Malami yana riƙe da alƙalami a hannu yanzu.

to be

Breakdown of Malami yana riƙe da alƙalami a hannu yanzu.

• yanzu: now
• malami: the teacher
• a: in

Questions & Answers about Malami yana riƙe da alƙalami a hannu yanzu.

What does yana mean here? Is it the same as English “is”?

In this sentence, yana is a combination of:

• ya – 3rd person singular masculine subject marker (he)
• na – progressive aspect marker (be doing / in the middle of doing)

Together, yana shows that the action is ongoing right now, similar to English “is …‑ing”.

So:

• Malami yana riƙe da alƙalami…
  ≈ The teacher is holding a pen…

Other common forms:

• ina – I am (doing)
• kana – you (m.) are (doing)
• kina – you (f.) are (doing)
• tana – she / it (f.) is (doing)
• muna – we are (doing)
• suna – they are (doing)

So yana is not just a simple “is”; it specifically marks progressive / continuous aspect.

Why don’t we say shi (“he”) in the sentence? Why is it not Malami shi yana riƙe…?