Lesson 9
Exercise 1

Exercise 2


Exercise 1  Translate into English
Zarma English
Ifo se no ni mana wodin bay?
Ay man’a bay zama ay mana koy kwaara hunkuna.
I mana ci ay se hay kulu mo.		 Why didn't you know that?
I didn't know because I didn't go to town today.
They didn't tell me anything as well.
Man Adamu windo (= compound) go?
To. Ay g’a cabe ni se.		 Where is Adamu's compound?
Well. I will show you to you.
Ifo no araŋ caw hunkuna?
Iri na sanney caw kanyan go Irikoy tira ra.
Ay ci i se iri ga koy cawyan fu subasi.
 
Iri si koy jingarey do koyne hunkuna, zama cin no.
Iri go ga maa Irikoy Sanno se.		 What did you read today?
We read the stories that are in God's book.
I told them we will go to a house where religious services are held the day after tomorrow.
We will no more go to a mosque today, because it is night.
We understand the the Lord's word.  
Ifo se ni go no ga goro ne ni karga bon?
To. Zama fejey no ay go no ga guna.
May fejey no?
Iri baba fejey no. 		Why are you sitting here on your chair?
Well. Because it is the sheep I am watching.
Whose sheep they are?
They are our father's sheep.
Hassan di ni nya; a go nga fuwo ra.
Ifo n’a ne a se?
A mana ne a se hay kulu.
A mana ba ne fo-fo.		 Hassan saw your mother; she is in her house.
What did she said to him?
She didn't say anything to him.
She didn't even say hello.
Man hansodin koy?
Hansi wofo no?
Iri mana di a.
Ay wayme hanso no; a ga ba r’a.
Cin bindo ra no a zuru.		 Where did that dog go?
Which dog?
We didn't see it.
It is my sister's dog; she loves it.
It was in the middle of the night it ran.
Bi ay di goroŋgari kwaare fo habo do.
I g’a neera dela waranka.
Iri g’a day; Isaka no ne nga g’a wi iri se.		 Yesterday I saw a white chicken at the market.
They sell it for twenty delas (100 francs).
We will buy it; it is Isaka that said that he will kill it for us.
Boro kuku wo ga to kwaara koyo.

A ga jingar zama a go ga Mohammadu gana.
Zarmey ga jingar ce gu zaari kulu.		 This tall person will arrive at the mayor (town's chief).
He prays because he is Muslim (he is following Mohamed).
The Zarma pray five times each day.

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Exercise 2  Translate into Zarma
English Zarma
Yesterday someone said to me: "If you go into the bush, you will see a lion."
I said to him, "Who told you that?"
He said to me: "We saw it day before yesterday. It is a red lion."		 Bi boro fo ne ay se: watifo ni ga koy sajo ra, ni ga di musu beri.
Ay ne a se: may no na wodin ci ni se?
A ci ay se: bi fo iri di a. Musu beri ciray no.
Every morning we pray, but the religious teacher does not pray; he recites the Muslim "prayers".
Do they not all go into the big mosque?		 susubey kulu iri ga te adduwa, amma alfaga si te adduwa; a ga te jingar.
I si koy kulu jingarey bero ra, wala?
How much is this white kitten?
It’s ninety-five Francs.
Who killed its mothers?
I don’t know.
I didn’t even know she was dead (= she died).
Who told you that?		 Marge no musu ize kwaar'o?
Dela waranka af si.
Man no n'a nya wi?
Ay si bey
Ay mana ba bey a bu.
Man no na wodin ci ni se?
I am sitting down at my house.
I see your brother. He is running.		 Ay go ga goro ay fuwo do.
Ay ga di ni arme*1. A go ga zuru.
Why is it that it is now, this soon, that you (p) got up?
Well, we didn’t sleep during the night.
Why was it you didn’t sleep?
Because guests arrived to stay with us (= guests descended upon us). 		Ifo se no sohon no, nda hineydin, kan araŋ tun?
To, iri mana jirbi cino ra.
Ifo se no araŋ mana jirbi?
Zama yawyan zumbu iri gaa.
Which chair did they take that which is green or that which is black?
They didn’t tell me, but I know they took both (= all two).		 Karga wofo no i kaa, wodin kan ga bogu wala wodin kan ga bi?
I mana ci ay se, amma ay ga bay I na kulu hinka kaa.

*1 If the "ni" is a woman. Else one should say "bere" (older) or "kayne" (younger).

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Last updated: 11 maart 2012