Content
- Intro
- Vocabulary
- Greetings
- Grammar
- Exercises (workbook, lesson 8)
- Answers (answer book, lesson 8)
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8.A. Intro |
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Read the text below and try to answer the questions at the end. Some help is provided, move the cursor to an underlined phrase and the translation appears. |
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Han kulu habu go Yantala. Borey din ga ne a se Yantala habu, a beeri no. Alfazar hab'izey ga kaa. I kande hayey boobo kaŋ i ga neera. Hab'izey go no kaŋ ga neera salati da tomati da jinay kulu kaŋ ga fun kali ra. Hab'izey mo go no kaŋ ga
guuru jinay neera; i ga neera
zaama
da
kalma
da
adda
. |
Wayborey go ga koy habo. |
Guuru jinay go habu ra. |
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Hunkuna Daouda go ga koy Yantala habu. A ga ba ga zaama
kaan day kaŋ ga hayni wi. A ga hab'ize bay kaŋ ga zaama
kaanu neera, amma zaama ga cada. Daouda sinda nooru boobo, a ga hayci. |
| Daouda |
Fofo. |
| Hama |
Ngoyya. |
| Daouda |
Mate ni go? |
| Hama |
Baani samay. To Daouda ifo no ga ba? |
| Daouda |
Hama, ay go no ga zaama ceeci. Heemaro go ga kaa. Beene hari kaŋ, hayni ga boori mo. |
| Hama |
To, ay gonda zaama kan ni ga ba, walla. I n' a hanse hal ma bori. Ni ga ni hayni wi da wasi. Ta nga! |
| Daouda ga zaama guna. A ga kanu. A ga ne: |
| Daouda |
To, ni ga cim. A si futu. Marge no wo? |
| Hama |
Nga si futu? Zaamadin ga bori nda ikulu. Dala waranka ay g' a neera ni se, zama ni ya ay cora no. |
| Daouda |
Haba? A ga cada. Baani, zab ay se. |
| Hama |
A manna cada. To, ay ga dala fo kaa. |
| Daouda |
Albarka! Ay g' a ceeci nangu woyongo. |
| Hama |
Ni ma kaa! nooru marge no ni se? |
| Daouda |
Dala way cindi taaci. |
| Hama |
Haba? Manti cimi no! Ni g' ay wi. To, ay yedda zama ni ay cora no. |
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Daouda go ga koy fu. A sinda nooru, amma a gonda nga zaama. |
Questions :
a) Ifo no Daouda ga ba ga day?
b) Marge no Hama n'a neera nga se? |
Answers :
a) xxx
b) xxx
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8.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] |
| bay |
to know (both savoir and connaître) |
bay |
| darey |
to get lost, to go astray, to be mistaken |
dà ray |
| gay |
to be a long time; to stay a long time, to delay (intransitive) |
gay $ |
| gaayi |
to hold back, to delay, to stop (transitive) |
gaay i $ |
| kaa |
to remove, to take away |
kaa |
| sinda |
to be without, to not have (antonym of "gonda") |
sin da |
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Notes: |
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| $ |
indicaties that accent and/or tone may be different, perhaps related to region and/or dialect. For 'gay' and 'gaayi' there is no consistency between sources regarding tone :
gay : gay (1, 4), gay (13)
gaayi : gaay (1), gaay i (4), gaay (13) |
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Nouns
| Zarma |
English |
Pronunciation [1] |
| albasan, albasano
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onion |
al ba sa, al ba sa o |
| alkama |
wheat |
al kâ ma |
| annasaara |
European or other lighter skinned person whose tribal name isn’t known. Could mean Chinese. In short not 'boro bi'. |
àn na saa ra |
| boro bi |
native of Africa, Negroid type (lit. black person) |
boro bi |
| dala (also dela) |
unit of 5 francs in counting money |
dà la |
| dunguri, dunguro |
bean |
dun gu ri |
| gondi, gondo ≠ |
snake |
gwun di |
| gunguri, gunguro |
egg |
gun gu ri |
| guuri, guuro |
egg (short form of 'gunguri') |
guu ri |
| haamo |
guinea corn |
haa mo |
| jara |
bonus (extra stuff given to a buyer in the market), gift |
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| kaatibi |
unit of 5 francs in counting money |
kaa ti bi |
| kolkoti, kolkoto |
corn, maize |
kol ko ti |
| labtanda |
one variety of squash
(genus Cucurbita) |
lab tan da $ |
| leemu (F) |
lime (fruit of Citrus aurantifolia, F = 'limon'); orange |
lee mu |
leemu beeri,
leemu beero
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orange (fruit of Citrus sinensis; literally big 'limon') |
lee mu bee ri |
leemu kayniyo,
leemu kayna |
lemon (fruit of Citrus limon; literally small ‘limon’) |
lee mu kay na |
| mo, moyo / mwa
@ |
rice |
mo, mo yo / mwa $ |
| nooru, nooro |
money |
noo ru $ |
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Notes: |
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| ≠ |
spelling of word and its pronunciation differ |
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@ |
the definite of 'mo', both singular and plural has several forms.
