Takalmin yana da inganci.

to have

Breakdown of Takalmin yana da inganci.

• takalmi: the shoe
• ya: he/it
• inganci: the quality; effectiveness

Questions & Answers about Takalmin yana da inganci.

What does takalmin mean, and why does it end in -n?

Takalmin means the shoe.

The basic noun is takalmi, meaning shoe. The ending -n is the form commonly used for the definite noun here, so takalmi becomes takalmin = the shoe.

So:

• takalmi = shoe
• takalmin = the shoe

This is one of the first things English speakers notice in Hausa: the definite idea is often shown at the end of the noun, not with a separate word like the.

Why is yana used here?

Yana is the subject marker agreeing with takalmin.

In sentences like this, Hausa often has this pattern:

noun + subject marker + rest of predicate

So:

• Takalmin = the shoe
• yana = a marker meaning something like it is / it has in this structure
• da inganci = with quality / of good quality

A very literal breakdown is:

The shoe + it-is/it-has + with quality

Natural English then becomes The shoe is of good quality or The shoe has quality.

Why is it yana and not ?