Content
- Intro
- Vocabulary
- Greetings
- Grammar
- Exercises (workbook, lesson 4)
- Answers (answer book, lesson 4)
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4.A. Intro |
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Han fo (A day) |
Han fo, a day, the animation below shows you the main parts of the day as distinguished by the Zarma. In total there are nine periods. Move the mouse to the picture. Click the left mouse button and an animation will appear in a popup. |
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Most of the initial greetings are related to the moment of the day. In the table below the this greetings are given for each moment of the day. In addition the name of some parts of the day also is related to the prayer. |
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Parts of the day and greetings
Zarma |
English |
Greeting 1 |
Prayer 2 |
| alfazar |
dawn, sunrise |
ni kani baani ? |
alfazar,
at sunrise |
| adduha |
early morning
sunrise till 10:00 am |
ni kani baani ? |
adduha,
9:00 till 10:00 am |
| weete |
mid-morning
10:00 till 11:30 am |
ni weete baani ? |
weete ,
10:00 till 12:00 am |
| zaari |
noon |
ni foy baani ? |
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| aluula |
early afternoon
12:30 am till 4:30 pm |
ni foy baani ? |
aluula
2:30 till 3:00 pm |
| wiciri |
late after noon to sunset |
ni wiciri baani ? |
alaasar
4:30 till 5:00 pm |
| hiire |
after sunset till supper time |
ni hiire baani ? |
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| almaari 3 |
after dark until bed time |
ni almaaray baani ? |
almaari
8:30 till 9:00 pm |
| ciini |
night |
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| 1 |
In some cases the word for the part of a day also is a verb. This verb means 'to pass the specific part of the day'. Exceptions are 'kani' (to rest) that refers to the night before, and 'foy' (to spent the daytime) that refers to the whole day. The verb going together with 'almaari' is 'almaaray'. |
| 2 |
Formal current prayer names and times are different (see below) |
| 3 |
'almari kambu' means twilight |
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Current prayer names and times are direved from Arab and are related to formal Islamic prayer times that differ between places and days of the year. Actual prayer times for Niamey can be find here. |
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| nr |
Arab name |
Part of day |
time |
| 1 |
Fajr |
morning |
between the very beginning of dawn and sunrise |
| 2 |
Shurooq |
sunrise |
the time of sunrise, the time when the upper limb of the sun just starts to appear above the horizon. This marks the end time for Fajr (morning) prayer. |
| 3 |
Dhuhr |
noon |
Between the declining of the sun and Asr (when the shadow of something is twice its own length) |
| 4 |
Asr |
late afternoon |
Immediately after the last time limit of Dhuhr until (just before) the sunset |
| 5 |
Maghrib |
evening |
Soon after the sunset
until the disappearance of the twilight |
| 6 |
Isha |
night |
After the disappearance of the twilight until midnight. |
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4.B. Vocabulary |
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Learn these words by heart.
