Hi everyone, I'm a student learning Hausa, Zulu, and Yoruba on my own. I made the sentences below to get a feel of how different English tenses are expressed in Hausa. Can someone please check what I've written for accuracy and please explain the ones I got wrong or didn't know. I'm really excited about learning these three African languages. :) Thank you!
1. I speak Hausa.
2. I used to play video games.
3. I ate a cookie 5 min. ago.
4. Last year he was ill.
5. When his parents built the house, he was ill.
6. At the beginning of this year he has been ill, now he is fine again.
7. He had broken a leg, therefore he couldn't come to school.
8. I'm reading a book now.
9. I was working while she was studying.
10. I was eating there (- let's say lunch) until I got to know that there were cockroaches in the kitchen. Then I left (immediately).
11. I had been lying there for 3 hrs. before I fell asleep.
12. You will have been eating for 10 min. when I finish.
13. He wants me to go home now.
14. I would buy more food but I'm full now.
15. You are baptized now. 'passive'
16. You were baptized for 5 min. 'passive'
17. The city was destroyed by the fire 'passive'
18. I had been baptized 3 times by 2001.
19. I will have been baptized 6 times by 2002.
20. If he paid me more, I would stay. (2 possibilities for 'if he paid me more')*
21. We would have built the house, if we had had the money.*
Hausa:
- na gana Hausa
- ina kada video games
- na ci biskit minti biyar tun
- bara shi marili ne
- sa'ad da iyayensa ya gina d'aki, shi marili ne
- da farin bana shi marili ne, amma shi da kyau ne yanzu
- ya karaya k'afansa, don wannan bai iya zo ba da makaranta
- ina karanta littafi yanzu
- na yi aiki ya karanta
- na ci can sai na sama da kyankyaso a madafi, sa'an nan na bar nandanan
- na kwanta can gama sa'a uku kafin in barci
- za ka ci gama minti goma da na gama
- yana so in tafi gadi
- in saya vide fi abinci amma ni cika ce yanzu
- (I don't know how to form the passive voice in Hausa AND I don't know the word for "to baptize" in Hausa...)
- same as above
- ya hallaka birnin da wutan
- passive voice ??
- passive voice ??
- da ya biya mini vide fi ku'di, in zauna
- da mu da ku'di, mu gina 'dakin
I'm not sure if there are any Zulu or Yoruba speakers here so for now I'll just post the Hausa portion. If there are speakers of those languages then I can post the other portions as well. :)
Quote from: hausababy on March 01, 2009, 10:09:51 AM
Hi everyone, I'm a student learning Hausa, Zulu, and Yoruba on my own. I made the sentences below to get a feel of how different English tenses are expressed in Hausa. Can someone please check what I've written for accuracy and please explain the ones I got wrong or didn't know. I'm really excited about learning these three African languages. :) Thank you!
1. I speak Hausa.
2. I used to play video games.
3. I ate a cookie 5 min. ago.
4. Last year he was ill.
5. When his parents built the house, he was ill.
6. At the beginning of this year he has been ill, now he is fine again.
7. He had broken a leg, therefore he couldn't come to school.
8. I'm reading a book now.
9. I was working while she was studying.
10. I was eating there (- let's say lunch) until I got to know that there were cockroaches in the kitchen. Then I left (immediately).
11. I had been lying there for 3 hrs. before I fell asleep.
12. You will have been eating for 10 min. when I finish.
13. He wants me to go home now.
14. I would buy more food but I'm full now.
15. You are baptized now. 'passive'
16. You were baptized for 5 min. 'passive'
17. The city was destroyed by the fire 'passive'
18. I had been baptized 3 times by 2001.
19. I will have been baptized 6 times by 2002.
20. If he paid me more, I would stay. (2 possibilities for 'if he paid me more')*
21. We would have built the house, if we had had the money.*
Hausa:
- na gana Hausa
- ina kada video games
- na ci biskit minti biyar tun
- bara shi marili ne
- sa'ad da iyayensa ya gina d'aki, shi marili ne
- da farin bana shi marili ne, amma shi da kyau ne yanzu
- ya karaya k'afansa, don wannan bai iya zo ba da makaranta
- ina karanta littafi yanzu
- na yi aiki ya karanta
- na ci can sai na sama da kyankyaso a madafi, sa'an nan na bar nandanan
- na kwanta can gama sa'a uku kafin in barci
- za ka ci gama minti goma da na gama
- yana so in tafi gadi
- in saya vide fi abinci amma ni cika ce yanzu
- (I don't know how to form the passive voice in Hausa AND I don't know the word for "to baptize" in Hausa...)
- same as above
- ya hallaka birnin da wutan
- passive voice ??
