Lesson 5
Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

Exercise 4


Exercise 1: Translate this story into English
Zarma English
Boro dunguriyo fo go no ga dira fonda ra. A short person was walking on the road.
Goudel boro no. It was a person from Goudel.
A go koy habu bene. He was going to a market above.
A kaa habo ra. He came on the market.
Habo ra hab'izey go no. On the market there were the traders.
Goudel bora ne: Ay ga day goroŋo fo. The person from Goudel said: I will buy one chicken.
(Bora ne nga ga goroŋo fo day.) The person said he (himself) would buy one chicken.
A di hab'ize fo. He saw a (certain) trader.
Hab'izo gonda goroŋo taci. The trader had four chicken.
Afo i ra (= One of them) goroŋgari no. One of them was a cock.
A ga beri no. He was big.
Goudel bora n'a day. The person from Goudel bought him.
A kond'a fu. He took him home.
A ne hunkuna nga gonda nga hab'ize. He said today he had his market item.
A ne: Araŋ di ay goroŋgaro, wala? He said: Do you see my cock?
A ga beri. He is big.

1 In answers the male form is used for "a" and "nga", obviously answers with 'she' and 'her' and sometime with 'it' are in some cases as good as well.

2 The story is mainly written in the simple past and past continuous tense. The Zarma language has not the same time conception. Some of the sentence might have been translated in the simple present and present continuous if they were within another context.

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Exercise 2: Translate into English
Zarma English
Musu beri ga futu. A lion is dangerous.
Fonda ga tafey. The road is wide.
Fu fo ga kankam. One house is narrow.
Iri gonda fu kankamanta. We had the narrow house.
Fu kankamanta no. It is the narrow house.
A ga furo fu kankamanta ra. He will enter the narrow house.
Bari kayna ga futu. The little horse is mean.
Iri maa musu beri hinka jindey. We heard the roars (cries) of two lions.
Ni ga konda hay fo Monsieur do. You will bring something to Monsieur.
Ni ga kande yo hinka. You will bring two camels.
Suba ay ga yo fo day. Tomorrow I will buy a camel.
Yo ga ku no; a ga beri mo. It is a camel that is tall and big.
Boro ga bari karu, da farka, da yo, da haw. A person rides on a horse, a donkey, a camel and a cow.
A ban, wala? Is it finished?
Haŋ'a. No.
Bero go no mo. The older brother (sister) is there to.
A na hari kayna ceci. He looked for a small thing.
A dira fondo kuko boŋ. He walked on a long road.
Niger laabo ga tafey. Niger is wide.
Goroŋo kayniyo, goroŋ'ize no. A little chicken, it is a chick.
Fu meyo (= the door) ga hay. The door is wide/open.
A furo me hayyanta ra. He entered into the wide opening.
Alboro kuku fo kande hay fo. A (certain) tall man brought something.
Iri maa goroŋgari jinde mo. We also heard a cock' s crow.
I go no ga hen. They are crying.
(In the context of the previous sentence: They were crowing.)

* In answers the male form is used. for "a" and "nga", obviously answers with 'she' and 'her' and sometime with 'it' are good as well.

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Exercise 3: Translate this story into Zarma
English Zarma
I will go to your country tomorrow. Ay ga koy ni laabu suba.
The day after tomorrow you will set out. Subasi ni ga dira.
He has two donkeys at home. A gonda farka hinka fu do.
The village market is big. Kwara habo ga beri.
They came out of the big market. I farta habu bero ra.
His car (= mota) hit a small dog and killed it. A mota na hansi kayniyo kar, a n'a wi mo.
It is a narrow road. Fondo kankamante no.
The house is tall and wide. Fuwo ga ku; a ga tafey mo.
The bad cat climbed up on the table; it ate my small bird. Musu futo karu tablo boŋ; a n' ay cira ŋwa.
In the early afternoon one (a person) goes into his house and lies down. Alula boro ga furo fuwo ra; a ga kani mo.
A tall man rode a small horse. Alboro kuku na bari kayniyo karu.
Day before yesterday they sought the way home and they saw it. Bi fo i na fu fonda ceci; i di a mo.
A man in our town (our town person one) has a stallion, two mares, a ram, eight ewes and three cows. Iri kwara boro fo gonda bari gu fo da bari tafa hinka da feji garu fo da feji way ahaku da haw hinza.

* In answers the male form is used. for "a" and "nga", obviously answers with 'she' and 'her' and sometime with 'it' are good as well.

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Exercise 4a: Translate into Zarma,
fill in the frames with the suggested predicates
'The small man ..'
English Zarma
The small man is sitting down. Alboro kayna go no ga goro.
The small man is walking down the road. Alboro kayna go no ga fonda dira.
The small man is doing work. Alboro kayna go no ga goy te.
The small man is coming out of the house. Alboro kayna go no ga farta fuwo ra.
The small man is seeking the way home. Alboro kayna go no ga fu fonda ceci.
The small man is riding a donkey. Alboro kayna go no ga farak karu.
The small man is bringing something; it's a hen. Alboro kayna go no ga kande hay fo; goroŋo way no.
The small man is taking a big sheep to his wife. Alboro kayna go no ga konda feji beri nga wando do.
Exercise 4b: Translate into Zarma,
fill in the frames with the suggested predicates
'Every day I ..'
English Zarma
Every day I eat food. Han kulu ay ga ŋwari ŋwa.
Every day I do work at my house. Han kulu ay ga goy te ay fuwo do.
Every day I drink water. Han kulu ay ga hari haŋ.
Every day I see something. Han kulu ay ga di hay fo.
Every day I hear children's voices. Han kulu ay ga maa zanka jindey.
Every day I love you (plural). Han kulu ay ga ba araŋ.

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Last updated: 26 februari 2010