Lesson 6
Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

Exercise 4

Exercise 5

Exercise 6

Exercise 7

Exercise 8


Exercise 1 Translate into English: possible passives
Zarma English
I na dari kankamante te, wala? Has a narrow bed been made?
(Did they make a narrow bed?)
I na goyo ban, wala? Has the work been finished?
(Did they finish the work?)
I na Musa donton ni do bi. Musa was sent to your place yesterday.
(They sent Musa to your place yesterday.)
I kand'ay se ŋwari. Food was brought to me.
(They brought me food).
I ga ne ay se Fati. I'm called Fati.

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Exercise 2 Translate into English: numbers
Zarma English
Ay di zanka way cindi iddu da haw way cindi ahaku. I saw sixteen children and eighteen cows.
Fu waranka afo si go no kwaara ra. There are nineteen houses in the compound.
Ahaku ga beri, iway cindi fo kan cindi mo ga kayna. Eight are big and the other eleven are small.

(lit.: .. and eleven that remain are small.)

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Exercise 3 Translate into English: adjectives
Zarma English
Iri fuwo meyo ga beri; fenetarey ga kayna. The door of our house is big; the windows are small.
Ni daro kankam. Your narrow bed.
Araŋ hansi bero ga bori no. It's your big dog that is nice.
A faro ga kayna. His field is small.
Fari kayna kan go ay se, ay g'a no ni se. The small field that I have, I will give it to you.

* 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 4 Translate into English: relatives
Zarma English
Nga hinne no kan koy habu hunkuna. It is only he who went to a market today.
Nga no kan kaa cino ra. It is he who came in the night.
Ŋwaro no kan go tasa ra. It is the food that is in the dish.
Iri fuwo no kan a meyo ga hay. It is our house of which it's door is open.
Haro kan i haŋ, hari hanno no. The water that they drunk, it is good water.
Waybora kan ni ce go fuwo ra. The woman who you called is in the house.

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Exercise 5 Translate into English: miscellaneous
Zarma English
Mate ni izo go? How is your child?
A go baani samay. He is just fine.
Mate ni go? How are you?
Ay g'Irikoy sabu.
I'm thanking God.
Mate ni maa (= name)? What is your name?
Ay maa Hayssa no. (It is) Hayssa (that) is my name.
I ga ne ay se Hayssa no. (It is) Hayssa (that) I'm called.
Mate i ga ne ni se? How are you called?
Mate no? How is it?
Tali kulu si.
Nothing at all wrong.
Boro ga goy zaaro ra; a ga jirbi cino ra. A person works during the daytime; he sleeps during the night.
Ni ya man boro no? Where are you from?
Ay ya Ingilise no. I'm English.
Araŋ ya butikkoyan no. You are shopkeepers.

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Exercise 6 Translate into Zarma: adjectives and indirect objects
English Zarma
My horse is good and his donkey is mean. Ay bariyo ga bori, a farkay mo ga futu.
The house is big and it has twelve windows and four (house) doors. Fuwo ga beri, a gonda fenetar way cindi hinka nda fu me taci.
Did you bring two cows and three mares? Ni kande haw hinka nda bari tafa hinza, wala?
I bought (for) you a fine sheep yesterday. Ay na feji bori fo day ni se bi.
He will sell (to) me his three camels today. A ga nga ywa hinza neera ay (ner'ay) se hunkuna.
Madame made (for) me a fine shirt. Madam na kway hanno te ay se.
Will you bring me a little shirt tomorrow? Ni ga kande ay (kand'ay) se kway kayniyo suba.
You will sell (to) me your cow, you understand? Ni ga ni hawo neera ay (ner'ay) se, ni maa?
The child brought (to) me food. Zanka kande ay (kand'ay) se ŋwari.
Will you give (to) me meat? Ni ga iri (g'iri) no ham, wala?
Ni ga no iri se ham, wala?
Ni ga ham no iri se, wala?
I will buy millet and a chicken (question: how many chickens?) for you in the market tomorrow. Ay ga hayni nda goronŋo fo day ni se habu ra suba.
Ay ga day ni se hayni nda goronŋo fo habu ra suba.
He gave (to) me money. A n'ay no  nooru.
A na no ay se   nooru.
A na  nooru no ay se.
She gave (to) me her goat (to keep). A n'ay no nda nga fejo.
Madame gave (to) me a rooster (not necessarily to keep). Madam n'ay no goronŋgari.
Madam na no ay se goronŋgari.
Madam na goronŋgari no ay se.

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Exercise 7 Translate into Zarma: relatives and passives
English Zarma
It is tomorrow that he is going. Suba no kan a ga koy.
It was you whom I saw yesterday. Ni no kan ay di bi.
I was send to the lady. I n'ay donton madam se.
I was born in America (=Amerik laabu). I n'ay hay Amerik laabu.
She had her child in Niamey. A na nga izo hay Niamey.
The dog, which they saw, ate the small bird. Hanso kan i di, nga na curi kayna ŋwa.
The food, which the children brought, has it been eaten? Ŋwaro kan zanka kande, i n'a ŋwa?
Work was done which is good. I na goyo te kan ga bori.
You are being called. I go no ga ni ce.

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Exercise 8 Translate into Zarma: miscellaneous
English Zarma
You will leave the day after tomorrow. Ni ga dira suba si.
I saw a man yesterday who has a fine shirt. Bi ay na di alboro kan gonda kway hanno.
She brought a goat. A kande hincin.
The lady left yesterday afternoon. Madam dira bi wiciri kambu.
She is going to the market. A go (no) ga koy habo.
We came home on horseback (horse on.) and dismounted. Iri kaa fu bari boŋ, iri zumbu mo.
They arrived by truck and they got off. I kaa moto ra, i zumbu mo.
We greeted the village chief; we thanked him, too. Iri na kwaara koyo fo. Iri n'a sabu mo.
They will sleep (lie down) in the house today. I ga kani fuwo ra hunkuna.
The woman went to the river; she will bring (to) us water. Waybora koy isa; a ga kande iri se hari.
She is an American woman. Nga ya Amerik boro no.
They are drivers (= motokoyan). Ingey ya motokoyan no.

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Last updated: 11 maart 2012