya—ɗaukarsa, not simply “ɗauka = take.”
Strong verbal nouns retain their shape before objects
A weak -wa verbal noun normally drops -wa before a local direct object. A Grade 2 strong verbal noun behaves differently: its lexical form remains, and a linker joins it to the object. Compare saye → sayen littafi and tambaya → tambayar hanya.
Yana zaɓen kayan da za mu kai taron.
He is selecting the clothes that we will take to the event.
Malamar tana tambayar yara abin da suka fahimta.
The teacher is asking the children what they understood. (female teacher; verbal noun tambaya + -r)
The second example’s yara is grammatically linked to the feminine verbal noun tambaya. The linker agrees with the head verbal noun, not with the plurality or human status of yara.
Pronoun objects use possessive-type suffixes
Because the verbal noun is nominal, an object pronoun is packaged like a possessor. With masculine saye, the useful forms include sayena, sayenka, sayenki, sayensa, sayenta, sayenmu, sayenku, sayensu. Context decides whether sayensa, for example, means “his buying” or “buying him/it”; the surrounding clause normally makes the intended relation clear.
Bai gama sayensu ba tukuna.
He has not finished buying them yet.
Ina nemansa tun safe, amma wayarsa a kashe take.
I have been looking for him since morning, but his phone is switched off.
Tana ɗaukarsa a hankali saboda yana da nauyi.
She is lifting it carefully because it is heavy.
Do not put a separate core direct-object pronoun after a strong verbal noun. Yana saye shi has mixed the finite B-form construction with a continuative verbal-noun frame.
An indirect object restores a finite D-form in the continuative
The strong verbal noun handles ordinary direct objects nominally. A recipient or beneficiary is different. In an internal indirect-object construction, Hausa places that participant immediately after the verb and uses the verb’s D-form even after a continuative marker.
Yana saya mata kayan makaranta yanzu.
He is buying school supplies for her now. (continuative marker + Grade 2 D-form)
Yana sayen kayan makaranta yanzu.
He is buying school supplies now. (strong verbal noun + direct noun object)
The same lexeme now displays the requested four environments: ya saya with no following object, ya sayi kaya before a noun direct object, ya saye su before a direct pronoun, and ya saya mata kaya before an indirect object. The continuative adds its own contrast between yana saye/sayen/sayensa and D-frame yana saya mata.
Derived grades require their own verbal nouns
A root family does not share one universal verbal noun. Grade 2 saya “buy” has strong saye. Grade 5 sayar “sell” has weak sayarwa; Grade 6 sayo “buy and bring” has sayowa.
Yana sayen tumatir a kasuwa.
He is buying tomatoes at the market. (Grade 2 strong saye)
Yana sayar da tumatir a bakin titi.
He is selling tomatoes by the roadside. (Grade 5 weak verbal-noun stem before its da object)
Yana sayowa daga ƙauyen makwabta.
He is buying things and bringing them from the neighboring village. (Grade 6 weak sayowa)
The established meanings “buy,” “sell,” and “buy and bring” are lexical facts. Grade labels organize the family, but they do not license an invented member for every root.
Exercises
Supply the missing form. (1) yana _ kaya from saya → sayen; (2) yana _ gaskiya from faɗa → faɗin; (3) tana _ Hausa from koya → koyon; (4) yana _ aiki from nema → neman; (5) tana _ kaya from ɗauka → ɗaukar. Then contrast ya saye shi (finite B-form) with yana sayensa (strong verbal noun plus pronominal object).
Common Mistakes
1. Creating a productive -wa form for a Grade 2 verb.
❌ Yana sayawa a kasuwa.
Incorrect for ordinary Grade 2 ‘he is buying’—the required strong verbal noun is saye.
✅ Yana saye a kasuwa.
He is shopping at the market.
2. Using a finite C-form after the continuative marker.
❌ Yana sayi kayan makaranta.
Incorrect continuative—the finite C-form sayi cannot replace the verbal noun phrase.
✅ Yana sayen kayan makaranta.
He is buying school supplies.
3. Omitting the linker before a noun object.
❌ Tana ɗauka kaya zuwa mota.
Incorrect strong-verbal-noun construction—the feminine linker is missing.
✅ Tana ɗaukar kaya zuwa mota.
She is carrying goods to the car.
4. Leaving a direct pronoun separate.
❌ Ina nema shi tun safe.
Incorrect continuative pattern for a strong verbal noun.
✅ Ina nemansa tun safe.
I have been looking for him since morning.
5. Reusing the base verbal noun for a derived grade.
❌ Yana sayen tumatir ga kwastomomi.
Incorrect if the intended meaning is ‘selling tomatoes’; saye means buying.
✅ Yana sayar da tumatir ga kwastomomi.
He is selling tomatoes to customers.
Key Takeaways
- Grade 2 requires a lexical strong verbal noun; it does not productively add -wa.
- Learn each verbal noun’s shape and gender: sayen, neman, ɗaukar, tambayar.
- A following noun is linked with -n/-r; a pronominal object is joined in a possessive-type form.
- Finite ya saye shi and continuative yana sayensa have different syntax despite overlapping lexical material.
- An immediate indirect object selects the verb’s D-form, even in a continuative clause.
- Each derived grade has its own attested meaning and verbal noun.
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.
- 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.
- Continuative with Non--wa Verbal NounsA2 — Build the Hausa continuative with strong verbal nouns such as gani, ci, sha, saye, and tambaya, including their noun- and pronoun-object patterns.
- 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.
- Possessive Object Forms in the ContinuativeA2 — Use joined possessive-type pronouns as the objects of strong continuative verbal nouns, as in ganinka, ganinta, and tambayarsu.
- Indirect Objects Immediately after the VerbA2 — Place Hausa recipients and beneficiaries directly after the verb and recognize the special D-form environment they create.