Ni zan saya abinci a kasuwa.

I will buy food at the market.

Breakdown of Ni zan saya abinci a kasuwa.

• ni: I
• abinci: the food
• kasuwa: the market
• a: at
• saya: to buy

Questions & Answers about Ni zan saya abinci a kasuwa.

Why is ni included at the beginning when the future marker already shows “I”?

In Hausa the future is formed with za + subject pronoun, so zan already means “I will.” Placing ni (“I”) before it is optional and adds emphasis or clarity, much like saying “I, I will buy…” in English. You can drop ni and simply say Zan saya abinci a kasuwa.

What exactly does zan mean, and why is it written that way?

Zan is the contracted form of za (the future tense marker) + ni (the 1st‑person singular pronoun). Together they mean “I will.” For other persons you get: zai (“he/she/it will”), zata (“she will”), zaka (“you (m.) will”), zaki (“you (f.) will”), zamu (“we will”), zaku (“you (pl.) will”), zasu (“they will”).

Why isn’t there an object marker like da before abinci?

Some Hausa verbs, like saya (“to buy”), take a direct object without a preposition. So you simply say saya abinci (“buy food”). You only use da when the verb requires an instrumental or associative sense (“to buy with…” or “to buy along with…”).

What does the preposition a mean in a kasuwa?

Here a means “at” or “in.” So a kasuwa translates to “at the market.” Hausa uses a for many locative expressions (e.g. a gida – “at home,” a makaranta – “at/in school”).

Can I omit ni and still be correct?

Yes. Saying Zan saya abinci a kasuwa is perfectly fine. You only keep ni when you want to stress that it’s you (and not someone else) who will do the action.

What is the typical word order in this Hausa sentence?

The sequence is Subject – Verb – Object – Locative:
• Subject: Ni (optional)
• Verb (with future): zan saya
• Object: abinci
• Locative phrase: a kasuwa

How would I make this sentence negative (“I will not buy food at the market”)?

Insert the negative particle ba before the verb, and add ba…ba around the locative if you like:
• Ni ba zan saya abinci a kasuwa ba.
You can also drop the final ba: Ni ba zan saya abinci a kasuwa.

How can I turn it into a yes–no question (“Will I buy food at the market?”)?

Simply raise your intonation or add ko at the end:
• Zan saya abinci a kasuwa?
• Zan saya abinci a kasuwa, ko?

How do I say “I will buy some food at the market”?

Insert wani (“some/a certain”) before abinci:
• Ni zan saya wani abinci a kasuwa.