- passive voice ??
- da ya biya mini vide fi ku'di, in zauna
- da mu da ku'di, mu gina 'dakin
I'm not sure if there are any Zulu or Yoruba speakers here so for now I'll just post the Hausa portion. If there are speakers of those languages then I can post the other portions as well. :)
You tried, but there are lots of flaws Hausababy. More grease to your elbow.Lol!
Can someone help me correct my mistakes, please? ;D
hausababy, let me welcome you to kanoonline even though
you did not introduce yourself which is suppose to be the
tradition whenever you meet new friends - ;), dont mind me
my name is dan-borno as u can see, an hair to the throne and
currently holding brief in the absence of mudacris the most
powerful king, the mouse, the cursor of kanoonline.com. you
are once again welcome to this house and pray you will enjoy
every bit of post.
however, you should be carefull with the following persons, as
we consider them highly inflammable, seriously intoxicating and
powerfully possessed by the evil of intellectualiasm, though you
can still tap from their reservoir of knowledge and experience:-
1. nura jibo
2. bakangizo, and
3. muhsin (the most dangerous of all of them)
4. TKTK - (confusionist)
5. waduz (moderatist)
6. gogannaka (the runaway groom)
while you can also meet powerful ladies in kanoonline, ladies who
moved mountains, ladies that have the fear of God in their heart
not in their bellies, ladies with the zeal to change the injustices
against the womenfolk worldover and ladies who are determined in
their carrier, you will learn a lot;
1. ummita (my last daughter)
2. myself (my junior sister)
3. husnaa (my aunty)
4. hafsy-lady (dont know her)
let me also introduce to you the alpha those who fear God most, sheiks,
the grand reverends of kanoonline as follows:-
1. waliyullahi alaramma engineer HRH EMTL
2. imam goni ibn sheik al baruz bamalli
dont hesitate to contact them anytime anywhere
our able board administrators the three two dwarfs who are filled
with knowledge, very understanding and accommodating will continue
cruisin with you at a higher level - just tell professor uba your traditional
background, and grand reception will be organised for you using newly
improved traditional rapacious raps raps.
ok, back to your question, though didnt study hausa but let me see if i
can try:
ENGLISH
1. I speak Hausa.
2. I used to play video games.
3. I ate a cookie 5 min. ago.
4. Last year he was ill.
5. When his parents built the house, he was ill.
6. At the beginning of this year he has been ill, now he is fine again.
7. He had broken a leg, therefore he couldn't come to school.
8. Im reading a book now.
9. I was working while she was studying.
10. I was eating there (- let's say lunch) until I got to know that there were cockroaches in the kitchen. Then I left (immediately).
HAUSA
1. Ina jin hausa
2. Nakan yi wasa da na'ura mai kwakwalwa.
3. Tun dazu naji abinci
4. Bara ma bashi da lafiya
5. Lokacin da iyayensa suka gina gidan bashi da lafiya
6. Da farko farkon shekara bai cika jin dadi ba, amma yanzu yasamu lafiya
7. Ya karye a kafa, don haka bazai zo makaranta ba.
8. Ina karanta wani takarda yanzu
9. Ina aiki ita kuma tana karatu
10. Ina cin abinci a chan, ashe akwai kyenkyaso ban sani ba, sai na bar wurin da wur wuri
wow, hey, somebody please compare mine and her's to see if we
can come up with an acceptable translation.
Dan Barno,
I think item number three is more like naci biskit mintuna biyar da suka wuce
DB I think u need to be corrected on some of those translations.
I speak Hausa= Ina magana da Hausa
I used to play video games = A da ina wasan video. (we dont have a Hausa word for video. Na ura mai kwalkwalwa means computer).
I ate a cookie five mins ago = Na cinye cincin tun dakiku biyar da suka shige.
Last year he was ill = Shekarar bara yayi rashin lafiya
At the beginning of this year he has been ill, now he is fine again = a farkon bana bashi da lafiya, amma yanzu ya sake jin dadi ( ko garau yake)
He had broken a leg, therefore he couldn't come to school. = Ya karya kafa, saboda haka ba zai iya zuwa makaranta ba.
I'm reading a book now = Ina karanta littafi yanzunan.
I was working while she was studying. Ina ta aikatuwa (ko aiki) sanda tana koyon darussa.
I was eating there (- let's say lunch) until I got to know that there were cockroaches in the kitchen. Then I left (immediately) = Ina ta cin abincin rana anan, har sai da na gano akwai kyankyasai a cikin dakin girkin. Sai na nan da nan nayi murabus da ga wurin.
