Akwati na ya cika da tufafi.

My suitcase is full of clothes.

Breakdown of Akwati na ya cika da tufafi.

• da: with
• na: my
• akwati: the suitcase
• tufafi: the clothes
• cika: to fill up

Questions & Answers about Akwati na ya cika da tufafi.

What exactly does na mean here? Is it my or of?

In this sentence na means my.
So akwati na = my box.

Hausa also has another na that means of, as in littafin Ali (Ali’s book) → littafin Ali ne, na ɗalibi (it’s Ali’s book, of a student).
Here, though, na is the 1st‑person singular possessive (“my”), not the “of” particle.

Why does Hausa put na after akwati, instead of before it like English my box?

Hausa normally puts the possessor after the noun:

• akwati na = box my → my box
• motarka / mota ka = car your → your car
• littafinsa / littafi sa = book his → his book

So the basic pattern is NOUN + possessor, not possessor + NOUN like in English.

Could I also write akwatina as one word instead of akwati na?

Yes. You will see both styles:

• akwati na (two words)
• akwatina (one word)

Both mean my box. Grammatically it’s the same possessive -na “my”; some writers separate it, others attach it. With short, common nouns, the joined form (akwatina, littafina, gidana) is very common in practice.

Is akwati na correct, or should it really be akwatin na with an n?

Both are seen, but akwatin na is more in line with the usual spelling rule.

When a noun ends in a vowel and is directly followed by another word in a close relationship (like a possessor), Hausa often inserts a linking -n/-r:

• akwati + n + na → akwatin na (my box)
• mota + r + ka → motarka (your car)
• littafi + n + su → littafinsu (their book)

In casual writing, people sometimes drop that linking n and just write akwati na. In more careful or textbook Hausa you’re likely to see Akwatin na ya cika da tufafi.

What is the role of ya in this sentence?

Ya is the 3rd person masculine singular subject pronoun (“he/it”) that must appear before the verb:

• ya cika = he/it is full / has filled up

So the structure is:

• Akwatin na = my box (subject)
• ya cika = (it) is full / has filled (up)
• da tufafi = with clothes

Hausa normally requires this subject pronoun before the verb, even when the subject noun is already mentioned.

Why do we use the masculine ya? Are boxes grammatically masculine in Hausa?

Yes. In Hausa, every noun is grammatically masculine or feminine, and pronouns agree with that grammatical gender.

• akwati is masculine, so it takes ya (he/it).

• A feminine noun (e.g. mota “car”) would take ta:

  • Motata ta cika da man fetur.
    My car is full of petrol.

You generally have to memorize the gender of each noun, though some patterns are predictable over time.

Could I leave out ya and just say Akwati na cika da tufafi?

No, that would sound ungrammatical in standard Hausa.

With a normal verb, Hausa needs the short subject pronoun:

• ✅ Akwatin na ya cika da tufafi.
• ❌ Akwatin na cika da tufafi.

The noun akwatin na identifies which thing we’re talking about; ya is the obligatory verbal subject pronoun that actually controls the verb cika.

What does cika literally mean, and how is it different from cike?

cika is a verb meaning “to fill, to become full, to be full (resultative).”

cike is more like an adjectival/stative form meaning “full.”

• akwatin na ya cika da tufafi
  → my box has filled up / is (now) full of clothes (focus on the result of filling)

• akwatin na yana cike da tufafi
  → my box is full of clothes (describing a current state)

Both can translate as “is full” in English, but ya cika leans toward a completed/resulting state, while yana cike is more like a simple description.

Is ya cika past tense (“it filled up”) or present (“it is full”)?

Ya cika is perfective aspect, not a strict “past tense”.

Depending on context it can be understood as:

• It has filled up (completed action)
• It is full (now) (result of having filled up)

In your sentence, Akwatin na ya cika da tufafi, most of the time it will be taken as “My box is (already) full of clothes”, with a nuance that it has reached that full state.

How would I say simply “My box is full of clothes” as a current state, without emphasizing that it just became full?

You can use yana cike with the stative/adjectival form:

• Akwatin na yana cike da tufafi.

Literally: “My box is being in a full state with clothes.”
This is a natural way to describe an ongoing state, roughly “My box is full of clothes,” without the “has (now) filled up” feel.

What does da mean after cika?

Here da is a preposition meaning with.

The pattern cika da X means “be full of X / fill with X”:

• akwatin na ya cika da tufafi
  → my box is full of clothes / has filled with clothes
• kofin ya cika da ruwa
  → the cup is full of water

So da tufafi = with clothes → “of clothes” in natural English.

Is tufafi singular or plural? How would I talk about one piece of clothing?

tufafi is plural/collective: it means clothes.
It doesn’t normally mean “one cloth / one piece of clothing.”

For a single item, Hausa usually names the specific type:

• riga – a gown/shirt/dress
• wando – trousers
• zani – wrapper
• rigar wanka – bathing gown, etc.

So:

• akwatin na ya cika da tufafi → my box is full of clothes (lots of items)

Can I change the word order, for example Ya cika akwatin na da tufafi or move da tufafi somewhere else?

The safest and most natural order is the one you have:

• Akwatin na ya cika da tufafi.

Some changes will change the meaning or sound odd:

• Ya cika akwatin na da tufafi.
  Now ya is usually understood as referring to someone/something else (not the box) that filled my box with clothes: He/it filled my box with clothes.

• Akwatin na ya cika tufafi da.
  This is not acceptable; cika da X is a tight verb–preposition–object sequence, so da must come directly before the thing it introduces (tufafi).

How would this sentence change if we were talking about boxes (plural) instead of one box?

You need a plural noun and a plural subject pronoun:

• Akwatuna sun cika da tufafi.
  → The boxes are full of clothes.

Here:

• akwatuna = boxes (plural of akwati)
• sun = 3rd person plural subject pronoun (“they”)
• sun cika da tufafi = they have filled up / are full of clothes

How would I say “Our box is full of clothes” or “Their box is full of clothes”?

You just change the possessor, keeping akwati (masc.) and ya:

• Akwatin mu ya cika da tufafi.
  → Our box is full of clothes.

• Akwatin su ya cika da tufafi.
  → Their box is full of clothes.

You may also see these written as one word:

• akwatinmu ya cika da tufafi
• akwatinsu ya cika da tufafi

Same meaning; it’s just a spelling choice.