Ni zan amsa tambaya yanzu.

I will answer a question now.

Breakdown of Ni zan amsa tambaya yanzu.

• ni: I
• yanzu: now
• tambaya: the question
• amsa: to answer

Questions & Answers about Ni zan amsa tambaya yanzu.

What does ni mean in this sentence, and do I really need to say it?

Ni is the independent pronoun meaning I / me.

The future marker za already carries a subject pronoun, so zan by itself means I will. That means:

• Zan amsa tambaya yanzu. = I will answer the question now.
• Ni zan amsa tambaya yanzu. = I will answer the question now (with extra emphasis on I).

So you do not have to say ni; it is grammatically optional and mainly adds emphasis or contrast (for example: Not you, I will answer the question now).

What exactly is zan? Is it one word or two?

Zan is the future marker za combined with the pronoun ni (I):

• za + ni → zan

So zan amsa literally means I‑will answer.

Other persons in the future usually keep za and the pronoun separate (except for zai, which is very common):

• I: zan (za + ni) – I will
• you (m sg): za ka – you will
• you (f sg): za ki – you will
• he: zai (za + shi / ya) – he will
• she: za ta – she will
• we: za mu – we will
• you (pl): za ku – you (pl) will
• they: za su – they will

What is the word‑for‑word breakdown of Ni zan amsa tambaya yanzu?

A simple gloss looks like this:

• Ni – I (independent pronoun, emphasising the subject)
• zan – I will (future marker za
  • ni)
• amsa – answer (verb: to answer, to respond to)
• tambaya – question (noun)
• yanzu – now (adverb of time)

So the structure is:

[Subject] [future marker + pronoun] [verb] [object] [time adverb]

= I will answer (a/the) question now.

Why is there no word for “the” or “a” before tambaya?

Hausa does not use separate articles like English the or a/an. Nouns usually appear without an article, and definiteness is understood from context or from other markers (like demonstratives or possessives).

So tambaya can mean:

• a question
• the question

depending on the situation. In this sentence, context will decide whether you understand it as a question or the question. The sentence itself is compatible with both.

How could I make “the question” more explicit in Hausa?

A very common way to make “the question” explicit is to use a genitive/possessive or a demonstrative:

• tambayar nan – this question / the question here
• tambayar da ka yi – the question that you asked
• tambayar malam – the teacher’s question / the question of the teacher

In many real conversations, though, simple tambaya is enough, because the shared context already makes it clear which question is meant. So Ni zan amsa tambaya yanzu will often be understood as I will answer the (relevant) question now.

What does amsa mean here, and why is there no preposition like “to” or “for”?

Amsa here is a verb meaning to answer / to reply to. It normally takes its object directly, without a preposition:

• amsa tambaya – answer a question
• amsa waya – answer a phone call
• amsa wasika – answer a letter

So zan amsa tambaya literally means I‑will answer question, which corresponds to English I will answer the question (with no extra word like to or for).

What does yanzu mean, and does it always go at the end of the sentence?

Yanzu means now. In this sentence it comes at the end:

• Ni zan amsa tambaya yanzu. – I will answer the question now.

Time expressions like yanzu, gobe (tomorrow), jiya (yesterday) very often appear at the end, but they can also be moved to the front for emphasis or flow:

• Yanzu zan amsa tambaya. – Now I will answer the question.

Both orders are grammatically correct. Fronting yanzu makes now a bit more prominent.

Is the word order in this sentence fixed, or can I rearrange it?

The basic neutral order is:

Subject – (future marker) – Verb – Object – Time

So:

• Ni zan amsa tambaya yanzu.

Common variations include:

• Zan amsa tambaya yanzu. – dropping ni, but same order.
• Yanzu zan amsa tambaya. – putting yanzu at the front for emphasis on time.

You would not normally move the object in front of the verb (*Ni tambaya zan amsa yanzu is wrong) in this simple sentence. The verb amsa should come directly before its object tambaya.

What is the difference between “Zan amsa tambaya yanzu” and “Ni zan amsa tambaya yanzu”?

Grammatically, both mean I will answer the question now.

The difference is focus/emphasis:

• Zan amsa tambaya yanzu.
  – Neutral: I will answer the question now.

• Ni zan amsa tambaya yanzu.
  – Emphatic: I will answer the question now (implying contrast with someone else, or highlighting that it is you who will do it).

So use the version with ni when you want to stress who will answer.

How would I say “I will not answer the question now”?

To negate zan amsa tambaya yanzu, you use the Hausa negative pattern with ba … ba around the verb phrase:

• Ba zan amsa tambaya yanzu ba. – I will not answer the question now.

Breakdown:

• Ba – first part of the negation
• zan amsa tambaya yanzu – I will answer the question now
• ba – closing part of the negation

Spoken Hausa often shortens or weakens one of the ba’s, but the full standard form is Ba zan amsa tambaya yanzu ba.

How would the sentence change with other subjects, like you, he, or we?

Keep the same structure, but change the future marker (and optional independent pronoun). Examples:

• Kai za ka amsa tambaya yanzu. – You (m sg) will answer the question now.
• Ke za ki amsa tambaya yanzu. – You (f sg) will answer the question now.
• Shi zai amsa tambaya yanzu. – He will answer the question now.
• Ita za ta amsa tambaya yanzu. – She will answer the question now.
• Mu za mu amsa tambaya yanzu. – We will answer the question now.
• Ku za ku amsa tambaya yanzu. – You (pl) will answer the question now.
• Su za su amsa tambaya yanzu. – They will answer the question now.

Just like ni, the independent pronouns (kai, ke, shi, ita, mu, ku, su) are often omitted unless you want extra emphasis.

What is the difference between zan amsa tambaya yanzu and a present‑tense form like ina amsa tambaya yanzu?

Both talk about answering a question, but the time reference is different:

• Zan amsa tambaya yanzu.
  – Future: I will answer the question now (about to start, or at some later point in “nowish” time, depending on context).

• Ina amsa tambaya yanzu.
  – Progressive/present: I am answering a question now (the action is already in progress at this moment).

So zan focuses on a future action, while ina + verb (ina amsa) describes something currently happening or ongoing.