Learn Hardcore Hausa: Iyayena suna zaune a ƙauye, amma ni ina aiki a birni. - My parents live in a village, but I work in a city.

When you attach -na to iyaye, in speech it often contracts to iyayena. You can also see it written separately as iyaye na. Both iyayena and iyaye na mean “my parents” and are both correct in everyday usage.

Why do we say suna zaune and not just zaune?

In Hausa, you usually need an auxiliary verb to mark tense/aspect.

su = they
na (here) = “are” (progressive / continuous marker for the present)
suna = they are
zaune = sitting / residing / living (from the verb zauna “to sit, stay, reside”)

So suna zaune literally is “they are sitting / they are residing.”
Just saying zaune by itself would sound incomplete; you need suna (or another auxiliary) to show who is doing the action and when.

Does zaune here mean “sitting” or “living”?

Literally, zaune is the “sitting / being seated” form of zauna.

But in Hausa, zauna/zaune is very commonly extended to mean:

to stay somewhere,
to live / reside somewhere.

So:

suna zaune a ƙauye = “they are living / they live in a village.”

Context tells you that the intended meaning is “live/reside,” not just physically sitting.

What is the difference between suna zaune and suke zaune?

Both use su = they, but in different constructions:

suna zaune = they are living/sitting (simple statement).
- su
  - na (continuous marker) → suna
- Used for plain present‑time or habitual descriptions.
suke zaune = they who are living/sitting (relative / focused form).
- su
  - ke → suke
- Often used in relative clauses or for focus/emphasis.

Examples:

Iyayena suna zaune a ƙauye.
“My parents live in a village.” (simple assertion)
Iyayen da suke zaune a ƙauye sun zo.
“The parents who live in the village came.” (relative clause)

In your sentence, suna zaune is the normal, neutral choice.

Why is it a ƙauye and not a ƙauyen?

The preposition a means “in/at.”

ƙauye = a village (indefinite)
ƙauyen (or ƙauyen nan/ƙauyen da muka sani) = the village (definite, a specific one)

So:

a ƙauye = “in a village” (unspecified, general)
a ƙauyen = “in the village” (a particular one you and the listener know)

In your sentence, a ƙauye matches the usual English translation “in a village.”

What is the sound ƙ in ƙauye, and how is it different from k?

Hausa has two different k‑type sounds:

k = a plain k, like in English “kite.”
ƙ = an ejective k, produced with a kind of “popping” or glottalized sound.

To pronounce ƙ:

Build up pressure in your mouth as for k,
Then release it with a slight “burst” while briefly closing your throat.

Minimal pairs:

kasa = floor / ground
ƙasa = country / earth / soil

In ƙauye (“village”), you must use ƙ, not k, for correct pronunciation and meaning.

What is the difference between ƙauye, gari, and birni?

All three relate to places where people live, but they differ in size and nuance:

ƙauye
- village, rural settlement
- Usually small, countryside.
gari
- town, settlement (can be small or medium)
- More general; sometimes just means “community” or “place where people live.”
birni
- city (often historically a walled city, major center)
- Larger, more urban.

So your sentence contrasts:

ƙauye = village
birni = city

“My parents live in a village, but I work in the city.”

Why do we have both amma and ni at the start of the second clause? Could we drop ni?

amma = but / however
ni = I (independent pronoun)
ina = I am (1sg continuous marker: “I am / I do (habitually)”)

amma ni ina aiki a birni literally:
“but I, I am working in the city.”

Adding ni before ina:

Puts contrastive emphasis on “I”:
“but I, on the other hand, work in the city.”

You can also say:

Iyayena suna zaune a ƙauye, amma ina aiki a birni.
This is also correct and means essentially the same thing, but is a bit less emphatic on the contrast.

So:

With ni: stronger contrast, like stressing I in English.
Without ni: neutral contrast.

What exactly does ina mean in ina aiki a birni?

ina is the 1st person singular form of the continuous/progressive auxiliary:

ni = I
na (in this pattern) = “am” (progressive marker)
ni + na → ina = I am / I do (in the present/ongoing or habitual sense)

So:

ina aiki = “I am working / I work (habitually).”

