waxa … yahay
Identifying the Focus of a Statement
Nominal waxa can head what someone wants or what happened; waa introduces the identifying noun predicate.
How It Works
Nominal waxa, “the thing,” can head a relative description corresponding to English “what.” In Waxa aan rabaa waa shaah, the whole description means “what I want,” and waa shaah identifies it. Embedded subject aan belongs to the wanting event. Standard phrase-final subject marking changes dependent rabo to rabaa because it ends the outer subject phrase.
The relative can instead have its head as subject: waxa dhacay, “what happened.” Neither relative contains a main-clause sentence particle. The outer noun predicate with waa normally needs no present copula or short subject pronoun. An adjective predicate uses an agreeing copula.
Compare particle waxa in Xasan waxa uu yahay macallin, “Hassan is a teacher.” Here waxa foregrounds the final predicate; yahay agrees with Xasan. Feminine Hodan takes tahay. This comparison does not establish that every focus-particle waxa is synchronically a lexical noun.
Examples (5)
- Waxa aan rabaa waa shaah.
What I want is tea.
Rabaa carries standard marking at the end of the outer subject phrase; waa introduces the identifying noun.
- Waxa ay qortay waa warqad.
What she wrote is a letter.
The relative describes the written object; its own subject is ay.
- Waxa dhacay waa shil.
What happened is an accident.
The relative head is also the subject of dhacay.
- Xasan waxa uu yahay macallin.
Hassan is a teacher.
This contrasting frame uses focus-particle waxa and a masculine singular copula.
- Hodan waxa ay tahay dhakhtar.
Hodan is a doctor.
The copula agrees with Hodan rather than the predicate noun.
How It Connects
Learn This First
Distinguish nominal waxa heading a relative description from focus-particle waxa; apply phrase-final marking to the outer subject and choose the appropriate identifying predicate and copular agreement.
- waxaaIntroducing Focus with Waxaa
Distinguish nominal waxa heading a relative description from focus-particle waxa; apply phrase-final marking to the outer subject and choose the appropriate identifying predicate and copular agreement.
Level 2 - yahay / tahay / yihiinForms of Being
Distinguish nominal waxa heading a relative description from focus-particle waxa; apply phrase-final marking to the outer subject and choose the appropriate identifying predicate and copular agreement.
Level 1 - oo + relative clauseAdding a Relative Description
Distinguish nominal waxa heading a relative description from focus-particle waxa; apply phrase-final marking to the outer subject and choose the appropriate identifying predicate and copular agreement.
Level 3 - Case Changes With Focus
Distinguish nominal waxa heading a relative description from focus-particle waxa; apply phrase-final marking to the outer subject and choose the appropriate identifying predicate and copular agreement.
Level 4
Related Patterns
Words in This Pattern
Practice waxa … yahay in Bubblegum
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