PS DB, I am not yr auntie. I am Muhsin's aunt. All u others consider me as yr senior sister, stop trying to make me feel like yr mother!!! Most of you ban haife kuba so there! I am tired of you guys feeling young at my expense!!!!
Quotehausababy, let me welcome you to kanoonline even though
you did not introduce yourself which is suppose to be the
tradition whenever you meet new friends
Thanks for the warm welcome. Umm, well like I said earlier I'm a freshman student learning Hausa, Zulu, and Yoruba. I live in Hawaii and I plan on visiting S. Africa for the first time in late May of 2010. I will be staying there for about 5 weeks for the World Cup. I'm trying to do this as cheaply as possible so I want to learn African languages to make my visit there more in depth. Also, I translate for a living and I realized that out of all the languages I know I don't know any African languages so I feel compelled to learn some. :)
@HUSNAA - thanks for the corrections on #1-10. How about translating numbers #11-21 if you don't mind. ;D (or anyone else for that matter)
By the way, this forum is for Hausa only correct? There aren't any Yoruba speakers here are there? (just wondering...)
QuoteOh let me see if I can help with the numbers:-
11....... Sha daya.....I hope you know how to pronounce that d for daya, cos is not really as is writing.
12........Sha biyu
13........sha uku
14........sha hudu
15........Sha biyar
16........Sha shida
17........Sha bakwai
18........Sha takwas
19........Sha Tara
20........Ashirin
Then.....Ashirin da daya
Ashirin da biyu and on
Lol! I apologize. I didn't mean help me translate the "numbers 11-21", I meant please help me translate the English sentences I posted from #11 - #21. Maybe you can try your hand out at those if you dare. ;) Sorry for the misunderstanding. 8)
Quote from: HUSNAA on March 02, 2009, 09:18:39 PM
PS DB, I am not yr auntie. I am Muhsin's aunt. All u others consider me as yr senior sister, stop trying to make me feel like yr mother!!! Most of you ban haife kuba so there! I am tired of you guys feeling young at my expense!!!!
LOL ;D Auntie Husnaa. Thanks.
Quote from: hausababy on March 03, 2009, 12:08:13 AM
By the way, this forum is for Hausa only correct? There aren't any Yoruba speakers here are there? (just wondering...)
Uhum. Stop wondering. This is Nigeria, where sectionalism forray in every fibre of it. Same thing if you visit 'their' and Igbo owned discussion fora. Yet, you may Hausas, but very few of them.
Welcome aboard, babe. Wish you'll enjoy every seconds you spend with us here.
P:S
I read above, where Dan-Barno introduced me. Mhh...Don't take that serious. Ain't like that. Am very simple, open, inviting,...and everything. ;D
Quote from: Muhsin on March 03, 2009, 01:12:35 PM
Quote from: hausababy on March 03, 2009, 12:08:13 AM
By the way, this forum is for Hausa only correct? There aren't any Yoruba speakers here are there? (just wondering...)
Uhum. Stop wondering. This is Nigeria, where sectionalism forray in every fibre of it. Same thing if you visit 'their' and Igbo owned discussion fora. Yet, you may Hausas, but very few of them.
So you're saying that there are Yoruba speakers here then.?
I'll post the remaining eleven sentences in the "Help me translate" thread if you feel that's better. That thread seems so big though. I have a feeling it's better to keep it here but I'll try it out anyway. :)
Very good topic wallahi don ko ba komai muna karuwa da topic din. It's like ina class ne yanzu.
Aunty Huznaa & others thanks alots.
Quote from: Bajoga on March 04, 2009, 03:00:56 PM
Very good topic wallahi don ko ba komai muna karuwa da topic din. It's like ina class ne yanzu.
Aunty Huznaa & others thanks alots.
U are welcome Bajoga.
Quote from: hausababy on March 04, 2009, 02:10:25 PM
Quote from: Muhsin on March 03, 2009, 01:12:35 PM
Quote from: hausababy on March 03, 2009, 12:08:13 AM
By the way, this forum is for Hausa only correct? There aren't any Yoruba speakers here are there? (just wondering...)
Uhum. Stop wondering. This is Nigeria, where sectionalism forray in every fibre of it. Same thing if you visit 'their' and Igbo owned discussion fora. Yet, you may Hausas, but very few of them.
So you're saying that there are Yoruba speakers here then.?
I'll post the remaining eleven sentences in the "Help me translate" thread if you feel that's better. That thread seems so big though. I have a feeling it's better to keep it here but I'll try it out anyway. :)
I actually don't mean that. I was in a bit of hurry then, thats why I couldn't say it lucidly.