It functions very much like “am/’m” in English when used with “-ing,” but it can also cover habitual actions, not just right‑now actions.

Why is it ina aiki and not ina yin aiki?

Both forms are possible in Hausa:

ina aiki
- Literally: “I am (in) work”
- Common, natural way to say “I work / I am working.”
- Uses the noun aiki directly after ina.
ina yin aiki
- Literally: “I am doing work.”
- yi = to do; yin = doing (verbal noun form).
- Slightly more explicit, sometimes used when you want to stress the action of doing work.

In everyday speech, ina aiki is completely normal and often preferred for simplicity. There’s no change of basic meaning in this sentence.

The forms suna and ina look similar. Are they related?

Yes, they are related: both come from combining a subject pronoun with the continuous marker na.

su + na → suna
- su = they
- na = (continuous marker)
- suna = “they are / they do (present/ongoing or habitual)”
ni + na → ina
- ni = I
- na = (continuous marker)
- ina = “I am / I do (present/ongoing or habitual)”

Other persons:

ka + na → kana = you (m.sg) are
ki + na → kina = you (f.sg) are
ya + na → yana = he is
ta + na → tana = she is
mu + na → muna = we are
ku + na → kuna = you (pl) are

So suna zaune and ina aiki both use this same (pronoun + na) continuous pattern.

If suna zaune and ina aiki look like continuous (“are sitting / am working”), why do we translate them as “live” and “work” (habitual) in English?

Hausa’s continuous marker (na, as in suna, ina, etc.) covers both:

Ongoing present actions
- Ina aiki yanzu. = I am working now.
Present habitual / general truths
- Ina aiki a birni. = I work in the city / I have a job in the city.
- Suna zaune a ƙauye. = They live in a village.

English usually distinguishes:

“I am working” (right now, ongoing)
“I work” (habitual, job)

Hausa often uses the same continuous form for both meanings, and context decides whether it is right‑now or habitual.
In your sentence, it clearly describes where they live and where you work “as a rule,” so we use the habitual English translations.

Is there any gender distinction in Iyayena? Does it specify “mother and father”?

Iyayena is gender‑neutral and does not itself specify mother, father, or both. It just means:

iyaye = parents (plural)
iyayena = my parents

If you want to be more specific:

uban mahaifina = my father
mahaifiyata = my mother
ubannina = my fathers (plural)
yayuna = my elder siblings, etc.

But iyayena simply groups your parents together, regardless of gender.

Can amma only mean “but,” or does it have other uses?

In this sentence, amma functions as “but / however.” That is its main everyday use: to introduce contrast.

Examples:

Ina son ƙauye, amma ina aiki a birni.
“I like the village, but I work in the city.”
Zan je, amma daga baya.
“I will go, but later.”

Stylistically, in writing you often see a comma before amma in English, and a comma or pause before it in Hausa as well, just as in your sentence. In speech, it usually introduces a brief pause or a shift in topic/contrast.

Is the word order Iyayena suna zaune a ƙauye fixed, or can it be changed?

The neutral word order is:

Subject – Auxiliary – Main Verb – Other Elements

So:

Iyayena (subject)
suna (auxiliary)
zaune (main verb form)
a ƙauye (prepositional phrase: location)

You can move elements around for emphasis/focus, but then you usually have to change the auxiliary to a focus/relative form (like suke) and/or add focus particles. For a beginner, it’s best to stick with:

Iyayena suna zaune a ƙauye. (standard, straightforward)

Alternative orders without the right focus marking could sound unnatural or confusing.

Could I say Iyayena suna zama a ƙauye instead of suna zaune a ƙauye?

You might hear zama used, but there is a nuance:

zaune (from zauna) is the most common way to express “residing / living (in a place)” in this kind of sentence.
zama can mean “to sit,” “to become,” or “to stay/be settled,” depending on context. suna zama a ƙauye could be understood but may sound more like “they stay” or “they keep staying” there, and is less idiomatic for simple “they live (there)” in many contexts.

The safest and most natural expression for “live somewhere” is:

suna zaune a [place].

So Iyayena suna zaune a ƙauye is the best choice for “My parents live in a village.”