Amma makarantar sakandare a birni tana da ɗalibai mafi yawa.

to have

Breakdown of Amma makarantar sakandare a birni tana da ɗalibai mafi yawa.

• makaranta: the school
• amma: but
• a: in

Questions & Answers about Amma makarantar sakandare a birni tana da ɗalibai mafi yawa.

What does Amma do at the start of the sentence? Is it exactly the same as English “but”?

Amma is a conjunction meaning “but / however”.

• It normally connects this sentence to a previous idea, often a contrast:

  • Anan ba a da yawa ɗalibai. Amma makarantar sakandare a birni tana da ɗalibai mafi yawa.
    “Here there are not many students. But the secondary school in the city has more students.”

• You don’t have to use Amma at the beginning of every sentence that starts with “but” in English. It’s only used when you really want to show contrast with what came before.

Why is it makarantar sakandare, not just makaranta sakandare?

Makaranta = “school”.
When it becomes makarantar, that final -r is a linking / genitive ending that often corresponds to “the school of …” or “the … school”.

• makaranta = a school (indefinite, citation form)
• makarantar sakandare = “the school of secondary (level)” → secondary school

This structure is very common in Hausa noun–noun combinations:

• gidan cin abinci = “house of eating food” → restaurant
• motar haya = “car of hire” → taxi

So makarantar sakandare is a natural way to say “secondary school”.

What exactly does sakandare mean here? Is it an adjective?