Lesson 7
Exercise 1

Exercise 2

Exercise 3

Exercise 4

Exercise 5

Exercise 6


Exercise 1 Translate into English: demonstratives
Zarma English
Kalam wohendi ga ku no, amma wone ga dunguriyo. It is the pencil beyond that is long, but this one here is short.
Nda ni na fonda wohendi gana, ni ga koy ganjo ra. If you follow the road beyond, you will go into the wilderness.
Boro way cindi ahakodin kan go no ga kaa yongo, Yantala borey no. Those eighteen persons that are coming yonder, they are people from Yantela.
Laabu koy fo na tira wo hantum iri se. A land owner wrote this letter to us.
Irikoy sabuyan ga bori; wodin n'A ga ba han kulu. Thanking God is good; that He wants every day.
Bor'o faro ga kayna; a go no g'afo ceci kan ga beri. This man's field is small; he is looking for one that is big.
Ay kayna na iri ce za a go yongo, isa me ga. My younger*1 called us when he/she was yonder at the river mouth.
Ni gonda kalam wala hay fo kan ga goy wo te, wala? Do you have a pen or something that can do this work?

*1 it could be a younger sister or brother.

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Exercise 2 Translate into English: intransitive verbs
Zarma English
Ay baba koy Niamey. My father went to Niamey.
A Kalamo ga bori. His pen is good.
Iri baba kani. Our father laid down.
A jirbi cino ra. He slept at night.
I ga koy ganjo ra wiciri. They will go into the bush in the late afternoon.
Ay bere no. It's my older*1.
Iri do, cawyan fu kayna go no. At our place there is a small house for religious services.
Bi fo a kaa iri do. Yesterday, he/she came to our place.
Ay kayna koy isa. My younger*2 went to the river.
Nd'ay koy ay bere do koyne, ay ga zumbu a ga jirbi ahaku wala jirbi way. If I go to my older's*1 place again, I'll stay with him eight or ten days.

*1 it could be an older sister or brother.
*2 it could be a younger sister or brother.

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Exercise 3 Translate into English: transitive verbs
Zarma English
Iri arme di ni fuwo. Our brother saw your house.
A di haw fo mo. He also saw one caw.
A n'a day; a kond'a fu. He bought it; he brought it home.
A kaa iri do; a kande hay fo kan a du nga kwaara. He came to our place; he brought something that he obtained in his village.
Nyaŋo go ga goy fo te kan izo ga wan'a. This mother is doing work that a child knows how to do it.
Kayno ga kand'i se hari kan ga haŋ. The younger*1 will bring them water to drink.
Ni ga wani Zarma cawyan, wala? Do you know writing Zarma?

*1 it could be a younger sister or brother.

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Exercise 4 Translate into Zarma: relative & demonstrative
English Zarma
My father brought this book. Ay baba kande tira wo.
We shall go to that house tomorrow morning. Iri ga koy fuwodin suba susubey.
This man saw ten lions yesterday. Albor'o di musu beri wey bi.
This person's dog killed two birds yesterday in the bush. Bor'o hanso na curo hinka wi ganjo ra bi.
That lion, which you saw yesterday, we heard its voice. Musu berodin kan ni di a bi, iri maa r'a jinda.
We saw this person; he came from this house. Iri di bor'o; a kaa fuw'o ra.
The man who wrote this letter is over there. Albora kan na tira wo hantum, a go yongo.
You counted these books, you sold three. Ni na tir'o kabu, ni na ihinza neera.
This house's door is open (it is open). Fu mey'o a ga hay.
When his older brother came from the bush yesterday, he brought the millet, which is over there. Kan a bere kaa sajo ra bi, a kande hayno kan go yongo.
They wrote fifteen letters but these three will stay here because the writing is small. I na tira wey cindi gu hantum, amma woneyan hinza ga zumbe ne, wala hantumyaŋo ga kayna.
The religious teacher who is at our villages, it's a Karma person. Alfaga kan go iri kwaara do, a ya Karma boro no.

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Exercise 5 Translate into Zarma: "will go"
English Zarma
My sister will go into the house. Ay wayme*1 ga koy fuwo ra.
The father will go home. Baba ga koy fu.
His older brother will go to town. A bere ga koy kwaara.
Their mother will go to market. I nya ga koy habu.
Your younger sister will go to Abdou's. Ni / Araŋ kayna ga koy Adbou do.
Sixteen children will go in the car. Zanka wey cindi iddu ga koy mota ra.

*1 wayme, only when the speaker is a male, a woman should and a man may say "bere" or "kayne".

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Exercise 6 Translate into Zarma: "you and me"
English Zarma
You will get my letter. Ni ga du ay tira (lettro).
You saw my pen. Ni di ay kalamo.
You heard my brother. Ni maa ay armo*1.
You want my drinking water. Ni ga ba ay haŋyan haro.

*1 armo, only when the speaker is a female, a man should and a woman may say "bere" or "kayne".

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Last updated: 07 februari 2012