grammar sentences

[hausababy]

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.  :)

[Nuruddeen]

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!

[hausababy]

Can someone help me correct my mistakes, please?  ;D

[Dan-Borno]

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. 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).

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.

[Abu-Fatima]

Dan Barno,
I think item number three is more like naci biskit mintuna biyar da suka wuce

[HUSNAA]

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!!!!
 

[hausababy]

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

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...)

[hausababy]

Oh 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) 

[Muhsin]

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.

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

[hausababy]

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.  :)

[Bajoga]

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.

[HUSNAA]

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.

[Muhsin]

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.

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.

[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.

[Hafsy_Lady]

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.

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?