Yara suna zaune a bakin kogi.

to be

Breakdown of Yara suna zaune a bakin kogi.

• zauna: to sit
• yaro: the child
• kogi: the river

Questions & Answers about Yara suna zaune a bakin kogi.

What does each word in Yara suna zaune a bakin kogi mean literally?

Word by word:

• Yara – children
• suna – they are (progressive/continuous marker: su = they, na = continuous aspect)
• zaune – sitting / in a sitting state (from the verb zauna = to sit)
• a – at / in / on (general preposition for location)
• bakin – the edge / the bank / the mouth of (from baki = mouth, edge + -n linking suffix)
• kogi – river

So literally: Children they-are sitting at edge-of river.

Why do we say suna zaune and not just zaune?

In Hausa, you usually need a verbal/aspect marker to make a full clause.

• suna zaune:
  
  • su (they) + na (progressive/continuous) = suna
  • zaune = sitting

Together they mean they are sitting / they are in a sitting state.

If you said only zaune, it would sound like a fragment (just sitting), not a complete sentence with a subject and tense/aspect.

Compare:

• Yara suna zaune. – The children are sitting.
• Yara zaune. – Feels incomplete, like saying children sitting without a verb.