Ni zan hau keke zuwa kasuwa.

I will ride a bicycle to the market.

Breakdown of Ni zan hau keke zuwa kasuwa.

• ni: I
• keke: the bicycle
• hau: shall ride
• zuwa: to
• kasuwa: the market

Questions & Answers about Ni zan hau keke zuwa kasuwa.

Why do we have both Ni and zan in the sentence?

In Hausa, Ni means "I," while zan is a future tense marker (from za + ni). Although zan technically already signifies the first-person singular futurity ("I will"), you often see Ni plus zan used together for clarity or emphasis—something like "I, I will do X" in English.

What is the literal meaning of zan on its own?

Zan is the contracted form of za ni, with za indicating the future tense and ni meaning "I." So literally, it carries the sense "I (will)."

Is hau always used for "ride," or can it mean other things too?

Primarily, hau means "to mount" or "to board," so it’s often used for getting on any mode of transport (e.g., a bicycle, a horse, a motorcycle). It can sometimes be used in other contexts like mounting a stage or climbing a ladder, but the core idea is climbing or getting on top of something.

How does keke differ from other words for vehicles in Hausa?

Keke specifically refers to a bicycle. Other vehicles have their own terms (for example, mota for a car or babur for a motorcycle). So it’s important to use keke if you specifically mean a bicycle.

Why is the direction expressed as zuwa kasuwa rather than another phrase?

In Hausa, zuwa can be translated as "to" or "towards," and kasuwa means "market." Using zuwa kasuwa is the straightforward way to indicate your destination is the market. You’ll hear similar constructions for other destinations, such as zuwa gida ("to the house").