wa

Giving or Doing Something for Someone

Level 3

The basic order is verb + wa + recipient + direct object.

How It Works

A named recipient or beneficiary follows wa immediately after the appropriate verb form. An expressed direct object follows that phrase. Personal-pronoun recipients normally use words such as mini or masa. Regional pre-noun ma is grammatical too.

Compare Na kawo littafi., I brought a book, with Na kawo wa Aisha littafi., I brought Aisha a book. Grade 1 retains its base form before an indirect object. Grade 2 dative forms require lexical learning. Dative participants can have affected roles beyond receiving a benefit.

Continuative -wa forms drop their suffix before indirect objects; verbs with non-wa verbal nouns use their dative verb constructions. Recipient wa and verbal-noun -wa have different functions. Complex recipient phrases may follow the direct object with ga. The exceptional giving verb requires separate treatment.

Examples (3)

  1. Na kawo wa Aisha littafi.

    I brought Aisha a book.

    Wa Aisha precedes littafi.

  2. Mun raba wa yara lemu.

    We distributed oranges to the children.

    Wa yara identifies the recipients.

  3. Ta saya wa ɗanta hula.

    She bought her son a cap.

    Saya is the dative form; ɗanta precedes hula.

How It Connects

Tap a pattern to see what it builds on and what it leads to.

waLevel 3Giving or Doing Something for Someone

Learn This First

Recognize verbal-noun action frames and an attached possessor inside a recipient noun phrase before placing named wa recipients with an affected object.

Words in This Pattern

wamini