Questions & Answers about Baba yana karanta labari a jarida da safe.
Why do we use yana here instead of ya?
Yana marks an ongoing action, similar to English “is …‑ing”.
- ya karanta labari = he read a story / he has read a story (completed action, past)
- yana karanta labari = he is reading a story / he is in the process of reading (ongoing)
In Baba yana karanta labari…, Baba is third‑person singular masculine, so it behaves like shi (he), and we use yana (the “he + progressive” form).
Forms of this pattern:
- ina – I am …
- kana – you (sg.) are …
- yana – he is …
- tana – she is …
- muna – we are …
- kuna – you (pl.) are …
- suna – they are …
Where is the word “is” in this sentence?
Hausa does not use a separate verb for “to be” in this kind of present‑continuous sentence.
The function of English “is” is built into yana:
- Baba yana karanta labari…
literally: Father he‑PROG read story…
functionally: “Father is reading a story…”
So you don’t add another word for “is”; yana already covers both the subject reference (he) and the progressive aspect (is …‑ing).