To Be and To Have in Hausa: Ne, Ce, Akwai and Ina Da

Hausa has no single verb "to be". It uses different tools depending on what you want to say: identity, location, existence or possession. Once you know them, it's straightforward.

Identity: ne and ce

To say "X is Y", place ne or ce after the noun phrase:

• ne is used after masculine and plural nouns.
• ce is used after feminine nouns.

Examples:

• Ni malami ne. — I'm a teacher (m.).
• Ita malama ce. — She's a teacher.
• Wannan littafi ne. — This is a book. (littafi is masculine)
• Wannan mota ce. — This is a car. (mota is feminine)
• Su ɗalibai ne. — They're students.

So the choice of ne/ce follows the gender of the thing described, or of the person in the case of "I" and "you": Ni ɗalibi ne (male speaker), Ni ɗaliba ce (female speaker).

Location: with the continuous marker

For where someone or something is, use the continuous form:

• Ina gida. — I'm at home.
• Yana kasuwa. — He's at the market.
• Suna makaranta. — They're at school.
• Ina nan. — I'm here.
• Ina yake? — Where is he?

Or use a: Yana a gida. — He's at home.

Existence: akwai and babu

• Akwai — there is, there are: Akwai ruwa. — There's water. Akwai mutane da yawa. — There are many people.
• Babu — there is not: Babu ruwa. — There's no water.

Possession: ina da

Da means "with", and forms "have" with the pronoun marker:

• Ina da littafi. — I have a book.
• Kana da mota. — You (m.) have a car.
• Tana da yara uku. — She has three children.
• Muna da lokaci. — We have time.

Negative: Ba ni da littafi. — I don't have a book. Ba shi da kuɗi. — He has no money.

Feelings: with "ji" (feel)

Hausa often says "I feel X" or "X is on me":

• Ina jin yunwa. — I'm hungry (I feel hunger).
• Ina jin ƙishirwa. — I'm thirsty.
• Ina jin sanyi. — I feel cold.
• Ina jin zafi. — I feel hot.
• Ina jin gajiya. — I'm tired.
• Ina jin tsoro. — I'm afraid.

Naming and describing

• Sunana Musa. — My name is Musa.
• Ni ɗan Najeriya ne. — I'm a Nigerian (male).
• Ni ƴar Najeriya ce. — I'm a Nigerian (female).

Age

• Ina da shekara ashirin. — I'm twenty years old (literally "I have twenty years").

Questions

• Shi malami ne? — Is he a teacher?
• Wannan mota ce? — Is this a car?
• Kana da lafiya? — Are you well?
• Akwai ruwa? — Is there water?

Learning tips

1. Learn ne and ce with gender.
2. Learn akwai and babu as a pair.
3. Use ina da for possession.
4. Learn the feeling phrases with ina jin.

Common mistakes

• Using ne with feminine nouns.
• Trying to translate "to be" word for word.
• Forgetting da in "have".

Look up Hausa words with English Hausa Dictionary →