What I meant to say is that; each tribe, be it Hausa, Igbo, Yoruba or others, ppl of these tribes stick strictly to the forum that has its base in there region. Yet you may find few that don't follow that 'rule', like myself on Nairaland Discussion Forum, which is Yorubas' and few more. We Hausas have a very least concentration there, while we are the dorminant here. So thats how it goes.
Quote from: Bajoga on March 04, 2009, 03:00:56 PM
Very good topic wallahi don ko ba komai muna karuwa da topic din. It's like ina class ne yanzu.
Aunty Huznaa & others thanks alots.
Gaskiyane, Bajoga. Thats why we are all here; to learn from the learned, e.g Auntie Husnaa.
Ahem Muhsin, u are becoming a bit oily ;)
11. I had been lying there for 3 hrs. before I fell asleep. = Sai da nayi sa'o'i uku a kwance kafin barci ya dauke ni (or kafin inyi barci).
12. You will have been eating for 10 min. when I finish. = Lokacin da na gama, za ta kasance kayi dakika goma kana ciye ciye.
13. He wants me to go home now. = yana so in tafi gida yanzu.
14. I would buy more food but I'm full now. = Da zan kara sayan abinci, amma a koshe nake yanzu.
15. You are baptized now. 'passive' = anyi maka wankan tsarki yanzu (or anyi wankan tsarki yanzu [as passive])
16. You were baptized for 5 min. 'passive' = anyi maka wankan tsarkin dakiku biyar.
17. The city was destroyed by the fire 'passive' = wuta ta lalata birnin. I think the passive for that would be birnin ya lalace da wuta. But we cant say it like that. I think we have no passive. wuta ta lalata garin literally means fire has destroyed the city, not the city has been destroyed by fire (passive). So I doubt we use passive tenses. But I never studied Hausa so i dont know. I could be wrong.
18. I had been baptized 3 times by 2001. = Izuwa alif dubu biyu da daya, anyi mun wankan tsarki sau uku.
19. I will have been baptized 6 times by 2002. =Izuwa alif dubu biyu da biyu, zan kasance an yi mun wankan tsarki sau shida.
20. If he paid me more, I would stay. (2 possibilities for 'if he paid me more')*which are?
= Da ya dada mun kudin biyana, da na zauna (da nayi zamana)
21. We would have built the house, if we had had the money.* Da muna da kudin, da mun gina gidan.
Quote from: Dan-Borno on March 02, 2009, 09:33:41 AM
4. hafsy-lady (dont know her)
>:( >:( >:( Dont know me? To, tsaya kaji. I am di lady of all ladies. Di big lady in lady. Di la creme lady of di society. Di honlyy "L" you will find in a lady. Ehen, E'mi lady of kanoonline. Mai fadin gaskiya batare da jin tsoro ba. Mai shekaru dayawa da jikoki dayawa amma forever young!! Mai babbar suna! Duk inda tsokana yake ina gaba. Ba'a fishi dani kuma bana fishi. Mai mu'amala da kowa ta hanyar addinin musulunci. Ga saukin kai, ga fara'a. Ina da tushe a Borno, babbar tushe kuma. So kul nasake ji >:( In ba haka ba zamusa kafar wando daya dakai.
Quote from: Muhsin on March 03, 2009, 01:12:35 PM
Quote from: HUSNAA on March 02, 2009, 09:18:39 PM
PS DB, I am not yr auntie. I am Muhsin's aunt. All u others consider me as yr senior sister, stop trying to make me feel like yr mother!!! Most of you ban haife kuba so there! I am tired of you guys feeling young at my expense!!!!
LOL ;D Auntie Husnaa. Thanks.
lol, lol, Husna am in stiches. A'a kya kawo kuka yanzu lol. I taught its been long that they've been referring you as Aunty, why dey complain now? Ai ni sam naki yarda da wannan Auntin. My nieces & nephews, cousins etc da sun ce min Aunti, sai na zaro idanu ina harara, sai kiji ance oh sorry. We meant "sister". Aunty ana zaune kalau!!! Husna kyale su kawai! Life begins at 60. Ai inko Ummita daugther din Dan-Borno ne, kuma myself is his sister ai ina ya haife mu, shi ya kamata ma a cewa granpa! ;D
Ai a forum dinnan Muhsin ma kawu ne koda na girmeshi.
To, hausababy wai me take sone? Anyway. hausababy I can speak Yoruba. What you wana find out?
lol Hafsy kin gane dai!
