Baba yana aiki duk mako a ofis.

Father works every week at the office.

Breakdown of Baba yana aiki duk mako a ofis.

• ne: to be
• a: at
• aiki: to work
• baba: the father

Questions & Answers about Baba yana aiki duk mako a ofis.

What is the role of yana in this sentence?

Yana is a combination of:

• ya = he
• na = marker of continuous / present aspect

Over time, ya + na fused into one word: yana.

So Baba yana aiki... is literally like saying Dad he‑is (in the process of) working... and it expresses an action going on now or a regular ongoing activity.

Does Baba yana aiki mean “Dad is working” or “Dad works”?

It can mean both, depending on context:

• Right now / at this period:
  
  • Baba yana aiki a ofis = Dad is working at the office (now / these days).
• Regularly / habitually (especially with duk mako “all week”):
  
  • Baba yana aiki duk mako a ofis = Dad works all week at the office.

Hausa doesn’t make a strict grammatical distinction like English between “works” and “is working” here. The same form yana aiki covers both continuous and typical present; adverbs like duk mako give you the nuance of habit.

Is aiki a verb here, or is it a noun meaning “work”?