A bayan makaranta akwai filin wasa.

the school

Breakdown of A bayan makaranta akwai filin wasa.

• akwai: there is
• filin wasa: the playground
• a bayan: at the back of

Questions & Answers about A bayan makaranta akwai filin wasa.

Why does the sentence begin with a?

A is a very common Hausa preposition. It often corresponds to English at, in, on, or to, depending on context. In this sentence it is part of the expression a bayan, which means behind or at the back of.

What does bayan mean here?

Here, bayan means behind or at the back of.
A useful thing to know is that bayan can also mean after in other contexts. So learners often meet both meanings.

In this sentence:

• a bayan makaranta = behind the school

Because it is used with a and a place noun, the meaning is clearly spatial, not temporal.

Why is bayan not translated as after here?

Because the structure points to location, not time.

• a bayan makaranta = behind the school
• bayan makaranta on its own can sometimes mean after school, depending on context

So the little word a matters a lot here. It helps make the phrase clearly locative.

What does akwai mean?