Grade 7 verbs normally form transparent -wa verbal nouns: finite taru “assemble” gives taruwa “assembling,” and rabu “separate/part” gives rabuwa “separating, parting.” Because the finite grade form already ends in -u, the result is visibly -uwa. This verbal noun supplies the form used in the continuative and can also behave as an ordinary noun.
All unlabelled examples are (neutral Nigerian Standard Hausa). Ordinary boko does not show tone or vowel length. The technical Grade 7 melody is Low on the preceding syllable or syllables and High on final short -u; the weak verbal noun adds -wa without turning the verb back into a transitive form.
From finite -u to verbal noun -uwa
| Related base | Finite Grade 7 | Grade 7 verbal noun | Established reading |
|---|---|---|---|
| tara “collect” | taru | taruwa | assemble; assembling |
| raba “divide” | rabu | rabuwa | part, be separated; parting |
| soya “fry” | soyu | soyuwa | become/be thoroughly fried; that result |
| kama “catch” | kamu | kamuwa | become caught/affected; contracting |
| fara “begin” | faru | faruwa | happen; happening/occurrence |
| yi “do” | yiwu | yiwuwa | be possible; possibility |
This pattern is morphologically regular, but the meanings are not all calculated afresh. Taruwa is the event of people or things coming together, faruwa is an occurrence, and yiwuwa is possibility. Those are conventional lexical uses. A speaker does not simply replace the final vowel of any English-equivalent verb with u and then add wa.
Mutanen unguwar sun taru a gaban asibiti.
The neighborhood residents assembled in front of the hospital. (finite Grade 7)
Mutanen unguwar suna taruwa a gaban asibiti.
The neighborhood residents are assembling in front of the hospital. (continuative with verbal noun taruwa)
The contrast is not past versus present inside the verb. Sun is a completive subject–aspect marker and selects finite taru; suna is continuative and is followed by verbal noun taruwa. Grade and TAM contribute different pieces of the clause.
The verbal noun in the continuative
The continuative presents the event as ongoing, repeated, or characteristic. Its lexical predicate is a verbal noun, not a finite Grade 7 form.
Suna rabuwa da juna cikin lumana.
They are parting from each other peacefully.
Naman yana soyuwa a hankali saboda wutar ba ta da ƙarfi.
The meat is frying through slowly because the heat is low.
Irin wannan kuskure yana faruwa idan ana gaggawa.
This kind of mistake happens when people are rushing.
Cutar tana yaɗuwa, amma ana iya hana kamuwa da ita.
The illness is spreading, but contracting it can be prevented.
In the last example, kamuwa da ita contains Grade 7 verbal noun kamuwa plus a complement headed by da. The pronoun ita is the object of the preposition da, not a direct-object pronoun governed by kamuwa. Grade 7 remains intransitive.
English often uses be + participle for the resultative translation: “is getting fried,” “is affected,” or “is caught.” Hausa continuative structure is different: the agreement and aspect sit in yana/tana/suna, while -uwa identifies the verbal noun.
An event noun outside the continuative
A Grade 7 verbal noun can be the subject or object of a larger sentence, occur after a preposition, or head a genitive phrase. In those contexts it has genuine nominal behavior.
Taruwar jama’a a nan ba ta dace ba.
A crowd gathering here is not appropriate.
Mun tattauna yiwuwar canja ranar taron.
We discussed the possibility of changing the meeting date.
Bayan faruwar lamarin, jami’ai sun rufe hanyar.
After the incident occurred, officials closed the road.
Likita ya bayyana hanyoyin guje wa kamuwa da cutar.
The doctor explained ways of avoiding contracting the disease.
Forms such as taruwar, yiwuwar, and faruwar contain the feminine genitive linker -r after the -wa verbal noun. The linker relates the event noun to a following dependent expression: taruwar jama’a “the gathering of people,” yiwuwar canji “the possibility of change.” It is not part of the dictionary form taruwa/yiwuwa.