Kowane 70 yr old on this board if his bones starts to creak when he stretches from too much peering into konline starts to panic and starts refering to me as his auntie!!!!!! in order to feel a bit of youth in the brittle bones >:( It has reached a stage where I feel like the victim of vampires... they are sucking away of what's left of my own youth!!! Har sun sa na fara neman sandan dogarawa!!! ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D ;D
Quote from: Hafsy_Lady on March 05, 2009, 02:05:40 AM
To, hausababy wai me take sone? Anyway. hausababy I can speak Yoruba. What you wana find out?[/color]
Hi Hafsy_Lady, nice to meet you. That is great that you speak fluent Yoruba!! The above sentences that I translated into Hausa, I also translated them into Yoruba. Just like I did for Hausa, I will do the same for Yoruba. Since this thread already has Hausa in it, I will post a new thread for the Yoruba version. Let's learn Yoruba there! ;D :D
Quote from: HUSNAA on March 04, 2009, 09:37:43 PM
Ahem Muhsin, u are becoming a bit oily ;)
Akan me? 'Ya ce, kuma tun-tuni aka ce ba za a bani ba. Ko kin manta? ;D ;D ;D
Quote from: HUSNAA on March 02, 2009, 09:18:39 PM
PS DB, I am not yr auntie. I am Muhsin's aunt. All u others consider me as yr senior sister, stop trying to make me feel like yr mother!!! Most of you ban haife kuba so there! I am tired of you guys feeling young at my expense!!!!
LOL ;D Auntie Husnaa. Thanks.
[/quote]
lol, lol, Husna am in stiches. A'a kya kawo kuka yanzu lol. I taught its been long that they've been referring you as Aunty, why dey complain now? Ai ni sam naki yarda da wannan Auntin. My nieces & nephews, cousins etc da sun ce min Aunti, sai na zaro idanu ina harara, sai kiji ance oh sorry. We meant "sister". Aunty ana zaune kalau!!! Husna kyale su kawai! Life begins at 60. Ai inko Ummita daugther din Dan-Borno ne, kuma myself is his sister ai ina ya haife mu, shi ya kamata ma a cewa granpa! ;D
Ai a forum dinnan Muhsin ma kawu ne koda na girmeshi.
To, hausababy wai me take sone? Anyway. hausababy I can speak Yoruba. What you wana find out?
[/quote]
Danborno, ina hana ka kiwon akuya kullum kana kyalla ta bata! Ga irinta nan. Yanzu ga shi nan ka jawo mana magana! Ga shi yanzu duk sun ce wai su yara kanana ne! Amma ba komai. I will like to ask for forgiveness on your behalf. Please aunty, sorry baby, sorry!! What do I now refer you as? Anyway, I will consult with Gogannaka, Muhsin, DBN, Lawalli, Waziri, Ustaz EMTL to come up with an alternative. Meanwhile, Husna, ayi hakuri, dattijo Danborno ya yi kuskure! ;D ;D ;D
Quote from: waduz on March 05, 2009, 02:45:18 PM
Danborno, ina hana ka kiwon akuya kullum kana kyalla ta bata! Ga irinta nan. Yanzu ga shi nan ka jawo mana magana! Ga shi yanzu duk sun ce wai su yara kanana ne! Amma ba komai. I will like to ask for forgiveness on your behalf. Please aunty, sorry baby, sorry!! What do I now refer you as? Anyway, I will consult with Gogannaka, Muhsin, DBN, Lawalli, Waziri, Ustaz EMTL to come up with an alternative. Meanwhile, Husna, ayi hakuri, dattijo Danborno ya yi kuskure! ;D ;D ;D
Lol Waduz, you can call me Aunty, just dont say "she's my aunt"!!!! She aint!! ;D ;D
Quote from: Muhsin on March 05, 2009, 11:38:22 AM
Quote from: HUSNAA on March 04, 2009, 09:37:43 PM
Ahem Muhsin, u are becoming a bit oily ;)
Akan me? 'Ya ce, kuma tun-tuni aka ce ba za a bani ba. Ko kin manta? ;D ;D ;D
When I say u are becoming a bit oily, I meant too much praise singing is coming from you.
The issue of 'Ya. I dont hold with wai an baiwa wane wance without the consent of wancen, when she doesnt even know she is being discussed. Maza dont know the feeling of being caged. I am sure many women have known what it feels like to be courted by someone they are not interested in. Especially in our society, where dama abin is oriented solely with the aim of marriage in mind. I have been through it all and I can tell you its not a nice feeling, so ko da wasa, I dont want to associate it with my daughter.
Ka-put! ;D
Husnaa, sunan wannan matsayi da kika dauka ADALCI :)
To Muhsin, sai abi wani sarkin ba.............................................. ;) ;D ;D ;D
@ Hafsy, because i lost my beloved hafsee, each time i see
your post, i always pray she comes back - if not because
you are an old member, i would have suspected that its my
hafsee disguising in hafsy_lady - any ways, hafsee and hafsy
are all hafsat - no hidden meaning pls, kasan yan forum dinnan
sun iya kwakwa da kwalangwaso.
