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Questions & Answers about Shi na so ruwa.
Why is shi used here?
Shi is the masculine third-person singular pronoun in Hausa. It translates to he in English. You would typically use it whenever referring to a male subject or a masculine noun in the sentence.
What does na mean or do in this sentence?
In this context, na is a subject concord marker that links the subject (shi) to the verb (so). It indicates that the subject is performing the action in the present tense.
Why does the verb so appear in this form?
So is the basic verb form meaning to want or to like. In Hausa, there isn't a different conjugation for each subject in the way some other languages do, so the verb retains its form as so regardless of who is wanting something.
Could I replace ruwa with something else, like abinci?
Yes! If you want to say he wants food, you could say Shi na so abinci. You simply replace ruwa (water) with abinci (food).
Is there a different way to say this sentence in the past tense?
Yes. In the past tense, you can use ya so ruwa, which translates to He wanted water. Here, ya indicates a past-tense subject marker, replacing na from the present tense form.