Questions & Answers about Gangarar tana da wuya.
Why does gangara become gangarar in this sentence?
The -r on gangarar is a definite marker. It makes the noun more like the slope rather than just slope or a slope.
So:
- gangara = slope, incline
- gangarar = the slope
With many feminine nouns in Hausa, this definite form uses -r. A common comparison is:
- mota = car
- motar = the car
Why is it tana and not yana?
Because gangara is treated as a feminine noun in Hausa, and the agreeing subject marker must match it.
So:
- yana = he/it is ... for many masculine nouns
- tana = she/it is ... for feminine nouns
Here, gangarar is feminine, so Hausa uses tana.
This kind of agreement is very common in Hausa.
What does tana da mean here?