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

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).

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.

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.

• 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.

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)”.

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).

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).

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.”

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.

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.