Tafin takalmin yana da kyau.

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Breakdown of Tafin takalmin yana da kyau.

• ya: he/it
• tafin takalmi: the sole of a shoe

Questions & Answers about Tafin takalmin yana da kyau.

Why does tafi become tafin here?

Because Hausa often changes the first noun when it is followed by another noun in an X of Y / Y's X relationship.

So:

• tafi = sole
• tafin takalmin = sole of the shoe

That -n on tafin is a linker. It shows that tafi is tied to the following noun.

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Why is there no separate word for of?

Hausa usually does not need a separate word like English of in this kind of phrase.

Instead, it does this:

• put the main thing first
• put the possessor or related noun second
• often add a linker like -n or -r to the first noun

So English the sole of the shoe becomes Hausa tafin takalmin.

This is a very common pattern in Hausa.

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Why are the nouns in the order tafin takalmin instead of something like takalmin tafi?