Questions & Answers about Bidiyon yana da amfani.
Why does bidiyo become Bidiyon here?
The ending -n is a very common Hausa noun ending that often makes the noun definite or specific. So Bidiyon here is roughly the video or that specific video.
A simple way to think about it is:
- bidiyo = video / a video
- bidiyon = the video
You will often see this ending as -n or -r, depending on the noun.
What is yana doing here? Is it the same as English is?
It is similar in function, but not exactly the same as English is.
Hausa does not use one single verb that covers every case of English to be. In this sentence, yana is part of a very common pattern for describing a present state or quality:
noun + yana/tana + da + noun
So Bidiyon yana da amfani is literally close to:
The video has use/benefit
which English naturally expresses as The video is useful.
Why is there a pronoun-like word yana after Bidiyon? English does not say The video it is useful.