A makaranta muna amfani da intanet domin mu aika imel ga malamai ba tare da zuwa ofis ba.

At school we use the internet so that we can send emails to the teachers without going to the office.

Breakdown of A makaranta muna amfani da intanet domin mu aika imel ga malamai ba tare da zuwa ofis ba.

• ne: to be
• a: at
• makaranta: the school
• malami: the teacher
• ga: for
• mu: we
• zuwa: to
• ofis: the office
• amfani da: to use
• domin: so that
• ba tare da ... ba: without
• intanet: the internet
• imel: the email
• aika: to send

Questions & Answers about A makaranta muna amfani da intanet domin mu aika imel ga malamai ba tare da zuwa ofis ba.

What does “A makaranta” mean exactly, and why is there an “a” at the beginning?

“A makaranta” literally means “at school” or “in school”.

• a = a preposition meaning in / at / on (location or time)
• makaranta = school

So a makaranta = at school.

Putting “A makaranta” at the start of the sentence gives a location frame: “At school, …”

Could I say “Muna amfani da intanet a makaranta” instead? Is the word order flexible?

Yes, you can say: “Muna amfani da intanet a makaranta domin mu aika imel ga malamai ba tare da zuwa ofis ba.”

Both:

• A makaranta muna amfani da intanet …
• Muna amfani da intanet a makaranta …

are grammatically correct.

The difference is nuance:

• A makaranta muna… slightly emphasizes the location (“At school we do this…”).
• Muna amfani da intanet a makaranta… is more neutral and sounds like simple “We use the internet at school…”

What is going on with “muna”? How is it different from “mu”?

Both are related to “we”, but they work differently:

• mu = independent subject pronoun “we” (used before certain verb forms, especially subjunctive/imperative-like forms).
  
  • e.g. mu tafi = let’s go / that we go
• muna = “we are (doing)” / we do in the imperfective (continuous/habitual) aspect. It already contains the pronoun.
  
  • e.g. muna amfani da intanet = we use the internet / we are using the internet

So in your sentence:

• muna amfani da intanet = we use the internet
• later mu aika imel = so that *we send email* (a different verb form).

Why is it “muna amfani da intanet” and not something like “muna intanet”? What does “amfani da” mean?

“amfani da” is a very common expression meaning “to use (something)” or literally “the use of (something)”.

Breakdown:

• amfani = use / usage / usefulness (a verbal noun)
• da = with / using / by means of

So:

• yin amfani da X = “to use X” (more explicit form)
• ina amfani da X or muna amfani da X = “I/we use X” (shortened, very common)

Therefore:

• muna amfani da intanet = we use the internet / we are using the internet

You cannot just say “muna intanet”; you need a verb or verbal-noun construction such as amfani (da intanet).

What is the role of “da” in “amfani da intanet”? Does it always mean “with”?

In “amfani da intanet”, da has an instrumental sense: “use of the internet / use with the internet / using the internet.”

da is very flexible; common uses include:

• with (comitative):
  
  • Ina zuwa da abokina. = I’m going with my friend.
• and (coordinating):
  
  • ruwa da burodi = water and bread
• using / by means of (instrumental):
  
  • yin rubutu da alkalami = writing with a pen

Here it’s that last sense: “use by means of the internet.”

Why is it “domin mu aika imel” and not “domin muna aika imel”?

After “domin” in the sense of “so that / in order that”, Hausa usually uses a subjunctive-like verb form, not the continuous muna‑form.

• domin = so that / in order that / because (here: in order that)
• The pattern is: domin + (subject pronoun) + bare verb

Examples:

• Domin in gane, sai na tambaya. = So that I understand, I ask.
• Na zo domin in gaishe ka. = I came so that I greet you.

So in your sentence:

• domin mu aika imel = so that we (can) send email

“domin muna aika imel” would sound wrong in this “purpose” sense.

But we already said “we” with “muna” earlier. Why do we need “mu” again in “domin mu aika”?

Because we are starting a new clause after “domin”:

• Clause 1: (A makaranta) muna amfani da intanet
• Clause 2: domin mu aika imel ga malamai…

Each clause in Hausa generally needs its own subject expression.

• The first clause has the subject encoded in muna (we-use).
• The second clause needs its own subject, so we add mu before the verb aika (subjunctive form).

So mu in “domin mu aika” is not redundant; it belongs to the new purpose clause.

What does “aika” mean here, and is it a special verb form?

aika is the verb “to send”. In “domin mu aika imel” it appears in a bare/subjunctive-like form:

• mu aika = that we send / so that we send

Compare:

• muna aikawa / muna aika = we are sending
• mu aika (after domin, don, kada, etc.) = let us send / that we send

Here, following domin, the bare form aika with mu expresses purpose: “so that we send email.”

Why do we say “ga malamai” and not something like “zuwa malamai” or nothing at all?

ga is the usual preposition marking the indirect object “to someone”:

• aika imel ga malamai = send email to the teachers

Some patterns:

• ba wa wani abu / ba abu ga wani = give something to someone
• rubuta wasiƙa ga mahaifiyata = write a letter to my mother

You could sometimes use zuwa for movement towards a person or place:

• na tafi zuwa makaranta = I went to school

But for “send X to Y (person)”, ga is the most natural here.
Without ga, malamai would sound more like a direct object (as if you’re sending the teachers themselves), so ga clarifies the role “to the teachers.”

How does “ba tare da … ba” work? Why are there two “ba”s?

“ba tare da … ba” is a fixed negative construction meaning “without (doing something)”.

Structure:

• ba tare da
  • verbal noun / verb phrase + ba

In your sentence:

• ba tare da zuwa ofis ba
  
  • zuwa = verbal noun “going”
  • Literal: “not together with going to the office” → “without going to the office.”

You must have both bas for this pattern; dropping one usually sounds wrong or changes the meaning.

What is “zuwa” exactly in “ba tare da zuwa ofis ba”?

zuwa here is the verbal noun of the verb zuwa / zuwa = “to go (to)”.

In “ba tare da zuwa ofis ba”:

• zuwa ofis = going to the office
• ba tare da zuwa ofis ba = without going to the office

This is a common pattern:

• ba tare da jin zafi ba = without feeling pain
• ba tare da yin aiki ba = without working (literally: without doing work)

Why is it “ofis” and not “ofishin” or something like that? Is “ofis” Hausa?

ofis is a loanword from English “office”, now fully used in Hausa.

• Here it appears as an indefinite noun: ofis = (an/the) office (context usually clarifies which).
• If you made it definite or possessed, you could see forms like:
  • ofishin makaranta = the school office
  • ofis ɗinmu = our office

In your sentence, “zuwa ofis” just means “to (the) office” in general.

Is there any tense or aspect nuance between “muna amfani da intanet” and something like “mun yi amfani da intanet”?

Yes, they differ in aspect/tense:

• muna amfani da intanet

  • imperfective/continuous/habitual
  • “we use / we are using the internet”
  • Suggests a regular or ongoing practice at school.

• mun yi amfani da intanet

  • perfective (completed action)
  • “we used the internet (once / already)”
  • Refers to a finished event.

In your sentence, the idea is a regular habit at school, so muna is the natural choice.