Breakdown of Likita ya ce kada mu karɓi ƙwaya daga aboki mu sha ba tare da tambayar sa ba.
aboki
the friend
tambaya
the question
mu
we
daga
from
Questions & Answers about Likita ya ce kada mu karɓi ƙwaya daga aboki mu sha ba tare da tambayar sa ba.
What does kada mean here, and how is it used grammatically?
kada introduces a negative command / prohibition or a kind of negative “should not”.
Pattern:
- kada + subject pronoun + subjunctive verb
In this sentence:
- kada mu karɓi... ≈ “that we should not take…”
- mu = “we”
- karɓi = subjunctive form of “to take/receive”
So Likita ya ce kada mu… = “The doctor said (that) we should not…”
You’ll also see kar in a similar meaning (especially in the north), e.g. kar ka je “don’t go”, but kada + pronoun is very common and clear in standard usage.
Why is it mu karɓi and not something like muna karɓa or mu karɓa?
Because after kada you need the subjunctive form of the verb.
- muna karɓa = “we are taking / we usually take” (progressive or habitual)
- mu karɓi = “(that) we take” in a non‑past / hypothetical / commanded sense
For most verbs, the subjunctive changes the final ‑a of the basic stem to ‑i:
- karɓa → karɓi
- tura → turi
- gama → gami
So kada mu karɓi is the correct negative “let’s/should not take”.
*mu karɓa after kada would be ungrammatical.
Why is mu repeated before sha? Could you say kada mu karɓi ƙwaya daga aboki sha?