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Dalibai suna zaune a kusurwa huɗu na ɗaki, malami yana tsaye a tsakiya.

Dalibai suna zaune a kusurwa huɗu na ɗaki, malami yana tsaye a tsakiya.
The students are sitting in the four corners of the room, and the teacher is standing in the middle.

Breakdown of Dalibai suna zaune a kusurwa huɗu na ɗaki, malami yana tsaye a tsakiya.

ne
to be
zauna
to sit
malami
the teacher
na
of
a
in
ɗaki
the room
tsaya
to stand
huɗu
four
dalibi
the student
kusurwa
the corner
tsakiya
the middle
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Questions & Answers about Dalibai suna zaune a kusurwa huɗu na ɗaki, malami yana tsaye a tsakiya.

What does suna zaune literally mean, and how is it different from just “sit”?

Suna zaune is made of:

  • su = they
  • ‑na (inside suna) = present/continuous marker
  • zaune = “in a sitting position” (from the verb zauna = to sit)

So suna zaune is literally “they are in a sitting state” – i.e. they are sitting / they are seated.

It does not mean “they sit (habitually)” or “they sat (once)”; it describes their current position right now. For a completed action “they sat down”, Hausa would normally use sun zauna instead (see another question below).

Why is it suna with dalibai, but yana with malami?

This is subject–verb (or better: subject–auxiliary) agreement.

  • Dalibai = students (plural) → needs the 3rd person plural form: suna
  • Malami = teacher (singular) → needs the 3rd person singular (masculine) form: yana

Common present/continuous forms in Hausa:

  • ina = I am …
  • kana = you (sg.) are …
  • yana = he / it (masc.) is …
  • tana = she / it (fem.) is …
  • muna = we are …
  • kuna = you (pl.) are …
  • suna = they are …

So the pattern is:

  • Dalibai suna zaune = The students are sitting.
  • Malami yana tsaye = The teacher is standing.
Are zaune and tsaye verbs or adjectives here?

Grammatically, they are often called verbal adjectives or stative forms:

  • zaune comes from the verb zauna = to sit
  • tsaye comes from the verb tsaya = to stand / stop

In this sentence, they describe the state/position of the subjects:

  • suna zaune = they are (in a) sitting (state)
  • yana tsaye = he is (in a) standing (state)

So they behave a bit like adjectives (“sitting”, “standing”), but they are closely tied to the verbs zauna and tsaya.

What is the difference between suna zaune and sun zauna?

Both come from zauna (to sit), but the aspect is different.

  • suna zaune

    • structure: suna (they-are) + zaune (sitting)
    • meaning: they are sitting / they are seated (right now)
    • focuses on the current state or ongoing situation.

  • sun zauna

    • structure: sun (they-have) + zauna (sat)
    • meaning: they sat (down), they have sat
    • focuses on the completed action of sitting down.

In your sentence we want to describe the position in the room, so suna zaune (stative/continuous) is the natural choice.

What exactly does the preposition a do in a kusurwa huɗu na ɗaki and a tsakiya?

a is a very common preposition, usually meaning in / at / on depending on context.

In this sentence:

  • a kusurwa huɗu na ɗaki
    → “in/at the four corners of the room”

  • a tsakiya
    → “in/at the middle / center”

So a marks the location where someone or something is.
Compare:

  • suna cikin ɗaki = they are inside the room
  • suna a ɗaki = they are in/at the room (more general)
  • suna a waje = they are outside / outside the building
What is the function of na in kusurwa huɗu na ɗaki?

na here is a linker for possession or “of”-relationships. It often translates as of in English.

  • kusurwa huɗu na ɗaki
    literally: “four corners of the room”

So the pattern is:

  • [thing counted] + [number] + na + [owner/whole]

Examples:

  • tagogi uku na ɗaki = three windows of the room
  • dalibai biyu na ajin nan = two students of this class

In your sentence, na ɗaki tells us that the four corners belong to / are the corners of the room.

Why does the number huɗu come after kusurwa instead of before it?

In Hausa, basic cardinal numbers usually come after the noun they count:

  • littafi ɗaya = one book
  • littattafai biyu = two books
  • mota uku = three cars
  • kusurwa huɗu = four corners

So kusurwa huɗu na ɗaki literally follows the pattern:

  • corner four of room → the four corners of the room

Putting huɗu before kusurwa (like English “four corners”) would be incorrect in Hausa.

If we are counting corners, shouldn’t kusurwa be in the plural form?

With numbers, Hausa very often uses the bare (singular) noun + number, and that is perfectly normal:

  • motar → mota uku (three cars)
  • littafi → littafi biyar (five books)
  • kusurwa → kusurwa huɗu (four corners)

So kusurwa huɗu is the usual way to say “four corners”, even though English has a visible plural corners.

Hausa does have plural forms for nouns, and you can use them when you’re not explicitly counting (for example, just “corners” in general). But with a specific number, singular + number is extremely common and natural.

Could we say a tsakiyar ɗaki instead of a tsakiya? Would that change the meaning?

Yes, both are possible, with a small difference in how explicit they are:

  1. a tsakiya

    • literally: “in the middle / at the center”
    • here, the context (the sentence) makes it clear it’s the middle of the room.

  2. a tsakiyar ɗaki

    • tsakiya
      • linker ‑r
        • ɗaki
    • literally: “in the middle of the room”
    • this form says explicitly what the middle belongs to.

So:

  • Malami yana tsaye a tsakiya.
  • Malami yana tsaye a tsakiyar ɗaki.

In your original sentence, a tsakiya works because na ɗaki has just been mentioned, so it’s understood that “the middle” is the middle of the room.

How do I pronounce the letter ɗ in huɗu and ɗaki? Is it different from plain d?

Yes, ɗ is a different sound from plain d in Hausa.

  • d is like the normal English d in day, do.
  • ɗ is an implosive d:
    • place your tongue as for d,
    • but as you pronounce it, slightly draw air inward instead of pushing it out.

For learners, a practical tip is:

  • Say English d, but make it a bit “swallowed” / softer, with a little inward airflow.

Spelling matters:

  • ɗaki = room
  • daki (with plain d) can be understood differently or may look incorrect in writing.

Similarly, the number huɗu is correctly spelled with ɗ.

Is the word order fixed? Can I say Malami yana tsaye a tsakiya, dalibai suna zaune a kusurwa huɗu na ɗaki instead?

Yes, you can swap the two main clauses:

  • Dalibai suna zaune a kusurwa huɗu na ɗaki, malami yana tsaye a tsakiya.
  • Malami yana tsaye a tsakiya, dalibai suna zaune a kusurwa huɗu na ɗaki.

Both are fine and natural. You’re just changing which information comes first.

What you cannot normally do is break the basic structure of each clause, for example:

  • ✗ Suna zaune dalibai a kusurwa huɗu na ɗaki.

Standard Hausa prefers:

  • [Subject] + [yana/suna/etc.] + [main predicate] + [location/time]

So:

  • Dalibai suna zaune a kusurwa huɗu na ɗaki.
  • Malami yana tsaye a tsakiya.
What is the difference between ɗaki and gida? Both sometimes translate as “room” or “house”.

They are related but not the same:

  • ɗaki

    • primary meaning: room (a room in a building)
    • e.g. ɗakin kwana = bedroom, ɗakin karatu = study/reading room.

  • gida

    • primary meaning: house / home / compound
    • can refer to the whole household, not just one physical room.

So in this sentence:

  • na ɗaki must mean “of the room”, not “of the house”.

If you said na gida, the meaning would shift to “of the house/compound”, which doesn’t fit as neatly with “four corners” in this context.