@ hafsy, thanks for your profile, i will post your resume at my
blog site very soon for those who may require your services pls.
@ Aunty Husnaa, let me borrow fela's word, 'whether you like am
or you now like' the word aunty is in honour of beiing muhsin's
aunty, so by implication, you be our aunty also. kin gane ko
auntyn muhsin?
@ kai kuma waduz ka ji da naka ko kuma ayi tonon silili a nan.
@ hausababy, kanuri is also an african language, i can volunteer
to teach you free of charge, its been widely spoken in Nigeria,
Niger, Tchad, Sudan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia so, start up a thread pls. ;D
the fulani's in this forum wont like it.
:) :) maganar manya yara sai kallo.
Quote from: Dan-Borno on March 06, 2009, 04:33:41 PM
@ hausababy, kanuri is also an african language, i can volunteer
to teach you free of charge, its been widely spoken in Nigeria,
Niger, Tchad, Sudan, Egypt and Saudi Arabia so, start up a thread pls. ;D
the fulani's in this forum wont like it.
Wow, are you serious?? That would be great to learn another African language! I've never heard of Kanuri though so I"ll have to research it first. After a quick Google search on Kanuri, I have managed to acquire a dated in-depth Kanuri grammar. I will study this grammar guide thoroughly and just as I did for Hausa/Yoruba I will translate the same English sentences above in Kanuri. That is, if all this is ok with you? I doubt there are many learning resources for Kanuri so I only dare to learn this language if you are up to the task of teaching it seriously. (if not, then no worries, I completely understand) Let me know what you think and if you like I'll start studying the grammar ASAP. ;D
Becoming oily means, 3. attempting to gain favour by insincere behaviour and flattery
http://www.thefreedictionary.com/oily
???
Quote from: HUSNAA on March 05, 2009, 06:47:42 PM
Quote from: waduz on March 05, 2009, 02:45:18 PM
Danborno, ina hana ka kiwon akuya kullum kana kyalla ta bata! Ga irinta nan. Yanzu ga shi nan ka jawo mana magana! Ga shi yanzu duk sun ce wai su yara kanana ne! Amma ba komai. I will like to ask for forgiveness on your behalf. Please aunty, sorry baby, sorry!! What do I now refer you as? Anyway, I will consult with Gogannaka, Muhsin, DBN, Lawalli, Waziri, Ustaz EMTL to come up with an alternative. Meanwhile, Husna, ayi hakuri, dattijo Danborno ya yi kuskure! ;D ;D ;D
Lol Waduz, you can call me Aunty, just dont say "she's my aunt"!!!! She aint!! ;D ;D
Quote from: Muhsin on March 05, 2009, 11:38:22 AM
Quote from: HUSNAA on March 04, 2009, 09:37:43 PM
Ahem Muhsin, u are becoming a bit oily ;)
Akan me? 'Ya ce, kuma tun-tuni aka ce ba za a bani ba. Ko kin manta? ;D ;D ;D
When I say u are becoming a bit oily, I meant too much praise singing is coming from you.
The issue of 'Ya. I dont hold with wai an baiwa wane wance without the consent of wancen, when she doesnt even know she is being discussed. Maza dont know the feeling of being caged. I am sure many women have known what it feels like to be courted by someone they are not interested in. Especially in our society, where dama abin is oriented solely with the aim of marriage in mind. I have been through it all and I can tell you its not a nice feeling, so ko da wasa, I dont want to associate it with my daughter.
Wai kai Danborno, ku hakura mana. Ta ce ko da wasa fa bata so a associating irin bada 'ya ma wani ba tare da son 'yar ba. Don haka ku canja salo mana! Haba sai ka ce dole!!!!! ;D ;D ;D
@HUSNAA & Dan-Borno - Thank you very much for the corrections both of you have posted here. I have gone over all the sentences you listed and I have
a lot of grammar questions about what you posted. I hope you don't mind me asking a lot of questions here. I hope my questions can benefit any other students here that are trying to learn Yoruba on their own. Anyway, here are the questions:
Quote1. Ina magana da Hausa.
a. The verb 'yi magana' is a stative verb, right? Which means usually it is used with the completive tense. However 'yi magana' is one of the verbs that is used in the continuative tense when a present tense meaning is desired, correct? Also, the 'yi' is optional as well. You could have written 'ina yin magana' as well, correct?
b. why did you use 'da' here? ('I speak with Hausa' ?)
