Hausa Commands, Requests and Polite Phrases

How to give instructions, make polite requests and offer help in Hausa, with gender-sensitive forms, softening phrases and useful everyday sentences.

Politeness matters enormously in Hausa culture, and it shows in how requests are made. Knowing a few softening phrases is as important as knowing the commands themselves.

Simple commands (imperatives)

Hausa commands often use the bare verb, sometimes with a form that changes for the person addressed:

Zo nan. — Come here.
Zauna. — Sit down.
Tashi. — Stand up / get up.
Shigo. — Come in.
Ci abinci. — Eat.
Sha ruwa. — Drink water.
Tsaya. — Stop, wait.
Saurara. — Listen.

Requests with "ka" and "ki"

To be more polite, use a pronoun before the verb, with ka (masculine) or ki (feminine):

Ka zo. — Please come. (to a man)
Ki zo. — Please come. (to a woman)
Ku zo. — Please come. (to several people)
Ka zauna. — Please sit. (to a man)
Ki shigo. — Please come in. (to a woman)

Softening: don Allah

Don Allah ("for God's sake", meaning "please") is the standard way to soften a request. It's used often:

Don Allah, ba ni ruwa. — Please give me water.
Don Allah, ina tasha? — Please, where is the station?
Don Allah, ka taimake ni. — Please help me. (to a man)

Asking for permission and wanting

Ina so in ... — I would like to ...: Ina so in tafi. — I'd like to go.
Zan iya ...? — May I / can I...?: Zan iya shiga? — May I come in?
Bari in ... — Let me ...: Bari in taimake ka. — Let me help you.
Mu tafi. — Let's go.
Mu ci abinci. — Let's eat.

Giving and offering

Ga shi. — Here you are.
Karɓa. — Take it (receive it).
Kana son shayi? — Would you like tea? (to a man)
Sannu da zuwa. — Welcome (to someone arriving).

Apologising and thanking

Ka yi haƙuri. — Sorry / be patient with me. (to a man)
Ku yi haƙuri. — Sorry (to several people).
Na gode. — Thank you.
Na gode sosai. — Thank you very much.
Ba komai. — It's nothing, you're welcome.
Allah ya saka da alheri. — May God reward you with good (a warm thank-you).

Prohibitions: kada

Kada means "don't":

Kada ka tafi. — Don't go. (to a man)
Kada ki manta. — Don't forget. (to a woman)
Kada ka damu. — Don't worry. (to a man)

Useful everyday requests

Ka ba ni kaɗan. — Give me a little. (to a man)
Ka jira ni. — Wait for me. (to a man)
Ka nuna mini. — Show me. (to a man)
Ka rage mini. — Reduce it for me (in a market).

Politeness culture

Use Don Allah freely.
Add Malam (sir, a respectful title for a man) or Hajiya (a respectful title for a woman): Malam, don Allah ...
Speak calmly and avoid seeming brusque.
Greetings come before requests.

Learning tips

Learn don Allah, na gode, ka yi haƙuri first.
Learn ka / ki / ku for gender and number.
Practise kada for prohibitions.
Add greetings before requests.

Common mistakes

Making requests without greeting.
Using masculine forms with women.
Forgetting don Allah.

Look up Hausa phrases with English Hausa Dictionary →