Learning Singular and Plural Together

Level 2

Plural forms can change endings, internal material, vowels, and tone; accepted alternatives occur.

How It Works

Hausa plurals use several patterns involving suffixation, inserted material, reduplication, and tone changes. Their vowels can differ from those of the singular. Some nouns have more than one accepted plural. There is no single dependable ending for all nouns: learn pairs such as mutum/mutane ‘person/people’ and mace/mata ‘woman/women’. Ordinary Nigerian Boko spelling leaves tone and vowel length unmarked.

Masculine and feminine agreement contrast in the singular; plurals share a plural category. Plural location uses forms such as suna, and simple plural identification uses ne. Counting introduces additional choices: an inanimate noun can remain singular before a number above one, while unit expressions have narrower restrictions. Learn the lexical pair first, then select the noun form and agreement appropriate to the whole construction.

Examples (3)

  1. Mutane suna kasuwa.

    The people are at the market.

    Mutane takes plural locative suna.

  2. Yara sun zo.

    The children came.

    Yara takes plural completive sun.

  3. Waɗannan mata ne.

    These are women.

    The demonstrative and identification frame express plural reference.

How It Connects

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

Learning Singular and Plural TogetherLevel 2

Learn This First

Recognize singular and plural demonstrative reference and inherited identification, ongoing and completed agreement before selecting the noun’s attested plural.

Learn Next

Patterns that build on this one.

Words in This Pattern

macemutummatamútàanée