Breakdown of Malami ya ce makarantar firamare a ƙauyenmu ita ce mafi kyau saboda yara suna koyon tsabta da gaskiya.
Questions & Answers about Malami ya ce makarantar firamare a ƙauyenmu ita ce mafi kyau saboda yara suna koyon tsabta da gaskiya.
In Malami ya ce, the phrase ya ce means “he said”.
- ya = 3rd person singular masculine subject pronoun in the perfective: “he (did)”
- ce (here) = the verb “to say” (from cewa, to say)
So ya ce = “he said”.
In ita ce mafi kyau, the ce is not the verb “to say”. It is the copula (a kind of “to be” that marks focus/definiteness). Here:
- ita = “she/it” (feminine, referring to makaranta, which is grammatically feminine)
- ce = feminine form of the copula “(it) is” in a focused sentence
So:
- ya ce → he said (verb say)
- ita ce → it is (the one that is…) (copula be)
They are written the same (ce) but are two different grammatical items: one is the verb “say”, the other is the copula “be”.
ita is a pronoun that stands for makarantar firamare a ƙauyenmu (the primary school in our village). Hausa likes to use a pronoun + copula (ne/ce) to put focus/emphasis on the subject:
- Ita ce mafi kyau. – It (she) is the best.
More complete:
- Makarantar firamare a ƙauyenmu ita ce mafi kyau.
The primary school in our village is the best (one).
This structure:
- [Noun phrase] + ita/shi/ne/ce + [rest]
is very common when you’re identifying or emphasizing something.
You can say:
- Makarantar firamare a ƙauyenmu ce mafi kyau.
This is also grammatical, but ita ce sounds more natural and is very typical in everyday speech for stressing “that one in our village (and not some other one) is the best”.
This is the genitive/“of” construction in Hausa, often called the linking or construct form.
- makaranta = school
- When a noun is directly followed by another noun that modifies it (like “school of X”), the first noun usually takes a linking -r/-n:
- makaranta → makarantar (add -r)
- firamare = “primary (level)” (borrowed term)
So literally:
- makarantar firamare ≈ “school of primary (education)” → primary school
This -r/-n is very common:
- gida → gidan Malam (the teacher’s house)
- motar ɗalibi (the student’s car)
So makarantar firamare is the standard way to say “primary school.”
firamare is a loanword used in Hausa for the primary level of schooling.
- It comes from English “primary” or from similar forms in other languages used in the region (e.g. French primaire), adapted to Hausa phonology.
- In education contexts:
- makarantar firamare = primary/elementary school
- makarantar sakandare = secondary school (from English secondary)
So firamare is not a native Hausa root; it’s a borrowed educational term.
a ƙauyenmu means “in our village.”
a
- A preposition meaning roughly “in / at / on” depending on context.
- Here it’s “in”: in our village.
ƙauye → ƙauyenmu
- ƙauye = village
- When a noun is possessed, you typically add a possessive pronoun ending to the noun:
- -na = my → ƙauyena = my village
- -ka/-ki = your (m/f)
- -sa = his
- -ta = her
- -mu = our
- -ku = your (pl.)
- -su = their
- So ƙauye + -mu → ƙauyenmu = “our village.”
So a ƙauyenmu literally = “in our village.”
Both can translate as “in”, but they differ slightly in nuance:
a ƙauyenmu
- Very general locative “in/at our village.”
- Neutral about being inside vs at the place.
- Most common, broadest usage.
cikin ƙauyenmu
- Literally “inside our village”.
- Emphasizes being inside the interior of the village, often contrasting with being outside it.
- More spatially concrete.
In the sentence given, a ƙauyenmu is natural and standard. cikin ƙauyenmu would also be understandable, but may sound a bit more spatially specific than needed.
suna koyon is the progressive/continuous form, built with “be” + verbal noun:
- su = they
- suna = “they are” (3rd plural continuous/imperf. form)
- koyo = “learning” (verbal noun from the verb koya = “to teach/learn”)
- In genitive/construct, koyo → koyon when followed by another noun:
- koyon tsabta = learning cleanliness
So structurally:
- yara suna koyon tsabta…
= the children are in the process of learning cleanliness…
koyon itself is a verbal noun in construct form, not a finite verb. The finite part is suna.
All are related to the idea of teaching/learning, but with different grammatical roles:
koya
- The basic verb: to teach or to learn (depending on structure).
- Example: Zan koya Hausa. – I will learn Hausa.
koyo
- The verbal noun: learning (the activity/process).
- Used with suna / yana / tana… for progressive:
- Suna koyo. – They are learning.
koyon + N
- Construct form: learning of X.
- koyon tsabta – learning cleanliness.
koyarwa
- Another verbal noun, often more on the “teaching” side, or “instruction”.
- koyarwar malamai – the teaching of the teachers / teachers’ instruction.
In your sentence we see koyon tsabta da gaskiya = the learning of cleanliness and honesty.
tsabta is primarily a noun, meaning something like:
- cleanliness, neatness, hygiene
You can use it in phrases like:
- tsabta ta jiki – cleanliness of the body
- tsabta ta muhalli – environmental cleanliness
To say “clean” adjectivally, Hausa often uses constructions like:
- abu mai tsabta – a thing with cleanliness → a clean thing
- ɗaki mai tsabta – a clean room
So in koyon tsabta da gaskiya, tsabta is a noun: learning cleanliness and honesty.
gaskiya is a rich word; its core meaning is truth, but by extension it also means:
- honesty
- truthfulness
- integrity / moral rightness
In many educational/moral contexts, tsabta da gaskiya is a set phrase:
- tsabta – (physical/moral) cleanliness
- gaskiya – honesty, telling the truth, being upright
So in this sentence, gaskiya is best understood as “honesty / truthfulness”, not just abstract “truth” as in “true/false facts.”
In tsabta da gaskiya, da is “and”, joining two nouns:
- tsabta da gaskiya – cleanliness and honesty
Hausa da is versatile; in different contexts it can mean:
- and (joining nouns/phrases):
- ruwa da abinci – water and food
- with:
- na zo da Malam – I came with the teacher
- Inside some verbal expressions.
In this specific phrase, da is simply coordinating: X and Y.
saboda introduces the reason: “because”.
- … ita ce mafi kyau saboda yara suna koyon tsabta da gaskiya.
→ … it is the best because the children are learning cleanliness and honesty.
You can often replace saboda with don or domin, but they have slightly different typical uses:
saboda
- Very common for “because / due to the fact that”.
- Emphasizes cause/reason.
don / domin
- Can mean for / in order to / so that / because of.
- Often used with purpose:
- Na je makaranta don in koyi Hausa. – I went to school in order to learn Hausa.
In your sentence:
- saboda yara suna koyon tsabta da gaskiya is the most natural for “because the children are learning…”.
- don/domin yara suna… would be understood, but can suggest more purpose (“for the children to learn…”) rather than a simple factual reason.
Hausa has two different “k” sounds, written k and ƙ:
k
- An ordinary voiceless [k] sound (like English k in “kill”).
- Example: kasa – land, kofi – cup.
ƙ
- An ejective or “harder” k sound, written with a small hook.
- Produced with a kind of “glottalic” burst; there’s a tighter, more forceful release.
- Example: ƙauye – village, ƙasa – soil/ground (different word from kasa), ƙofa – door.
In ƙauyenmu:
- Say something like “kau-ye” but make the **k tighter and more explosive, with no puff of air like in English “cow”.
- The difference can be meaningful in Hausa: k and ƙ can distinguish different words.