Classes of non-wa verbal nouns

Non-wa Verbal Nouns

Classes of non-wa Verbal Nouns

Information on verb classes
General discussion of verbal nouns
Types of verbs that take non-wa verbal nouns
Classes of non-wa verbal nouns

CLASSES OF non-wa VERBAL NOUNS

Non-wa verbal nouns have a variety of forms. There are several classes of verbs that take non-wa verbal nouns. Unfortunately for the learner of Hausa, there is little predictability about what the form of the non-wa verbal noun will be for any particular verb--one just has to memorize this. Non-wa verbal nouns do fall into a number of classes, however. Scroll down or click on the links at the top of this page to see the classes and some representative verbs for each type of verbal noun.

Verbal noun = base verb

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Several types of verbs have verbal nouns which are identical to their base verbs:

Quite a few Variable Vowel Verbs have verbal nouns of this type.

List of some Variable Vowel Verbs: see cuta, d'auka, fahimta and others

The three important verbs bari 'leave', sani 'know', gani 'see' have verbal nouns of this type.

List of verbs which includes bari, sani, gani

A few verbs which have -wa verbal nouns also have non-wa verbal nouns identical to the base verb.

List of some verbs which have both -wa and non-wa verbal nouns: see daka, shuka.)

Verbal noun = base verb with lengthened final vowel

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All intransitive verbs which end in -a and begin in Low tone or have High-High tones have a short final vowel in the base verb form and lengthen the vowel to form their verbal noun. A number of intransitive verbs which end in -i or -u also form their verbal nouns this way.

List of some intranstive verbs which lengthen their final vowels to form their verbal nouns

Verbal noun = base verb with long vowel and falling tone

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Most monosyllabic verbs have a verbal noun with a long vowel and Falling tone:

List of all monosyllabic verbs having verbal nouns with long vowel and falling tone

Verbal nouns ending in -i

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Most verbal nouns ending in -i have High-Low tones. A few have Low-High.

High-Low verbal nouns ending in -i:

List of some Variable Vowel Verbs: see fad'a, mara, saka, zaga

List of some verbs which have both -wa and non-wa Hi-Lo verbal nouns ending in -i: see k'ara, shirya, wanke

Low-High verbal nouns ending in -i:

List of some Variable Vowel Verbs: see zarga

List of some verbs which have both -wa and non-wa Lo-Hi verbal nouns ending in -i: see motsa

Verbal nouns ending in -e

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Virtually all verbal nouns ending in -e have Low-High tones (the perhaps unique exception is aure 'marriage' from aura 'marry').

Low-High verbal nouns ending in -e:

List of some Variable Vowel Verbs: see hanga, saya, zab'a

List of some verbs which have both -wa and non-wa verbal nouns: see zana

Verbal nouns ending in -a

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Aside from verbal nouns in -a which are identical to their base verbs or which derive from lengthening the final vowel of an intransitive verb, nearly all other verbal nouns in -a have High-High tones. These High-High-a verbal nouns are all masculine, in contrast to most nouns ending in -a, which are feminine.

High-High verbal nouns ending in -a:

List of some Variable Vowel Verbs: see duba, nema, sara, yanka

List of some verbs which have both -wa and non-wa verbal nouns: see gyara

Verbal nouns ending in -o

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There are verbal nouns ending in -o with Low-High, High-Low, and High-High tone patterns. Low-High seems to be the most common, but a fair number of verbs have the other patterns.

Low-High verbal nouns ending in -o:

List of some Variable Vowel Verbs: see koya

List of some verbs which have both -wa and non-wa verbal nouns: see raba

High-Low verbal nouns ending in -o:

List of some Variable Vowel Verbs: see ciza, gada

High-High verbal nouns ending in -o:

List of some Variable Vowel Verbs: see kalla

Verbal nouns ending in -u

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Verbal nouns ending in -u are rather uncommon. Most have High-Low tones.

Verbal nouns ending in -u:

List of some Variable Vowel Verbs: see dama

List of some verbs which have both -wa and non-wa verbal nouns: see huta, kama

Verbal nouns adding a feminine ending -uwa or -iya

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Some verbal nouns add one of the feminine endings -uwa or -iya rather than just changing the final vowel, as is the case for most non-wa verbal nouns. The -uwa ending does NOT contain the -wa of -wa verbal nouns. The -uwa ending replaces the final vowel of the verb (-wa of -wa verbal nouns is added to the verb), and -uwa remains part of the verbal noun in all its uses, whereas the -wa of the -wa verbal noun drops before objects (see Continuative). It is difficult to see any general tendencies in the tone patterns that feminine verbal nouns take.

Verbal nouns ending in -iya:

List of some verbs which have both -wa and non-wa verbal nouns: see gode, kwanta

List of some intranstive verbs with feminine suffixes: see gaji, tafi

Verbal nouns ending in -uwa:

List of some Variable Vowel Verbs: see haifa, tsinta

List of some verbs which have both -wa and non-wa verbal nouns: see manta

List of some intranstive verbs with feminine suffixes: see fad'i, haifu, mutu