Grammar fact sheet: tell the time

 
Topics
  1. Tell the time (the clock)
  2. Idiom

 


Tell the time !
In general the perception of time among Zarma may be very different from ours. We have a clock, they have time expresses this difference in a nutshell. Often time is expressed in relation to the part of the day or the time of the prayers.
 
Nevertheless there is a way to express time using a clock. There is a story that the origin of the Zarma word for hour guuru is derived from the iron (guuru) bells that rang, often old rims, to indicate the time to start or finish work in the days of forced labour. Therefore it is the idea of the metal sound that links hour to iron by guuru signifying both hour and iron.

 To ask and to tell time is very simple as soon as you can count.
 
Guuru watifo no? What time is it?
   Guuru iyye.    Seven o'clock.
   Guuru hinka kaŋ sinda minti ahaku.    Eight minutes before two o'clock
 
The system is depicted below
 
The whole hours
guuru fo guuru iddu guuru yegga zari (noon) or
ciini bindi; ciini bine
(midnight)
       
Half and quarter of the hours
guuru hinza guuru hinza nda minti
way cindi gu 		guuru hinza nda jere guuru taci kaŋ sinda
minti way cindi gu
       
Before the hour: kaŋ sinda After the hour: nda
guuru ahaku kaŋ sinda
minti waranka		 guuru ahaku kaŋ sinda
minti way		 guuru ahaku nda
minti way		 guuru ahaku nda
minti waranka
 

Back


Time idiom
 
Here you will find some expressions about relative time.
 
Idiom

English

Zarma
now sohon
now directly sohon-sohon
about this time danga sohon wato
this time tomorrow suba yacine
this time tomorrow suba mansancine
this time Saturday Assibiti mansancine
you haven't told me yet ni mana ci ay se jina
you have already seen it ni jin ga di a
in a little while we will eat a tonton kayna iri ga ŋwari
after dinner hawrey banda
just a bit ago I told him jinjina ay ci a se
it´s been a little while since he came out a gay kayna, a farta
before Abdou arrived, I was studying za Abdou mana kaa, ay go go caw
formerly it was here he worked doŋ ne no a goy
formerly, I couldn't speak Zarma watodin, ay si ma Zarma cine
in the past, Arlit was a small town watodin, Arlit ya kwaara kayna no
in those days, Zinder was the capital of Niger watodin, Niger kapitalo go Zinder
a long time ago he said he would come za watifo a ne nga ga ga kaa
we have know him, it's been a long time iri n´a bay, a gay

Back

 




Last updated: 18 januari 2012