Grade 7 does not gain object forms through -wa
The finite Grade 7 verb is intransitive, and its verbal noun preserves that valency. Compare Grade 1 raba “divide/separate something” with Grade 7 rabu “part/be separated.”
| Environment | What Hausa permits | Analysis |
|---|---|---|
| No following object | Sun rabu. | finite Grade 7 |
| Noun direct object | Sun raba gadon. | transitive base raba, not rabu |
| Pronoun direct object | Sun raba shi. | transitive base raba, not rabu |
| Indirect object | Sun raba musu gadon. | transitive raba plus beneficiary |
| Prepositional complement | Sun rabu da gadon. | Grade 7 rabu plus da “with/from” |
’Yan’uwan sun raba gadon ba tare da gardama ba.
The siblings divided the inheritance without an argument. (transitive base)
’Yan’uwan sun rabu da gadon bayan an sayar da shi.
The siblings parted with the inheritance after it was sold. (Grade 7 plus da-complement)
The English phrases “separate it” and “separate from it” make the same lexical root look deceptively similar. Hausa makes a structural contrast. A direct object requires a transitive member such as raba; Grade 7 rabu has an undergoer subject and may license a lexically selected prepositional complement.
Verbal noun versus a lexical event noun
The productive -uwa form names the process or state associated with Grade 7, but frequent forms can acquire broader noun-like meanings. Faruwa can denote occurrence as an abstract process; yiwuwa can mean possibility; gamuwa can name an encounter or meeting. Their conventional senses must be learned with the verb.
Gamuwa da tsohon malaminsa ta sa ya tuna da makaranta.
Meeting his former teacher made him remember school.
Here da tsohon malaminsa is again a prepositional complement. It does not make gamuwa transitive. The feminine agreement ta refers to the verbal-noun phrase as an event.
Practice
Choose finite -u, verbal noun -uwa, or a transitive base.
- “The guests have assembled”: Baƙin sun taru. The completive requires finite taru.
- “The guests are assembling”: Baƙin suna taruwa. The continuative requires taruwa.
- “They divided the money”: Sun raba kuɗin. A direct object requires transitive raba.
- “They have parted from one another”: Sun rabu da juna. Grade 7 takes the da-complement.
- “the possibility of rain”: yiwuwar ruwa. The verbal noun takes linker -r.
Common Mistakes
1. Using a finite Grade 7 form after a continuative marker.
❌ Mutane suna taru a bakin ƙofa.
Incorrect in careful Standard Hausa—the continuative requires the verbal noun.
✅ Mutane suna taruwa a bakin ƙofa.
People are gathering at the doorway.
2. Adding a direct object to an intransitive Grade 7 form.
❌ Sun rabu gadon jiya.
Incorrect for ‘they divided the inheritance’—rabu is intransitive.
✅ Sun raba gadon jiya.
They divided the inheritance yesterday.
3. Treating a da-complement as a direct object.
❌ Na gamu Amina a kasuwa.
Incorrect—gamu selects da before the person encountered.
✅ Na gamu da Amina a kasuwa.
I met Amina at the market.
4. Omitting the genitive linker after an event noun.
❌ Mun tattauna yiwuwa canji.
Incorrect in the intended ‘possibility of change’ noun phrase.
✅ Mun tattauna yiwuwar canji.
We discussed the possibility of change.
Key Takeaways
- Regular Grade 7 verbal nouns add -wa to finite -u, producing visible -uwa.
- The continuative uses the verbal noun: sun taru but suna taruwa.
- Grade 7 remains intransitive; da in rabuwa da or gamuwa da heads a prepositional complement.
- Event-noun phrases take ordinary nominal linkers: taruwar jama’a, yiwuwar canji.
- The form is predictable once the Grade 7 member is known, but lexical meanings and complement frames still require verification.
Related Topics
- Grade 7 Resultative/Totality: OverviewB2 — Understand Grade 7 as an intransitive affected-subject pattern that often conveys a thorough result or capacity without being a passive voice or TAM marker.
- Grade 7 IntransitivityB2 — Use Grade 7 only with an affected or participating subject, distinguishing direct objects from licensed prepositional complements and adjuncts.
- Grade 7 Result and CompletionB2 — Separate Grade 7's lexical result, thoroughness, and capacity from actual event completion, completive TAM, and Grade 4 totality.
- 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 -wa Verbal NounsA2 — Form the Hausa continuative with weak -wa verbal nouns and remove -wa when a direct object follows.
- 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.