Extra
Move the mouse to one of the underlined words and a sentence in which the word is used will appear. Click the left mouse button and a photo will appear in a popup. When you move the pointer on the screen with your mouse over the photo the translation of the Zarma sentence will show. |
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Verbs
| Zarma |
English |
Pronunciation [1] |
| almaaray |
to pass the late evening
(used in greeting) |
al maa ray |
| faham # |
to understand, to comprehend (usually 'nda' is put before the object which follow the verb) |
fa ham |
| goy |
to work |
goy |
| haw |
to tie, to tie up |
hàw |
| hiire |
to pass the early evening
(used in greeting) |
hii re |
| kande # |
to bring (lit. to come with) |
kan de $ |
| ŋwa |
to eat |
ŋwaa |
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Notes: |
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| # |
signifies verbs that take the direct object afterwards (see Lesson 2.C.1 & 3.D.5). |
| $ |
indicaties that accent and/or tone may be different, perhaps related to region and/or dialect. For 'kande' there is no consistency between sources regarding tone :
kan de (1, 4); kan de (13) |
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Nouns
| Zarma |
English |
Pronunciation [1] |
| boro, bora |
person, human, individual |
bo rô, bo ra |
| boro fo |
someone, somebody, a certain person |
boro fo |
| daari, daaro |
bed, bed frame |
daa ri |
| feeji, feejo |
sheep (singular) |
fee ji |
| goy, goyo |
work |
goy, goy o |
| habu, habo
|
market, week |
ha bu |
| hab'ize, hab'izo |
trader, small gift from market, items purchased in market |
hab' i ze |
| ize, izo
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fruit, offspring, seed, child (in this sense) |
i ze |
| jinay, jinayo |
belongings, baggage, things (collective) |
ji nay, ji nay o |
| kubay, kubayo |
darkness |
ku bay, ku bay o |
| ŋwaari, ŋwaaro
|
food, victuals |
ŋwaa ri\ |
| safari, safaro |
medicine, magic, fetish charm |
sà far ri |
| susubay, susuba 1 |
morning |
su su bay |
| taabal, taablo (F) |
table |
taa bal |
| taasa (F) |
dish, usually of enamelled tin |
taa sa |
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Notes: |
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| 1 |
also susubo is often used in stead of susuba |
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Adverbs, adjectives, etc.
| Zarma |
English |
Pronunciation [1] |
| alaasar, alaasaro (adverb) |
prayer time between 4:30 or 5:00 p.m. |
a laa sar |
| almaari, almaaro (adverb) |
prayer time 8:30 or 9:00 p.m.; by extension evening after dark up to bedtime. |
al maa ri |
| aluula (adverb) |
prayer time between 2:30 or 3:00 p.m. |
a luu la $ |
| boori (adjective) |
good, good looking, pretty (always a predicate adj. m. never attribute of a noun) Note: also beautiful |
boo ri |
| cire (postposition) |
under, below, beneath |
ci re $ |
| do (postposition, sometimes noun) |
to, at, by means of, at the place of, 'chez' (French) |
do * |
| kuna (postposition) |
inside, within (use sparingly) |
ku na |
| ra (postposition) |
in |
ra |
| suba (adverb) |
tomorrow |
su bà |
suba susubey,
suba susba (adverb) |
tomorrow morning |
su ba su su bay,
su ba su su ba |
| subasi (adverb) |
day after tomorrow, or some other future day, not to far off |
su ba si |
| wiciri, wiciro (adverb) |
late afternoon to sunset, today only |
wi ci ri |
wiciri kambu,
wiciri kambo (adverb) |
late afternoon to sunset, any day |
wi ci ri kam bu |
| za (preposition or conjunction) |
since (precedes object rather than follows) |
za $ |
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Notes: |
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| * |
This word has different meanings depending on pronunctiation. |
| $ |
indicaties that accent and/or tone may be different, perhaps related to region and/or dialect. For the following words there is no consistency between sources regarding tone : |
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aluula : a luu la (1), a luu la (4, 13), |
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za : za (1, 4); za (13) |
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| [1] |
Legend for pronunciation (see Pronunciation guide for details) |
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italic |
tone is high |
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under score |
tone is low |
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vowel with ^ |
long vowel, e.g., ê |
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vowel with ` |
short vowel, e.g. è |
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bold |
syllable on which the principle emphasis falls
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4.C. Greetings (fooyaŋey) |
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As was explained in Lesson 1 and Lesson 3, greetings are time and context dependent. In those lessons we have learned to greet an individual and a group and to say goodbye. In this lesson we will learn to greet a person at his work and to thank someone. We will also learn to ask pardon.
In the greetings grammar is used beyond the grammar explained in this lesson. |
1. |
To one who is working |
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| greeting : | Fonda goy (greeting to your work) |
| reply : | Ngoyya (anyone's reply)
Ngway (only man or boy can use this) |
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2. |
To thank someone |
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| greeting : | Fonda goy.
