Breakdown of Yawanci ƙauyawa suna yin kiwo, amma wasu suna zuwa makaranta a gari.
ne
to be
makaranta
the school
amma
but
yi
to do
Questions & Answers about Yawanci ƙauyawa suna yin kiwo, amma wasu suna zuwa makaranta a gari.
What does each word in "Yawanci ƙauyawa suna yin kiwo, amma wasu suna zuwa makaranta a gari." literally mean?
Word‑by‑word:
- Yawanci – usually, generally, most of the time
- ƙauyawa – villagers (people from the village)
- suna – they are (3rd person plural subject pronoun su
- aspect marker na)
- yin – doing (verbal noun of yi = to do)
- kiwo – herding / animal husbandry (looking after livestock)
- amma – but
- wasu – some (of them)
- suna – they are
- zuwa – going to / to (directional preposition/verb)
- makaranta – school
- a – in / at (preposition)
- gari – town
Natural English: "Usually villagers herd animals, but some go to school in town."
Why is it "suna yin kiwo" and not just "suna kiwo"?
- yi kiwo is a verb phrase meaning to herd / to do herding.
When Hausa forms a continuous or habitual action, it often uses the verbal noun:
- yi (to do) → yin (doing)
- suna yin kiwo = they are doing herding / they (usually) do herding.
You can sometimes hear "suna kiwo" in speech, but "suna yin kiwo" is the more standard and explicit form, especially in careful or written Hausa. It keeps the pattern: subject + aspect marker + verbal noun + object/complement.