Aisha tana amfani da cokali da faranti lokacin da take cin burodi.

Aisha uses a spoon and a plate when she is eating bread.

Breakdown of Aisha tana amfani da cokali da faranti lokacin da take cin burodi.

• ne: to be
• Aisha: Aisha
• da: and
• ci: to eat
• amfani da: to use
• lokacin da: when
• burodi: the bread
• cokali: the spoon
• faranti: the plate

Questions & Answers about Aisha tana amfani da cokali da faranti lokacin da take cin burodi.

Why do we have tana and take in the same sentence? Aren’t they both “she is”?

Both tana and take are forms of “she is (doing …)”, but they are used in different environments:

• tana = ta + na

  • ta = she
  • na = progressive marker in a main clause
  • So Aisha tana amfani da … ≈ “Aisha is using …”

• take = ta + ke

  • ta = she
  • ke = progressive marker typically used in relative / subordinate clauses, or after certain connectors like lokacin da (“when”).

So in the sentence:

• Aisha tana amfani da cokali da faranti
  → Main clause: “Aisha is using a spoon and plates”

• lokacin da take cin burodi
  → Subordinate time clause: “when she is eating bread”

That’s why the first part has tana and the “when”-clause has take.

What does tana amfani da literally mean? Why is amfani there?

tana amfani da comes from the common expression yin amfani da, which means “to use (something)”.

• yin = verbal noun of yi (“to do”)
• amfani = “use, benefit” (a noun)
• da = “with / by means of”

So yin amfani da X is literally “doing use with X”, i.e. “using X”.

In the progressive:

• Aisha tana amfani da cokali
  = “Aisha is using a spoon”

You normally don’t say Aisha tana cokali to mean “Aisha is using a spoon”; it would sound incomplete or wrong. You need something like yin amfani da (or a different verb like ta kama cokali “she holds a spoon”, depending on what you mean).

What is da doing in cokali da faranti? Is it “and” or “with”?

In this part of the sentence, da is doing two related jobs:

1. amfani da cokali

   • This da is like English “with” or “by means of”:
     tana amfani da cokali = “she is using a spoon (with it)”.

2. cokali da faranti

   • Here, da links two items: cokali and faranti.
   • It works like “and”:
     cokali da faranti = “a spoon and plates”.

So in amfani da cokali da faranti we have:

• First da: “with” (linked to amfani)
• Second da: “and” (joining cokali and faranti)

Context makes it clear, and Hausa speakers don’t usually feel this as two different words; it’s just very flexible da.

How do cokali and faranti work with singular and plural? How do I say “a spoon” vs “spoons”?

In this sentence:

• cokali = spoon
• faranti = plate(s) (in context: plates / dishes)

A few points:

• Hausa doesn’t use an article like a/an/the, so cokali can be:
  • “a spoon”, “the spoon”, or just “spoon” – context decides.
• faranti is very commonly used to mean “plates / dishes” collectively:
  • Ina wanke faranti. = “I am washing plates / the dishes.”

Number in Hausa is often left to context unless you specify:

• “one spoon” → cokali ɗaya
• “two spoons” → cokali biyu
• “one plate” → faranti ɗaya
• “two plates” → faranti biyu

So in cokali da faranti, a natural English translation is “a spoon and plates” or “a spoon and a plate”, depending on context; the Hausa itself is not very rigid about number here.

Why is it cin burodi and not ci burodi? What does the -n on cin mean?

ci is the basic verb “to eat”.

Hausa also has verbal nouns (like English “eating”, “drinking”, “speaking”). For ci, a common verbal noun form is cin.

• ci = eat (finite verb)
• cin = eating (verbal noun / “the act of eating”)

In take cin burodi:

• take = she is (progressive, subordinate)
• cin = eating (verbal noun)
• burodi = bread

So take cin burodi = “she is eating bread” (literally: “she is in the act of eating bread”).

The final -n is part of forming that verbal noun; you can think of cin as the “-ing” form of ci in this structure. That’s why it’s cin burodi, not ci burodi, after take here.

In lokacin da take cin burodi, could I say lokacin da tana cin burodi instead?

In everyday speech, many people will say lokacin da tana cin burodi, and they will be understood.

However, in more careful / standard Hausa:

• take is the expected form in a subordinate time clause introduced by lokacin da.
• So:
  • Lokacin da take cin burodi = “When she is eating bread” (more standard)
  • Lokacin da tana cin burodi = heard in speech, but less formal / less standard.

For learning purposes, it’s safer to copy the pattern you see here:

• Main clause: tana
• After lokacinda / in a “when”-clause: take

What exactly does lokacin da mean? Is it “when”, “while”, or “during”?

lokacin da literally combines:

• lokaci = time
• -n = linker (“of / the”)
• da = that / when (here as a kind of relativizer)

So lokacin da literally is like “the time that …”.

In practice, it usually corresponds to English “when” or “at the time (that)”:

• Lokacin da take cin burodi
  → “When she is eating bread” or “At the time when she is eating bread”.

Depending on context, it may also feel like “while”:

• “Aisha uses a spoon and plates while she is eating bread.”

So you can think of lokacin da as a more explicit, slightly heavier “when / at the time that”.

Where is the word for “is” in this sentence? How do tana and take relate to English “is”?

Hausa does not usually use a separate word exactly like English “is”. Instead, “is + -ing” is expressed with a pronoun + progressive marker:

• tana = she + progressive
• take = she + progressive (subordinate/relative environment)

So:

• Aisha tana amfani da …
  = “Aisha is using …”

• lokacin da take cin burodi
  = “when she is eating bread”

You can think:

• tana / take ≈ “she is (doing …)”
• The “is” meaning is built inside these words; there’s no extra standalone “is” like in English.

Does this sentence talk about a habitual action (“she usually uses…”) or just something happening right now?

The form tana … / take … in Hausa primarily marks progressive / continuous aspect, but in context it can also describe habitual actions.

So Aisha tana amfani da cokali da faranti lokacin da take cin burodi can mean:

1. Right now / generally present, one situation

   • “Aisha is (right now) using a spoon and plates when she is eating bread.”

2. Habitual (very common reading)

   • “Aisha uses a spoon and plates whenever she eats bread.”
   • “Aisha usually uses a spoon and plates when she eats bread.”

If you want to make the habitual idea very clear, the context or adverbs can help, e.g.:

• A kullum Aisha tana amfani da cokali da faranti lokacin da take cin burodi.
  = “Every time / Always, Aisha uses a spoon and plates when she eats bread.”

Can I move the “when”-clause to the beginning, like: Lokacin da take cin burodi, Aisha tana amfani da cokali da faranti?

Yes. That reordering is natural and correct in Hausa:

• Aisha tana amfani da cokali da faranti lokacin da take cin burodi.
  = “Aisha uses a spoon and plates when she is eating bread.”

• Lokacin da take cin burodi, Aisha tana amfani da cokali da faranti.
  = “When she is eating bread, Aisha uses a spoon and plates.”

Both word orders are fine. Moving lokacin da … to the front just changes the emphasis slightly, as in English. The grammar (including take) stays the same.