Kai ba ka so riga mai tsada ba?

to want

Breakdown of Kai ba ka so riga mai tsada ba?

• kai: you (masculine)
• ba: not
• ka: you (masculine)
• riga: the shirt
• tsada: expensive

Questions & Answers about Kai ba ka so riga mai tsada ba?

Why is ba used twice in the sentence Kai ba ka so riga mai tsada ba??

In Hausa, ba is often used before and after the verb phrase to form a negative statement. The first ba comes before the subject + verb (in this case, ba ka so), and the second ba comes at the end to confirm the negation.

What does Kai signify here?

Kai is the masculine singular pronoun meaning you (referring to a male). Hausa pronouns can vary based on gender and number. So Kai specifically addresses a single male person.

What does riga mean in context, and how is mai tsada modifying it?

Riga generally means shirt or sometimes dress/robe (depending on the region). Mai tsada means expensive (literally, having cost). So together, riga mai tsada means an expensive shirt.

Is the word so here used for like or want?

In Hausa, the verb so can mean both to like and to want, depending on context. In this sentence, it suggests to like or to want an expensive shirt.

How do you respond affirmatively or negatively to this question?

• Affirmative response (to say you do want/like the shirt) could be: Eh, ina so (Yes, I do want/like it).
• Negative response could be: A’a, ba ni so ba (No, I don’t want/like it).