Takalmin ya matse ni; silifar sako-sako ce.

to be

Breakdown of Takalmin ya matse ni; silifar sako-sako ce.

• ni: me
• takalmi: the shoe
• ya: he/it

Questions & Answers about Takalmin ya matse ni; silifar sako-sako ce.

Why are the nouns takalmin and silifar ending in -n and -r instead of the dictionary forms?

The basic dictionary forms are usually takalmi and silifa. In actual sentences, Hausa very often uses a different form of the noun, especially when the noun is specific or already known in context.

• takalmi → takalmin
• silifa → silifar

A useful beginner way to think of this is:

• -n is the common marked ending for many masculine nouns
• -r is the common marked ending for many feminine nouns

So here:

• takalmin = the shoe
• silifar = the slipper

You will see this pattern a lot in Hausa.

Why is the subject pronoun ya used in Takalmin ya matse ni?

Ya is the 3rd person singular masculine subject pronoun, meaning he/it.

It is used because takalmin is a masculine singular noun. In Hausa, the subject pronoun often agrees with the noun’s gender and number.

So:

• takalmin = masculine singular
• therefore the pronoun is ya

In other words, Takalmin ya matse ni is literally something like:

• The shoe, it squeezed me / it is tight on me

That little pronoun is normal Hausa grammar, even when the noun is already stated.

What does matse mean here?