Fofo. |
| reply : | Ngoyya (anyone's reply)
Ngway (only man or boy can use this) |
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Note:
We remind you that a greeting that begins with a 'fo' or a 'fonda' will have an 'ngoyya' repley. |
3. |
To ask pardon, or to excuse oneself |
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| excuse : | Alha han (mild) (Sorry. Excuse me.)
Alha kuna (more serious) (I'm sorry.) |
| reply : | Alhasi (That's all right) |
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Note:
The words in parentheses are not direct translation, but are an idea equivalent. These are Arabic words and we don't know their direct translation, but this is the way Zarmas excuse themselves for an unintentional incivility. |
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4.D. Grammar |
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Subjects in this lesson:
- Possessions
- Prepositions and postpositions
- The verb 'to be' , past and present positive
- Sentence order (continued from past lessons)
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4.D.1. Possessions |
The general rule for possession is to place the noun of the possessor before the thing possessed. |
| Zarma |
English |
| Ɲamay habu |
Niamey market |
| fu borey |
home folks |
| Alzuma kwaara |
Alzuma's town |
| Malam kwaara |
Teacher's compound |
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There are times when this construction is more easily translated into English by the formula 'the ____ of ____'; for example 'Ɲamay habu' can be understood as 'the market of Niamey', but the form is invariable in Zarma, as it is not in English.
Possessions are used as possessives when placed before a noun, and agree in number with facts. The noun very frequently has the definite ending on it ('o' or 'a' in singular, and 'ey' in plural; see respectively Lesson 1.D.2 and 1.D.3). |
| Zarma |
English |
Zarma |
English |
| ay bariyo |
my horse |
i bariyey & |
their horses |
| iri fuwo |
our house (home) |
a goyo & |
his work |
| araŋ tasey |
your dishes |
a haro & |
its water |
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& |
Those short forms of the third person pronoun 'a' and 'i', are always used as possessives except as shown in the rule below for the long forms 'nga' and 'ngey'. |
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When two third person pronoun, referring to the same person or thing, the first one being the subject and the second having a reflexive application, occur in the same clause, the second one uses the longer form, whether it is possessive or otherwise. |
| Zarma |
English |
| A na nga daaro neera. |
He sold his (own) bed. |
| I kande ngey bariyey. |
They brought their (own) horses. |
| A ne nga ga koy fu. |
He said he (himself) will go home. |
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This rule also applies when the subject is a noun. |
| Zarma |
English |
| Zanka ne nga ga koy fu. |
The child said he (himself) will go home. |
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But when the first of the third person pronouns referring to the same person or thing is used as possessive (not the subject), this rule does not apply. |
| Zarma |
English |
| A wando ga koy a do. |
His wife will go to him. |
| A izo n' a fo. |
Her child greeted her. |
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back |
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4.D.2. Prepositions and postpositions |
In Zarma, the adpositions, for the most part, are placed after their objects. Therefore, it are mostly postpositions (see also section 6.D.1) and not prepositions like in English. Exceptions are 'za' and 'nda' and a few others that have a double use. These can be preposition or conjunction and precede their object. |
| Zarma |
English |
| fuwo ra |
in the house |
| taasa ra |
in the dish |
| boro kuna |
in man |
| A koy fu za bi. |
He went (has been gone) home since yesterday. |
| Iri ma kani da gomni! |
May we rest with grace! |
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back |
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4.D.3. The verb 'to be' , past and present positive |
This verb is expressed by two words, either 'go no' or 'si no'. The 'go no' is the positive and the 'si no' is the negative (see section 8.D.3). The tense is indicated by the context. These words, 'go no', may be used either together or separately, in different kinds of 'being'. Below five different situation are shown. |
1. |
'go no' to show absolute existence; nearly equals French 'il y a'. |
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| Zarma |
English |
| Hunkuna kubay go no. |
It is dark today (lit.: Darkness is today). |
| Bi ŋwari go no. |
Yesterday there was food (lit.: Yesterday food was). |
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| Zarma |
English |
| Jinay go daaro cire. |
The baggage is under the bed. |
| Hanso go fuwo ra. |
The dog is in the house. |
| Tasey go taablo boŋ. |
The dishes are on the table. |
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Note:
If one had 'go no' in any of the above, then the meaning would be: 'there is (there are) ... ', but the subject could not be definite. |
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3. |
'no' with a predicate nominative, very like the French "c'est" and "ce sont". No subject is needed when it is understood to be the 3rd person pronoun. If the subject of this 'no' verb is stated, there is a special auxiliary
, to be learned later (section 6.D.5). This verb comes at the end of its clause, and is the most widely used, especially being added for emphasis, where we would let the main verb carry it. |
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| Zarma |
English |
| Safari no ay kande. |
It is medicine I brought. |
| Ni do no ay koy. |
It was to you I went. |
| A taasa no. |
It is his dish. |
| Zanka no. |
She's a child. / He's a child |
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4. |
