Questions & Answers about Tashar mai tana kusa da hanya.
Why is it tashar mai instead of tasha mai?
Because Hausa often changes the first noun when it is linked to another noun, in a pattern like X of Y.
- tasha = station
- tashar mai = literally station of fuel/oil
For many feminine singular nouns ending in -a, the noun changes to -ar in this linking form. So tasha becomes tashar before mai.
What does mai mean here?
Here, mai means oil/fuel/petrol. So tashar mai is a fuel station, which English usually translates as gas station or petrol station.
This is important because Hausa also has another mai that can mean owner of or person who has. In this sentence, that is not the meaning.
Why is tashar mai translated as gas station if mai is more like oil/fuel?