domin / don

Purpose and Reason

Level 4

Purpose states an intended result; reason explains a situation.

How It Works

Domin and don introduce purpose with a subjunctive clause. Include the intended action’s subject even when it matches the main subject. Different subjects are possible: someone can call Hauwa so that she comes.

Negative purpose uses kada: don kada yara su fita ‘so that the children do not go out’. An explanatory reason retains the TAM appropriate to its proposition, including za for a projected event.

The linkers also take noun and pronoun complements expressing ‘for the sake of’ or ‘on account of’. Possessive forms include domina ‘for my sake’ and dominka ‘for your sake’. Compare intended arrival in domin ta zo with explanatory don za ta haifu ‘because she is going to give birth’.

Examples (3)

  1. Na kira Hauwa domin ta zo.

    I called Hauwa so that she would come.

    Subjunctive ta marks the intended arrival.

  2. Mun tafi kasuwa don mu sayi shinkafa.

    We went to the market to buy rice.

    The purpose clause retains subject mu.

  3. Ya rufe ƙofa don kada yara su fita.

    He closed the door so that the children would not go out.

    Kada marks the prevented outcome.

How It Connects

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

domin / donLevel 4Purpose and Reason

Learn This First

Recognize dependent desired outcomes, reasons and attached first-person or listener possession before expressing purpose and forms such as domina or dominka.

Words in This Pattern

domin