waa + noun

Place waa before the predicate noun phrase and omit the ordinary short subject pronoun. An unfocused definite subject still takes appropriate subject marking. The predicate can identify a profession, category or individual and can contain modifiers.

In Cali waa qoraa wanaagsan, wanaagsan modifies the predicate noun qoraa. In Mindidu waa dheer tahay, dheer itself supplies the property, so an agreeing copula appears.

Other identity frames use copulas. Predicate focus can retain a full copula; affirmative subject focus uses reduced ah with a noun predicate. Basic unfocused ma questions add an agreeing copula, while focused identity questions offer a different pattern. Negative and past identity statements require their corresponding copular forms. This simple present construction therefore does not license omission in every sentence containing a predicate noun.