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Questions & Answers about Kai ba ka da mota?
Why does the sentence use Kai and not a different pronoun?
Kai is the masculine singular form of you in Hausa. If you were speaking to a female, you would use Ke (and the rest of the sentence would adapt accordingly, such as Ke ba ki da mota?).
What does the structure ba ka da convey exactly?
In Hausa, ba ka da is used to express you do not have something. The phrase literally breaks down as: ba (negative marker) + ka (second person masculine singular subject pronoun) + da (possessive element). When put together, it means do not have.
How would I say You have a car in Hausa?
The positive form of Kai ba ka da mota? would be Kai kana da mota (literally You, you have a car). Note that kana da is the positive counterpart to ba ka da.
Is it acceptable to omit Kai and just say Ba ka da mota?
Yes, you can omit Kai. Adding Kai simply adds emphasis on the person you’re addressing. So both Kai ba ka da mota? and Ba ka da mota? mean You don’t have a car?
Is the question purely asking for information, or can it imply surprise?
It can do both. Context and intonation will determine whether it’s a neutral question or a more surprised reaction. In speech, raising your intonation can make it sound like you’re surprised that the person does not have a car.
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