Iyayena suna koya mana cewa kowa daidai yake, ko a ƙauye ko a birni.

My parents teach us that everyone is equal, whether in a village or in a city.

Breakdown of Iyayena suna koya mana cewa kowa daidai yake, ko a ƙauye ko a birni.

• ne: to be
• kowa: everyone
• a: in
• ko: or

Questions & Answers about Iyayena suna koya mana cewa kowa daidai yake, ko a ƙauye ko a birni.

What does Iyayena mean, and how is it formed?

Iyayena means “my parents.”

• iyaye = parents
• -na = my

When iyaye + na combine in fast or standard speech, they contract to iyayena. Both forms are possible in writing:

• iyaye na – more clearly separated
• iyayena – more tightly joined, very common

Grammatically, they mean the same thing: “my parents.”

What is the role of suna in suna koya mana?

suna is the 3rd person plural subject pronoun in the continuous/progressive aspect, roughly like “they are …ing.”

• su = they
• na here is part of the continuous aspect marker (it’s not the possessive my).

So:

• Iyayena suna koya mana …
  = My parents are teaching us … (an ongoing or habitual action)

If you changed suna to sun, you’d get past / completed meaning:

• Iyayena sun koya mana …
  = My parents have taught us … / taught us … (completed action)

What does koya mean in this sentence?