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Mijin Binta ya yarda su zauna su yi hira kaɗan kafin ya tafi aiki.

Mijin Binta ya yarda su zauna su yi hira kaɗan kafin ya tafi aiki.
Binta’s husband agreed that they should sit and chat a little before he goes to work.

Breakdown of Mijin Binta ya yarda su zauna su yi hira kaɗan kafin ya tafi aiki.

Binta
Binta
zauna
to sit
aiki
the work
tafi
to go
su
they
kaɗan
a little
kafin
before
ya
he
miji
the husband
yarda
to agree
yi hira
to chat
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Questions & Answers about Mijin Binta ya yarda su zauna su yi hira kaɗan kafin ya tafi aiki.

Why is it mijin Binta and not just miji Binta?

In Hausa, when a noun is directly followed by the possessor (often another noun or a name), the first noun usually takes a “linking” ending -n / -r (often called the genitive linker or construct form).
So miji (husband) becomes mijin before Binta: mijin Binta = Binta’s husband.

Does mijin Binta mean Binta’s husband or the husband of Binta—is there any difference?

They’re the same meaning. Hausa typically expresses both with this same structure: [possessed noun + linker] + [owner].
So mijin Binta naturally corresponds to either English phrasing.

What does ya mean in ya yarda and later ya tafi?

ya is the 3rd-person masculine singular subject marker used with the perfective/completed form in many common past-like statements.

  • ya yarda = he agreed / he accepted
  • ya tafi = he went / he left
    Even when English might use a different tense (like before he goes), Hausa may still use this perfective form depending on the structure and meaning.
Is yarda more like agree or allow here?

It can cover both ideas, depending on context:

  • agree/accept: he agreed that something should happen
  • allow/permit: he gave permission for something
    In this sentence, ya yarda su… often feels like he agreed (to let them…) or he agreed that they should…. Context decides which English verb sounds best.
Why is there su after ya yarda?

su is the 3rd-person plural subject marker for the following verb(s). After verbs like yarda, Hausa commonly introduces a clause with a new subject:

  • ya yarda su zauna… = he agreed that they should sit/stay…
    So su marks who will do the sitting/chatting.
Who does su refer to—does it include Binta’s husband?

It’s potentially ambiguous without context. su means they (3rd-person plural). In a sentence like this, it commonly refers to two people already in the situation—often Binta and her husband (so, “the two of them”).
But grammatically it could also refer to some other group if the wider context has one.

Why are there two su’s: su zauna su yi hira?

Hausa often repeats the subject marker before each verb in a sequence, especially when you have two actions one after another:

  • su zauna = they sit/stay
  • su yi hira = they chat/have a conversation
    This is very normal and doesn’t mean a different “they”; it’s more like “they sit and (they) chat”.
Is su zauna su yi hira a kind of “serial verb” structure?

Yes, it behaves like a serial/verb-chain structure: multiple actions linked together without needing an English-style connector like and every time. It’s a common way to express sit down and chat / sit and talk as a single combined event.

Why is it yi hira instead of a single verb meaning “to chat”?

Many activities in Hausa are expressed with yi (do) + a noun:

  • yi hira = do conversation = chat / have a talk
    This is a very productive pattern (like yi aiki = do work, yi barci = sleep).
What does kaɗan modify here, and why is it placed after hira?

kaɗan means a little / a bit. Here it modifies the amount/length of chatting: su yi hira kaɗan = they chat a little.
Hausa often places this kind of limiter after the thing it limits (after the verb phrase or after the noun).

How does kafin work in kafin ya tafi aiki?

kafin means before and introduces a time clause. The clause after it commonly looks like a normal Hausa clause with its own subject marker:

  • kafin ya tafi aiki = before he went/left for work
    Even if English uses before he goes, Hausa can still use the same structure shown here.
Why is it tafi aiki with no word for “to” (like to work)?

Hausa often uses tafi + place/activity without a separate “to” word:

  • tafi aiki = go to work / leave for work
    You can make it more explicit with something like zuwa in some contexts (e.g., ya tafi zuwa aiki), but ya tafi aiki is very natural and common.