cewa

Introducing Reported Content

Level 5

A reporting clause precedes cewa, and a content clause follows it.

How It Works

A common pattern is reporting predicate + cewa + content clause. The proposition can describe an event, state, or expectation. Cewa stays unchanged; the embedded clause's subject forms identify its participant and TAM. A named verbal subject still receives subject marking.

Compare Na ji cewa yaran sun iso with Na ji cewa za su iso. Both report a completed act of hearing, but their content distinguishes completed arrival from prospective arrival. A continuative can instead present a location or ongoing activity. Pronouns and time expressions require contextual interpretation.

Cewa is also related to ce, ‘say’, through verbal-noun formation. Its role before a proposition must be learned as a complement construction. Some reporting constructions omit the introducer, but omission is construction-dependent. Learn the main predicate's complement pattern rather than making cewa obligatory after every predicate or removing it freely.

Examples (3)

  1. Na ji cewa yaran sun iso.

    I heard that the children had arrived.

    Plural completive sun belongs to the content clause.

  2. Musa ya gaya wa Amina cewa za su iso da safe.

    Musa told Amina that they would arrive in the morning.

    Embedded future marking presents prospective arrival.

  3. Malama ta gaya wa Rabi cewa baƙi suna cikin ɗaki.

    The teacher told Rabi that the guests were in the room.

    The content contains a plural continuative location predicate.

How It Connects

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

cewaLevel 5Introducing Reported Content

Learn This First

Recognize subject/TAM marking and lexical saying ce before introducing sourced ji/gaya wa-plus-cewa content; this lesson introduces its own finite complement requirements.