Hausa Pronouns and Tense Markers: Na, Ka, Ya, Ina and Zan

Hausa doesn't change the verb to show tense. Instead, it uses short pronoun-plus-tense words placed before the verb. Learn the sets, and you can build many sentences.

Independent pronouns

Person	Pronoun
I	ni
you (m.)	kai
you (f.)	ke
he	shi
she	ita
we	mu
you (pl.)	ku
they	su

Hausa distinguishes masculine and feminine "you" and "he/she".

Completive (finished action): "I did"

The completive uses:

Person	Marker
I	na
you (m.)	ka
you (f.)	ki
he	ya
she	ta
we	mun
you (pl.)	kun
they	sun

Examples:

• Na ci abinci. — I ate (food).
• Ya tafi kasuwa. — He went to the market.
• Sun zo jiya. — They came yesterday.
• Mun gode. — We've thanked (thank you, from a group).

Continuous (ongoing action): "I am doing"

The continuous uses these forms with a verb-noun:

Person	Marker
I	ina
you (m.)	kana
you (f.)	kina
he	yana
she	tana
we	muna
you (pl.)	kuna
they	suna

Examples:

• Ina cin abinci. — I'm eating.
• Yana karatu. — He's studying.
• Tana aiki. — She's working.
• Suna magana. — They're talking.

The verb after these markers appears in a verbal-noun form, such as cin (eating), zuwa (coming) and karatu (studying).

Future: "I will do"

The future uses:

Person	Marker
I	zan
you (m.)	za ka
you (f.)	za ki
he	zai
she	za ta
we	za mu
you (pl.)	za ku
they	za su

Examples:

• Zan tafi gobe. — I'll go tomorrow.
• Zai zo. — He'll come.
• Za mu ci abinci. — We'll eat.
• Za ka zo? — Will you come?

Putting it together

The same idea in three tenses:

• Na tafi. — I went.
• Ina tafiya. — I'm going (I'm on my way).
• Zan tafi. — I'll go.

Objects and other parts of the sentence

Hausa word order is usually subject–verb–object: Na ga Musa. — I saw Musa. Ya sayi littafi. — He bought a book.

Questions and negatives

Questions can use the same forms with intonation: Ka ci abinci? — Did you eat? Negatives use ba ... ba: see our article on negation.

Why learners like this system

• The forms are short and regular.
• One set of markers covers all verbs.
• It's easy to change tense by swapping the marker.

Practice

Pick five verbs, such as ci (eat), sha (drink), je (go), zo (come) and gani (see), and make sentences with na, ina and zan.

Learning tips

1. Memorise the three sets as columns.
2. Practise with everyday verbs.
3. Listen for the markers in speech.
4. Note verb-noun forms after ina, kana.

Common mistakes

• Forgetting the gender of "you" (ka / ki).
• Using the wrong marker for a different tense.
• Confusing na (completive "I") with na (a linker meaning "of/my").

Look up Hausa verbs with English Hausa Dictionary →