Breakdown of A ɗakin karatu ba a kunna kida, domin ana son shiru.
Questions & Answers about A ɗakin karatu ba a kunna kida, domin ana son shiru.
A here is a preposition meaning “in / at / on”, not part of the noun.
- a ɗakin karatu = in the study room / in the reading room
- a gida = at home
- a makaranta = at school
So the structure is:
a (in/at) + ɗakin karatu (the reading/study room).
The -n is the linking consonant (called a genitive linker), used when one noun describes or “belongs to” another noun.
- ɗaki = room
- karatu = reading, study
- ɗakin karatu = room of study / study room
In Hausa, when you join two nouns like this, you usually add -n / -r depending on the final sound:
- ɗaki + -n + karatu → ɗakin karatu
- mota + -r + makaranta → motar makaranta (school car)
So ɗakin karatu is the natural way to say “study room” or “reading room.”
Hausa doesn’t use a separate word like the or a as in English.
ɗakin karatu can mean either “a reading room” or “the reading room” depending on context.
- If you’re talking generally: A ɗakin karatu… can be understood as In a reading room… (in general).
- If speaker and listener already know which room is meant, it’s naturally understood as In the reading room…
The noun form stays the same; the specificity comes from context, not from an article word.
Literally:
- ba = negative marker
- a = an impersonal subject marker (like “one / people / you (in general)”)
- kunna = to turn on / to switch on
- kida = music (usually instrumental / played music)
So ba a kunna kida is like saying:
- “one doesn’t turn on music”
- “people don’t play music”
- “music is not played” (impersonal/passive sense)
The subject is impersonal; it’s not a specific “I/you/we,” but general rules or habits.
Yes, the full negative frame is:
- ba a kunna kida ba = music is not played
In careful or formal Hausa, especially in writing, you will often see both parts:
- ba … ba
In everyday speech (and often in informal writing), speakers frequently drop the final ba, especially in sentences like this. So:
- ba a kunna kida
and - ba a kunna kida ba
are both heard. The version with both ba’s is more complete/standard.
Yes. kunna primarily means “to turn on / switch on / light”:
- kunna wuta = turn on / light the fire or electricity
- kunna rediyo = turn on the radio
- kunna talabijin = turn on the TV
So kunna kida is usually “turn on (play) music” in the sense of switching on a device (radio, speaker, phone, etc.).
If you specifically mean playing an instrument, other verbs or context might be used, but kunna kida is very natural when you mean “put music on.”
Both are related to music, but they’re used a bit differently.
kida:
- usually refers to music in general, especially instrumental or played music (drums, band, recorded music, etc.).
- in your sentence, kunna kida = play/turn on music.
waka:
- specifically song, singing (with lyrics).
- yin waka = to sing / to perform a song.
So:
- ba a kunna kida – you don’t turn on music (e.g. speakers, radio).
- ba a rera waka – people don’t sing (literally, “one does not sing songs”).
In this sentence, domin means “because / in order that”.
- domin ana son shiru = because silence is desired
Common causal/connective words:
- domin – because; (also “in order that,” especially in more formal style)
- saboda – because (very common in speech)
- don – a shorter form of domin, also “because / in order to”
In your sentence, you could also hear:
- … ba a kunna kida, saboda ana son shiru.
Meaning stays essentially the same. domin may sound a bit more formal or bookish than saboda.
ana is another impersonal construction, similar to the a in ba a kunna kida.
Breakdown:
- ana = a + na (impersonal subject + progressive marker)
- so = to want / like
- son = the verbal noun of so (wanting/liking)
- shiru = silence, quiet
So ana son shiru literally means:
- “there is wanting of silence”
or more naturally: - “silence is desired” / “people want quiet”
You could say:
- mutane suna son shiru = people want quiet
But ana son shiru sounds more general and rule-like, not tied to a specific group currently wanting something; it’s more like “quiet is expected / preferred” in that place.
Correct: so is the verb “to want / to like / to love (non-romantic as well)”.
Hausa often uses verbal nouns (noun forms of verbs). For so, the verbal noun is son.
- so = to want / to like
- son = wanting / liking / love (as a noun)
Examples:
- Ina son shayi. = I want/like tea.
- ana son shiru. = (there is) wanting of silence → silence is desired.
- son abin duniya = love of worldly things.
So ana son shiru literally uses the noun son: “(people) are in a state of wanting silence.”
That’s not natural Hausa.
You need the progressive/impersonal form plus the verbal noun:
- ✅ domin ana son shiru – because silence is desired
Not: - ❌ domin a so shiru
The usual pattern is:
- ana son X = X is wanted/liked
- ana son shiru = silence is wanted
- ana son zaman lafiya = peace is wanted
Using a so without na and without the verbal noun son is ungrammatical in this meaning.
shiru mainly means silence / quietness, but it’s used quite flexibly.
shiru (noun-like): silence, quiet
- Ina son shiru. = I like quiet/silence.
- Ana son shiru. = Silence is desired.
As part of expressions:
- Yi shiru! = Be quiet!
- Ya yi shiru. = He became quiet / he fell silent.
- Shiru ne. = It’s quiet / there’s silence.
So in your sentence, shiru is “quietness / silence” in the room.