A lambunmu akwai bishiya uku, tsuntsaye suna zama a cikinsu.

In our garden there are three trees, and birds live in them.

Breakdown of A lambunmu akwai bishiya uku, tsuntsaye suna zama a cikinsu.

• ne: to be
• a: in
• akwai: there is
• su: them
• uku: three
• a cikin: in
• lambu: the garden
• bishiya: the tree
• tsuntsu: the bird
• zama: to live

Questions & Answers about A lambunmu akwai bishiya uku, tsuntsaye suna zama a cikinsu.

What does A lambunmu literally mean, and what is the function of a here?

A lambunmu literally means “in our garden.”

• a = a preposition meaning “in / at / on”, depending on context.
• lambu = garden
• -nmu = a possessive suffix meaning “our”

So lambu + -nmu → lambunmu = our garden

Putting it together: a lambunmu = in our garden (or at our garden).

Why do we use akwai in A lambunmu akwai bishiya uku? Could I just say bishiya uku ne a lambunmu?

Akwai is an existential verb, roughly meaning “there is / there are”.

• A lambunmu akwai bishiya uku = In our garden there are three trees.

You could say bishiya uku ne a lambunmu, but:

• Akwai is the most natural, common way to introduce “there is/are” in Hausa.
• bishiya uku ne a lambunmu sounds more like “it is three trees that are in our garden”, with a slight focus on three trees.

For normal, neutral “there are X (somewhere)”, akwai is the default.

Why is it bishiya uku and not bishiyoyi uku for “three trees”?

Hausa has a special pattern with counted nouns:

• With numbers (2 and above), many nouns stay in the singular form.
• The number itself indicates plurality, so the noun doesn’t need a plural ending.

So:

• bishiya = tree
• biyu = two
• uku = three

Correct combinations:

• bishiya biyu = two trees
• bishiya uku = three trees

You can see bishiyoyi as a plural form meaning “trees” in other contexts, but with exact numbers, the singular + number pattern (bishiya uku) is the normal, preferred form.

What is the difference between tsuntsu and tsuntsaye?

• tsuntsu = a bird (singular)
• tsuntsaye = birds (plural)

In the sentence, tsuntsaye suna zama a cikinsu means “birds live/sit/perch in them.”
We’re talking about birds in general, so the plural form tsuntsaye is used.

What does suna zama mean here exactly, and how is it different from suke zama or suna zaune?

suna zama is a progressive or habitual form:

• su = they
• na (here as suna) = progressive/continuous marker
• zama = to stay / live / sit / reside

So tsuntsaye suna zama a cikinsu can mean:

• “the birds live in them” (habitually, they make their home there), or
• “the birds stay/sit in them” (they are staying/perching there).

Differences:

• suna zama – ongoing or habitual action (they live / they keep staying).
• suke zama – a relative/focused form, used in clauses like:
  • tsuntsaye da suke zama a cikinsu = the birds that live in them.
• suna zaune – uses zaune (“sitting / in a seated state”), more like:
  • “they are (in a sitting state)”, often for people seated, or animals at rest.
  • For birds perching you might hear it, but suna zama is more “live/stay (there)”.

What does a cikinsu mean, and how is it formed?

a cikinsu literally means “in their inside”, i.e. “in them.”

Breakdown:

• a = in / at
• ciki = inside / interior
• -n = linker (often merges into the word in pronunciation)
• -su = their / them (3rd person plural pronoun)

So:

• a ciki = in the inside
• a cikin su → a cikinsu = in them / inside them

In this sentence, a cikinsu refers back to the three trees:
the birds stay/live in them (in the trees).

Does cikinsu refer to the garden or to the trees?

Cikinsu refers to the trees, not the garden.

Reason:

• The closest plural noun is bishiya uku (“three trees”), and Hausa normally refers back to the nearest appropriate antecedent.
• su in cikinsu is plural (them), and “three trees” is conceptually plural.

So the meaning is:

• In our garden there are three trees; birds live in them (the three trees).

Could I change the word order to say Akwai bishiya uku a lambunmu? Is that still correct?

Yes, you can say:

• Akwai bishiya uku a lambunmu, tsuntsaye suna zama a cikinsu.

This is also correct and natural. Both are fine:

1. A lambunmu akwai bishiya uku…
2. Akwai bishiya uku a lambunmu…

The difference is only in emphasis / flow:

• A lambunmu akwai… slightly foregrounds the place (“In our garden, there are…”).
• Akwai bishiya uku a lambunmu sounds more like neutral “There are three trees in our garden.”

How is lambunmu formed from lambu and mu? Why is there an n?

Lambunmu = our garden.

Formation:

• lambu = garden
• -n = linking consonant (often used before possessive suffixes)
• -mu = our

So:

• lambu + -n + -mu → lambunmu

The n is there to link the noun and the pronoun smoothly; it is very common before possessive endings like -na, -ka, -ki, -sa, -mu, -ku, -su.

Why is there a comma between bishiya uku and tsuntsaye? Are these two separate sentences in Hausa?

The comma separates two clauses:

1. A lambunmu akwai bishiya uku
   – In our garden there are three trees
2. tsuntsaye suna zama a cikinsu
   – birds live/stay in them

In careful writing, you could even make them two full sentences:

• A lambunmu akwai bishiya uku. Tsuntsaye suna zama a cikinsu.

Using a comma is stylistic; it simply signals that we’re moving from the existence of the trees to what the birds do in relation to them.