Quote2. A da ina wasan video.
a. what does 'a' mean here?
b. here 'da' means 'formerly', correct? Also, 'a da' is optional since the verb alone indicates the habitual tense since it's conjugated in the continuative tense, right?
c. you added the genitive marker '-n' to the verb 'wasa' so according to the rules of the continuative tense, aren't you supposed to use the possessive pronoun instead of the continuative pronoun here? The correct answer would then be 'nawa wasan video games', correct? This is the grammar rule I'm referencing:
Non-wa verbal nouns require the genitive linker before a noun object and the possessive pronouns as pronoun objectsQuote3. Na cinye cincin tun dakiku biyar da suka shige.
a. I think 'dakiku' is the plural form of 'dakika', correct? If so, then there is no way of knowing what the plural form of nouns is, correct? I have to memorize the plural form with the singular form, right?
b. I can't find this word in the dictionary -> 'cincin' ( my dictionary says 'to the limit of' but that definition doesn't make sense in this sentence )
c. 'da suka shige' -> this looks like the relative completive tense preceded by the relative clause marker 'da', am I right? Literally this sentences means 'that they exceeded/passed by' but what does this phrase really mean here? (my guess for this sentence literally is 'i ate cookie since 5 minutes passed'...)
Quote4. Shekarar bara yayi rashin lafiya
'yayi rashin lafiya' means 'he lost health' correct? Is this how 'he is sick' is expressed in Hausa?
Quote5. Lokacin da iyayensa suka gina gidan bashi da lafiya
a. I know 'lokaci' means 'when' but does 'lokacin da' mean 'when' as well? The added '-n' on 'lokaci' and 'da' is confusing me. Can you omit those two and only write 'lokaci iyayensa...' ??
b. you used the relative completive tense here since the verb comes after 'lokaci' right?
c. why is 'gidan' in the genitive case here?
d. 'bashi da lafiya' -> 'bashi' is the negative continuative pronoun but why is 'da' here?
Quote6. a farkon bana bashi da lafiya, amma yanzu ya sake jin dadi ( ko garau yake)
a. 'ya sake jin' -> this is the completive tense and I think it means 'he changed to feel', right? what does this really mean here?
b. 'sake jin' -> when two verbs occur simultaneously the second one has to be a verbal noun??
c. what do you mean 'ko garau yake' ( i know that 'ko' means 'or' and that 'garau' and 'garai' are the same meaning 'clearness', also 'yake' indicates the relative continuative tense ) so 'garau yake' or 'yake garau' means 'he cleared up' ??
Quote7. Ya karya kafa, saboda haka ba zai iya zuwa makaranta ba.
a. Is 'karaya' the verbal noun of 'karya' or do they mean the same thing?
b. what does 'haka' mean here? (my dictionary says 'thus' so maybe 'saboda haka' means 'therefore' but I'm not sure...)
c. 'ba zai iya' - this is the negative future tense and means 'he won't be able', correct? Why is the future tense used here?
d. 'ba zai iya zuwa' - 'zuwa' the verbal noun of 'zo' is used here since it occurs in sequence after 'iya', correct?
e. Is that 'ba' after 'makaranta' part of the negative future 'ba zai...ba' pattern?
Quote8. Ina karanta littafi yanzunan.
why did you add '-nan' on 'yanzu' ?
Quote9. Ina ta aikatuwa (ko aiki) sanda tana koyon darussa.
a. what is the 'ta' before 'aikatuwa' ?
b. 'aikatuwa' seems like it is the verbal noun for 'aikata' but why did 'a' change to 'u' ??
c. you could also write 'ina ta yi aiki' correct?
d. 'sanda' means 'while'
e. why is 'koyon' genitive and what does 'darussa' mean?
Quote10. Ina ta cin abincin rana anan, har sai da na gano akwai kyankyasai a cikin dakin girkin. Sai na nan da nan nayi murabus da ga wurin.
a. here is the 'ta + verbal noun' ('ta cin') pattern again (i don't know this pattern though...)
b. 'anan'
c. 'har sai' means 'until', 'sai na' means 'then', and 'nayi murabus' means 'I left', correct? (why do you write 'nayi' as one word together? 'na' is the completive pronoun and 'yi' means 'to do' and is part of the verb 'yi murabus' OR I'm just translating 'nayi' totally wrong...)
d. I think 'gano' comes from 'gane' but why is an 'o' at the end instead of 'e' ?? Also what does 'da' mean in 'da na gano' ??
e. 'kyankyasai' is the plural of 'kyankyaso', right?
f. why is there an 'a' before 'cikin' and what does 'da ga wurin' mean ??
