Learn Hardcore Hausa: Littafi nan nawa ne.

English puts “this” before the noun, but Hausa often puts nan after the noun. There is also a different form that comes before the noun, e.g. wannan littafi (“this book”), but littafi nan is also completely normal and very common.

What exactly does nan mean here – “this” or “here”?

nan literally means “here,” but when it comes right after a noun, it functions like “this (one here).”

Alone: nan = “here.”
After a noun: littafi nan ≈ “this book (here).”

So in Littafi nan nawa ne, nan makes it clear that we are talking about this particular book that is near the speaker.

What is ne doing at the end of the sentence? Is it the verb “to be”?

ne is a kind of copula particle. It often corresponds to English “is / are,” especially in sentences that identify or describe something, and in many questions.

It doesn’t behave exactly like an ordinary verb: Hausa can sometimes drop it, and its form changes with gender/number (ne vs ce). But in a sentence like Littafi nan nawa ne, you can roughly think of ne as the “is” that links “this book” with “how much.”

Why is it ne and not ce here?

In beginner-level descriptions of Hausa, the rule is:

Use ne with masculine nouns and with plurals.
Use ce with feminine singular nouns.

Littafi (“book”) is grammatically masculine, so the sentence ends with ne.
If the noun were feminine (for example mota, “car”), you would say:

Mota nan nawa ce? – “How much is this car?”

Does nawa mean “how much” or “how many” here, and how can I tell?

nawa can mean either:

“how much?” (price, amount of money), or
“how many?” (number of items).

In Littafi nan nawa ne, context tells you that you are asking about the price of this one book (“How much is this book?”), not its quantity.

Compare:

Littattafi nawa ka saya? – “How many books did you buy?” (number of books)
Littafin nan nawa ne? – “How much is this book?” (price)

Is nawa one word, or is it really na wa (“of who”)? And doesn’t nawa also mean “mine”?

In this sentence it is one word: nawa, meaning “how much / how many.”

There are, however, two different words that look like nawa in writing:

nawa (question word) – “how much / how many”:
- Kudin nawa ne? – “How much is the money?”
nawa (possessive pronoun) – “mine”:
- Wanne littafi ne nawa? – “Which book is mine?”

They are distinguished by tone in spoken Hausa and by context in writing. In Littafi nan nawa ne, only the “how much / how many” meaning fits.

Could I also say Nawa ne littafi nan? or Nawa ne wannan littafi? instead?

The most natural “standard” versions are:

Littafin nan nawa ne?
Nawa ne littafin nan?

Both of these are widely used. Moving nawa to the front (Nawa ne littafin nan?) puts extra focus on the price (“How much is this book?” with emphasis on how much).

Nawa ne wannan littafi? sounds a bit off; you would normally say:

Wannan littafi nawa ne? or
Nawa ne wannan littafin?

Note also the -n on littafin, which is expected in careful speech (see next question).

Should it really be littafin nan instead of littafi nan? Is Littafi nan nawa ne “wrong”?

In “textbook” Hausa, when a noun is followed by nan, you usually add a linking -n / -r:

littafin nan – “this book”
motar nan – “this car”

So many teachers would write Littafin nan nawa ne?

However, in everyday spoken Hausa, people often drop that final -n, especially in casual speech, and say littafi nan, mota nan, etc. So Littafi nan nawa ne is something you will hear, even if Littafin nan nawa ne is more “careful” or “standard” writing.

How would the sentence change if I were talking about a feminine noun like “car” or “shirt”?

You mainly change the noun and switch ne to ce because the noun is feminine:

Mota nan nawa ce? – “How much is this car?”
Riga nan nawa ce? – “How much is this shirt/dress?”

(Again, in very careful writing many teachers would prefer Motar nan nawa ce?, Rigar nan nawa ce?)

How do I ask about several books: “How much are these books?”

You make the noun plural and keep ne (plural uses ne):

Littattafan nan nawa ne? – “How much are these books?”

Here:

littattafai = books (basic plural form)
littattafan nan = these books (with the -n linker plus nan)
nawa ne = “how much (are they)?”

Do I always need ne / ce in questions with nawa?

Not always, but very often.

On its own, you can simply ask Nawa? – “How much?” (e.g. pointing at something).
When you have a fuller sentence with a noun phrase, like Littafin nan, it is very natural (and safest for learners) to include ne / ce:
- Littafin nan nawa ne?
- Motar nan nawa ce?

So in most full questions of this type, you should use ne / ce.