Questions & Answers about Musa yana da tambaya kan aiki.
What does Musa yana da tambaya kan aiki mean word‑for‑word?
A fairly literal breakdown is:
- Musa – the male name Musa (Moses)
- yana – he is (3rd person masculine singular, progressive/stative marker)
- da – with → together with yana, it means has
- tambaya – question
- kan – on / about / regarding
- aiki – work / job / task
So, literally:
“Musa he-is with question on work.”
In natural English: “Musa has a question about work.”
What does yana da literally mean, and why does it translate as has?
Literally, yana da is:
- ya – he
- na – progressive/stative marker (is doing / is in a state of)
→ combined as yana – he is - da – with
So yana da is “he is with (something)”, which is how Hausa normally expresses possession.
This pattern is regular:
- Ina da mota. – I have a car.
- Kana da lokaci? – Do you (m.sg.) have time?
- Suna da yara. – They have children.
With a named subject, you add the name before it: