Uwa ta ce a kashe fitila kafin barci domin kada mu ɓata wuta.

the sleep

Breakdown of Uwa ta ce a kashe fitila kafin barci domin kada mu ɓata wuta.

• mu: we
• uwa: the mother
• ce: to say

Questions & Answers about Uwa ta ce a kashe fitila kafin barci domin kada mu ɓata wuta.

In the phrase Uwa ta ce, what does ta mean exactly? Is it just “she”?

Ta here does two jobs at once:

1. It is the 3rd person singular feminine subject pronoun = she.
2. In the perfective aspect, this pronoun also functions as a tense/aspect marker, indicating a completed action in the past.

So Uwa ta ce is literally “Mother she-said”, but in natural English we just say “Mother said” (past, completed action).

Why is ce used in Uwa ta ce? Is it the same as “to say”?

Yes, ce (often from the verb faɗi) means “to say” in this context.

• Uwa ta ce = Mother said.
• Base form: faɗi = to say, to tell, to speak.
• In actual sentences you often see ce (or cewa when introducing a whole quoted sentence).

Examples:

• Uwa ta ce mu tafi. – Mother said we should go.
• Uwa ta ce a kashe fitila. – Mother said (that) the light should be turned off.

So here ce is the verb “said.”

What is going on grammatically in a kashe fitila? What does a mean?

A kashe fitila is a kind of construction.