Quote11. Sai da nayi sa'o'i uku a kwance kafin barci ya dauke ni (or kafin inyi barci)
a. what does 'sai da' mean here and what is that 'a' before 'kwance'?
b. I think (sa'o'i) is the plural of (sa'a), right?
c. why is (sa'o'i uku a) placed in between 'nayi kwance'? Do time phrases come between verbs in Hausa in this manner?
d. where is the pronoun for 'barci ya dauke ni' and I can't find 'ya dauke ni' in my dictionary .... ??
Quote12. Lokacin da na gama, za ta kasance kayi dakika goma kana ciye ciye.
a. 'za ta kasance kayi dakika goma kana ciye ciye' this sentence is confusing... Can you explain this sentences please, I'll write down what I know about this sentence:
'za ta kasance' - future tense meaning 'it will become', 'dakika goma' means '10 minutes', 'ciye-ciye' means 'food', 'kana' is the continuative tense 2nd person singular pronoun
Quote14. Da zan kara sayan abinci, amma a koshe nake yanzu.
a. what does 'kara' & 'a koshe' mean?
b. why does 'sayan' have the genitive marker '-n' attached to it?
c. 'nake' is the relative continuative pronoun but why is it placed after 'a koshe' ??
Quote15. Anyi maka wankan tsarki yanzu.
my guess is that 'wankan tsarki' means 'to baptize' but what does 'yi maka' mean here?
Quote17. wuta ta lalata birnin
why is 'birnin' have the genitive marker here?
Quote18. Izuwa alif dubu biyu da daya, anyi mun wankan tsarki sau uku.
what does 'izuwa' & the verb 'yi mun' mean here?
Quote19. Izuwa alif dubu biyu da biyu, zan kasance an yi mun wankan tsarki sau shida.
'zan kasance' means 'I will be/become' but what role does it play in this sentence?
Quote20. Da ya dada mun kudin biyana, da na zauna (da nayi zamana)
a. what does 'mun' mean here?
b. i think 'kudin biya' means 'payment' therefore 'kudin biyana' means 'his payment', correct?
c. 'da' means 'if' and 'then' ??
d. 'yi zamana' is another way to express 'to stay', correct?
Firstly welcome to the forum.
Aunty Husnaa da DBorno, over to you. Hausababy had raised some serious, if somewhat tricky, observations.
Quote from: Bakan~Gizo on March 12, 2009, 05:45:37 PM
Aunty Husnaa da DBorno, over to you. Hausababy had raised some serious, if somewhat tricky, observations.
Quote from: Dan-Borno on March 13, 2009, 09:19:29 AM
Quote from: Bakan~Gizo on March 12, 2009, 05:45:37 PM
Aunty Husnaa da DBorno, over to you. Hausababy had raised some serious, if somewhat tricky, observations.
hausababy go look for a hausa professor. We are just lay ppl where the grammar is concerned. Never learned Hausa in a formal manner.
hausababy, like Husnaa said, you are going about this in a too formal way. You don't learn to speak a language like hausa by attempting to strip every single word/sentence, verbs, nouns etc. Just like other languages, hausa a lot of words have more than a single meaning, depending on the context the speaker/writer intends to use the word.
I would like to find a Hausa professor however there aren't any Hausa speakers that I know of here in Hawai'i. I was hoping that maybe someone here knew a bit about grammar. I apologize if the queries I posted come off as a bit too formal. I hope someone here can answer the questions I listed... In the meantime though I will continue to search for a Hausa professor. At least I received some corrections here regarding my initial sentences. That alone is better than nothing. :P
P.S. - LOL! I didn't mean to single out Husnaa and Dborno. I only mentioned them since they were the ones who posted corrections. :)
hi all again, I have been working on my Hausa on and off lately but I have a quick question. I am aware that there are two ways to write Hausa. Romanization and via the Arabic script (ajami). I would much rather use the Arabic script instead of Romanization. Is this ok or will do I have to use romanization only? thanks!
It would be very nice if you could use Ajami. That was the original way of writing Hausa anyway. Unfortunately it is rarely used these days. There used to be some Hausa newspapers written in Ajami some yrs back. A revival is highly in order and very much welcomed. We Hausas need something to call our very own.
I have found a native Hausa speaker that has agreed to answer the questions that I posted on the second page of this thread regarding the corrections I received about my original Hausa sentences. I asked her whether she used boko or ajami and she said boko but didn't know what ajami was. I told her and she said that she is going to attempt to answer all the questions and put the text in ajami. I'm going to try and help her since I can already read and write the Arabic script. If you like, once we finish transferring the text into ajami, I can post the resulting text here. One problem I foresee is that I will need to find Ajami fonts to use to type Ajami in MS Word. Does anyone know where such fonts can found? I will continue to look and post here if I find any.