Littafi yana da amfani sosai.

A book is very useful.

Breakdown of Littafi yana da amfani sosai.

• ne: to be
• sosai: very
• da: with
• littafi: the book
• amfani: the usefulness

Questions & Answers about Littafi yana da amfani sosai.

What does yana mean in Littafi yana da amfani sosai?

Here, yana is the third-person masculine singular present-tense/progressive form combining the pronoun ya ("he/it") with the aspect marker na. In the stative construction yana da, it gives "he/it has" or "it is …" when talking about non‑human nouns like littafi.

Why is da used in yana da amfani? Is it the same as "and"?

No. In yana da, da means "with" and is part of the “to have” pattern (ya/ta/su) + na + da + NP. Literally, littafi yana da amfani = "the book has usefulness," i.e. "the book is useful."

What does amfani mean and why is it used here?

amfani is a noun meaning "use," "usefulness," or "benefit." In the yana da construction, you follow da with a noun to express possession of that quality. So da amfani = "having usefulness" = "useful."

How does sosai work as an intensifier? Where do you place it?

sosai means "very" or "extremely." It normally follows the adjective or noun it modifies. In this sentence, amfani sosai = "usefulness very" → "very useful." It does not go before amfani in standard Hausa.

How would I say "the books are very useful" (plural)?

Change littafi to the plural littattafai, and yana to the plural form suna:
Littattafai suna da amfani sosai.

What if the noun is feminine, like mace (woman)? How do I say "the woman is very useful"?

For feminine singular subjects we use tana instead of yana:
Mace tana da amfani sosai.

What is the difference between Littafi yana da amfani sosai and Littafi mai amfani sosai?

Both mean "the book is very useful."

• Littafi yana da amfani sosai. uses the stative verb yana da
  • noun "usefulness."
• Littafi mai amfani sosai. uses the participial adjective marker mai
  • noun, forming "useful" directly.