'no' when the predicate nominative is a pronoun, than the same construction is used as at 3 above. The long forms of the third person pronouns are used with this verb. |
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| Zarma |
English |
| Ay no. |
It is I. |
| Ni no |
It is you. |
| Nga no, wala? |
Is it she? |
| Oho, ngey no go fuwa ra. |
Yes, it is they (who) are in the house. |
| Ay no g' a te. |
It is I (who) will do it. |
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5. |
Exception
When there is a predicate adjective (describing the subject) the particle 'ga' is used to link the subject to its attribute, rather than a verb. For emphasis a 'no' may be added after the adjective. |
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| Zarma |
English |
| Bi habo ga beeri. |
Yesterday's market was big. |
| Bi habo ga beeri no. |
It's that yesterday's market was big. |
| A ga boori. |
It (he, she) is pretty. |
| A ga boori no. |
It's that she's pretty. |
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back |
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4.D.4. Sentence order (continued from past lessons) |
In Lesson 1 we have learnt to phrase a question. In Lesson 2 the sentence order is reviewed for regular transitive verbs and intransitive verbs. In Lesson 3 the senstence order is reviewed for irregular transitive verbs of subjective perception or emotion. This part reviews the sentence order when expressing possession and when expressing 'being'. |
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Expressing possession |
1. |
Possession, with ownership in subject |
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| language
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possessor
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possession-article
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predicate
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| Zarma
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Ay
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izo
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zuru fuwo ra.
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| English
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My
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child
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ran into the house.
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2. |
Possession with ownership in subject, regular verb |
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| language |
subject |
auxiliary
|
possessor |
possession-article |
verb |
| Zarma |
Zankey |
na |
araŋ |
hanso |
kar |
| English |
The children |
(intransitive) |
your |
dog |
hit |
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3. |
Possession with ownership in subject, irregularl verb |
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| language |
subject |
auxiliary |
verb |
possessor |
possession-article |
| Zarma |
Iri |
(if needed) |
di |
ni |
fu borey |
| English |
We |
(intransitive) |
saw |
your |
family |
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Expressing 'being' |
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| language
|
time element (optional)
|
object
|
'go no'
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| Zarma
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Hunkuna |
hansi
|
go no
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| English #
|
Today
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a dog
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is
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| language
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subject
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'go'
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place
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preposition
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| Zarma
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Ni hanso
|
go
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daaro
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ciri
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| English #
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Your dog
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is
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the bed
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under
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| # |
Your dog is under the bed. |
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6. |
'Being' with a predicate nominative |
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| language
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predicate nominative (never definite)
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'no'
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| Zarma
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Hansi
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no
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| English #
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A dog
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it is.
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7. |
Predicate adjective after 'being' |
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| language
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subject
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'ga'
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adjective attribute of subject
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| Zarma
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Ni hanso
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ga
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boori
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| English
|
Your dog
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is
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pretty
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back |
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