Sentences expressing existence

'there is tea', 'there's no pounded yam'

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• Affirmative existentials: 'there is tea in the thermos'
• Negative existential sentences: 'there's no pounded yam'

AFFIRMATIVE EXISTENTIAL SENTENCES: 'there is tea in the thermos'

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Hausa uses an invariable word akwai 'there is/are...' to express the existence or presence of something. Akwai alone means 'there is one, there is some', as in answer to a question where the object is understood. A more specfic location phrase can go before or after the existential construction.

Q: Akwai shayi? A: Akwai. Akwai shayi a cikin filas. Akwai fensir a kan tebur. A Zango Stores akwai motoci da yawa.

Q: 'Is there any tea?' A: 'There is (some).' 'There is tea in the thermos.' 'There is a pencil on the table.' 'At Zango stores there are lots of cars.'

Akwai can take a pronoun object, usually in the sense of 'one' or 'some'. Akwai uses the direct object set of pronouns.

Q: Akwai kofi a nan? A: Akwai shi. Q: Akwai sakwara? A: Akwai ta. Q: A Zango Stores akwai motoci da yawa? A: Akwai su.

Q: 'Is there a cup here?' A: 'There is one.' Q: 'Is there any pounded yam?' A: 'There is some.' Q: 'At Zango stores are there lots of cars?' A: 'There are some.'

An alternative to akwai is the preposition da 'with'. It is also possible to combine the two words, giving da akwai.

Da shayi. Da akwai na zinari, da akwai na azurfa.

'There is tea.' 'There are gold ones, (and) there are silver ones.'

NEGATIVE EXISTENTIAL SENTENCES: 'there is no pounded yam'

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Hausa uses an invariable word babu 'there is/are no...' to express non-existence or non-presence. Babu can be used alone to mean 'there isn't any, there aren't any.'

Q: Akwai sakwara? A: Babu. Babu d'an kwali. Zango Stores babu nisa.

Q: 'Is there any pounded yam?' A: 'There isn't (any).' 'There aren't any head scarves.' 'Zango stores isn't far.' ("Zango Stores, there's no distance.")

 Babu has a short variant, ba, with falling tone on the -a. Ba must always be followed by an object.

Q: Ina gajiya? A: Ba gajiya. Ba d'an kwali. Ba kome.

Q: 'How's the tiredness?' A: 'There isn't any tiredness.' 'There aren't any head scarves.' "That's OK." ('There isn't anything.') (Response to an apology.)

Both babu and ba can take pronoun objects, usually meaning "one, any". Babu takes the independent form of the pronoun as an object, whereas ba takes the direct object form of the pronoun.

Q: Akwai sakwara? A: Babu ita. Q: Akwai sakwara? A: Ba ta.

Q: 'Is there any pounded yam?' A: 'There isn't any.' Q: 'Is there any pounded yam?' A: 'There isn't any.'