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Questions & Answers about Aiki yana da amfani sosai.
What does Aiki mean in this sentence?
Aiki is a noun meaning “work,” “job,” or “labor.” Here it refers generally to the concept of work.
What role does yana play in Aiki yana da amfani sosai?
yana is the third person masculine singular form of the verb “to be” in the present tense. In Hausa, yana + da + noun is the common way to say “it has [something]” or “it is [adjective/noun].” So Aiki yana da… literally means “Work it has….”
Why is the word da used between yana and amfani?
In Hausa, da functions like “to have” or “with.” When you want to say “X is Y” where Y is a noun or noun-like concept, you use yana da Y (for masculine subjects). Here, da links yana (“it is/has”) with amfani (“use/benefit”).
What exactly does amfani mean here?
amfani is a noun meaning “use,” “benefit,” or “advantage.” So da amfani means “has use” or “is useful.”
How do we translate sosai, and why is it placed at the end?
sosai is an adverb meaning “very,” “extremely,” or “a lot.” In Hausa, adverbs of degree typically follow the phrase they modify, so da amfani sosai means “with much use,” i.e., “very useful.”
How would you turn this sentence into a yes/no question?
You can add Shin at the start:
Shin aiki yana da amfani sosai?
This literally means “Is it that work has much use?” which corresponds to “Is work very useful?”
How do you make the negative of this sentence?
You replace yana with baya (or use the circumfix ba…ba around the verb). For example:
• Aiki baya da amfani sosai. (“Work is not very useful.”)
• Or more emphatically: Aiki ba ya da amfani sosai.
Could we express “very useful” in another way?
Yes. You might say Aiki yana da matuƙar amfani where matuƙa also means “very” or “extremely.” You could even combine adverbs: Aiki yana da amfani ƙwarai sosai (“work is extremely useful”).