When to use it
Use it in an unfamiliar area to ask a local where to eat.
The sentence in English: “Where can I find a good restaurant nearby?”
In “Where can I find a good restaurant nearby?” ‘good’ is an adjective before the noun.
- Where
- adverbquestion word asking about place
- can
- auxiliary verbcan · tense: present · modal verb of ability or permission
- I
- pronounpersonal pronoun, always written with a capital letter
- find
- verbfind · form: base form (infinitive without "to") · main verb after a modal or after "help me"
- a
- determinerindefinite article
- good
- adjectiveadjective
- restaurant
- nounnoun
- nearby
- adjectiveadjective placed after the noun
The sentence in Hausa: “A ina zan sami gidan abinci mai kyau kusa da nan?”
In “A ina zan sami gidan abinci mai kyau kusa da nan?” ‘good’ is ‘mai kyau’ (having goodness), after the noun. ‘gidan abinci’ (house of food) is a restaurant, and ‘nearby’ is ‘kusa da nan’ (near to here).
- A
- preposition'at'; a ina = where
- ina
- adverb'where', after a
- zan
- auxiliary verbza · person: 1st singular · tense: future · zan sami = I will find
- sami
- verbsamu · form: base · 'find, get'
- gidan
- noungida 'house' + linker -n
- abinci
- noun'food'; gidan abinci = restaurant
- mai
- preposition'having'; mai kyau = good
- kyau
- noun'goodness'
- kusa
- adverbkusa da nan = near here
- da
- preposition'to', after kusa
- nan
- adverb'here'
What changes from one language to the other: English × Hausa
English uses the adjective ‘good’ first; Hausa uses ‘mai kyau’ after the noun.
Example conversation
— A ina zan sami gidan abinci mai kyau kusa da nan?
— Where can I find a good restaurant nearby?
— Gwada wurin da ke kusa da tashar mota.
— Try the place by the motor park.