Questions & Answers about Malamin ya bari mu tafi.
Why is it Malamin and not malami?
Malami means teacher. Malamin is the definite/specific form, so here it means the teacher.
A useful beginner rule is:
- malami = a teacher / teacher
- malamin = the teacher
So in this sentence, Malamin is the subject: the teacher.
Why is ya there if Malamin already means the teacher?
In Hausa, it is very normal to have:
noun subject + subject pronoun/aspect marker + verb
So:
- Malamin = the teacher
- ya = he (and it also helps show the aspect of the verb)
- bari = allowed / let
Literally, it looks a bit like:
The teacher, he allowed...
That sounds unnecessary in English, but it is normal Hausa grammar.
What does ya bari mean exactly? Is it past tense?