Yara suna son shayi da zuma.

The children like tea with honey.

Breakdown of Yara suna son shayi da zuma.

• ne: to be
• da: with
• yaro: the child
• so: to like

Questions & Answers about Yara suna son shayi da zuma.

What does each word in Yara suna son shayi da zuma mean literally?

Word by word:

• Yara – children
• suna – they are (3rd person plural su
  • present/progressive marker -na)
• son – liking / love for (verbal noun of so, “to like / want / love”)
• shayi – tea
• da – and / with
• zuma – honey

So the literal sense is “Children they-are liking tea and/with honey.”, which in normal English is “(The) children like tea with honey.”

What is the role of Yara in the sentence?

Yara is the subject of the sentence. It tells you who likes tea with honey.

• Yaro = a child / a boy (singular)
• Yara = children (plural, boys and girls together or just “kids”)

So Yara suna son shayi da zuma means “Children / The children like tea with honey.”

What exactly does suna mean, and why is it needed?

suna is the 3rd person plural present/progressive form of the subject pronoun plus aspect marker:

• su = they
• -na (here fused as suna) = present / progressive marker