me / wa
Asking What and Who
Use me for things or content and wa for people.
How It Works
Me asks about things or content, while wa asks about people. Fronted questions about completed actions use relative completive marking. Compare Sun kawo littafi ‘They brought a book’ with Me suka kawo? ‘What did they bring?’ Questions about ongoing actions use relative continuative marking, such as kuke or suke.
Identity questions have their own forms, including Mene ne? ‘What is it?’ and conversational Me ye? and Wa ye?. Questioned subjects of location statements also require relative marking. A possession question retains an object after da: Me kike da shi? ‘What do you have?’ addresses a woman. Ordinary spelling leaves tone and vowel length unmarked; verbal and nonverbal relative continuative frames do not have identical length rules.
Examples (3)
- Me suka kawo?
What did they bring?
The fronted object question uses relative completive suka.
- Wa ya rufe ƙofa?
Who closed the door?
Wa questions the subject; ya belongs to the relative completive frame here.
- Me kuke sha?
What are you drinking?
Addressing several people: kuke is relative continuative, and sha follows the fronted object.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Locate missing information within a clause before asking what or who. Recognize tone and vowel length: in Me kike da shi, kike is the female-listener relative nonverbal subject form with short -ke; kike da expresses having, and shi retains the required object after da when me is fronted. The systematic possession lesson develops this supporting frame later.
- Simple Statement Order
Locate missing information within a clause before asking what or who. Recognize tone and vowel length: in Me kike da shi, kike is the female-listener relative nonverbal subject form with short -ke; kike da expresses having, and shi retains the required object after da when me is fronted. The systematic possession lesson develops this supporting frame later.
Level 1 - Hearing Meaningful Differences
Locate missing information within a clause before asking what or who. Recognize tone and vowel length: in Me kike da shi, kike is the female-listener relative nonverbal subject form with short -ke; kike da expresses having, and shi retains the required object after da when me is fronted. The systematic possession lesson develops this supporting frame later.
Level 1
Related Patterns
- wane / wace / waɗanneAsking Which
Adds gender and number distinctions to questions identifying or selecting referents.
Level 1 - Completed Actions After Focus
Explains marking in fronted questions about completed actions.
Level 3 - Ongoing Actions After Focus
Explains marking in fronted questions about ongoing actions.
Level 3 - daHaving Something
Explains relative marking and the retained object after da in possession questions.
Level 2
Words in This Pattern
Practice me / wa in Bubblegum
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