definite singular : moyo and mwa
defintie plural : moyey and moy |
| $ |
indicaties that accent and/or tone may be different, perhaps related to region and/or dialect. For several wors there is no consistency between sources regarding tone :
labtanda : lab tan da (1), lap tan da (13)
mo, moyo/mwa : mo, (1), mo, moyo (4), mo, mo (w)a (13) |
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Adverbs, adjectives, etc.
| Zarma |
English |
Pronunciation [1] |
| abada (interjection) |
never, (emphatic) no |
â bà dà $ |
| afo-fo (interjection) |
one by one, one each |
a fo - fo |
| albarka (interjection) |
What a profit! |
al bar ka |
| ba (preposition or conjunction) |
even, even though (precedes object when preposition) |
ba |
| boobo (adjective) |
much, many (always used with singular noun), a lot |
boo bo |
| caada (H) (adjective) |
expensive, dear |
caa da $ |
| fala (adjective) |
easy; (by extension) cheap, not expensive |
faa la $ |
| iddu-iddu (interjection) |
six by six, six apiece |
id du - id du |
| ihinka-hinka (interjection) |
two by two, two apiece |
i hin ka - hin ka |
| manti (adverb) |
not (in some constructions) |
man ti |
| marge (adverb) |
how much, how many (always singular noun) |
mar je |
| marge no (adverb) |
how much is it (price) |
mar je no |
| sandi, sando (adjective) |
hard (literally and figuratively) |
san di |
kamba ga sandi
(expression) |
to be tight fisted |
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| to (interjection) |
OK! |
tòò |
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Notes: |
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| $ |
indicaties that accent and/or tone may be different, perhaps related to region and/or dialect. For 'abada', 'caada' and 'faala' there is no consistency between sources regarding tone :
abada:
â bà dà (1, 13), â bà dà (4)
caada : caa da (1), caa da (4), caa da (13)
faala : faa la (1, 4), faa la (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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8.C. Greetings (fooyaŋey) |
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In earlier lessons we have learned to greet an individual and a group, to greet a person at his work and to say welcome and goodbye. We also learned to thank someone and to ask pardon. We learned the initial greetings and about the greetings that may be used after the initial 'hello' and the inquiry about their night or day.
This lesson we'll learn more about market talks. An important aspect of buying something on markets or on the streets in general is bargaining. It is a game not well none in most northwest European countries, so it will be a new experience that offers you a lot of opportunities to practise your Zarma. |
1. |
To ask the price and answer |
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The Zarma price system differs from that in Europe. The unit for counting is dela. This is discussed in section 8.D.7. There are several different replies you may get to your question 'Marge no ?' |
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| Question of buyer |
Marge no ? |
How much is it. |
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Marge marge? |
How much per unit? |
| Reply of seller |
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| number plus price |
Ihinka dala |
Two for 1 dala (5 francs) |
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| repetition, indicates price of each |
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| one dala each |
Dala-dala |
1 dala (5 francs) apiece |
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Dala fo-fo |
1 dala each (5 francs) |
| more dala each |
Ihinza-ihinza |
3 dalas (15 francs) each |
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Dala hinza-hinza |
3 dalas (15 francs) each |
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2. |
To bargain |
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The seller offers a price. This is not a fixed price, but you are assumed to bargain. |
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| Buyer |
Albarka! |
What a profit! [meaning: lower the price] |
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A ga caada. |
It is expensive. |
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Baani, zab' ay se. |
Listen, lower the price. |
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| Seller |
Albarka! |
What a profit! [meaning: increase the price] |
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A mana caada. |
It’s not dear. |
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To. Ay ga dala fo kaa. |
OK I’ll take off a dala. |
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| Buyer |
Tonton kayna. |
Add a little more (as for vegetables). |
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Jara si no? |
Isn’t there a little extra? |
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To, ay yadda. |
Well, I agree. |
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Nooro ne. |
Here, the money. |
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8.D. Grammar |
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Subjects in this lesson:
- Past negative of verbs
- Present and future negative of verbs
- Negative of verb 'to be'
- Use of 'yes' and 'no'
- The conjunction-preposition 'ba'
- 'Abada' and 'koyne'
- Emphatic pronouns
- Money to 100 Francs
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8.D.1 Past negative of verbs |
The past negative is formed by placing the negative auxiliary
'mana' after the subject where the auxiliary regularly goes whether the direct object is present or not. |
| Zarma |
English |
| Ay mana bay. |
I didn’t no. |
| Bi ni mana koy Dosso. |
Yesterday you didn’t go to Dosso. (singular) |
| Susob'o iri koy isa banda, iri mana koy lokkol. |
This morning we went to the other side of the river, we didn't go to school. |
| Araŋ mana kaa. |
You didn’t come. (plural) |
| Araŋ man’ a kaa. |
You didn’t remove it. (plural) |
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The expression 'yana' is commonly used in the first person singular to answer a question or in any statement, rather than 'ay mana'. |
| Zarma |
English |
| Yana bay ni ga dira. |
I didn’t know you were leaving. |
| Ni maa, wala? Yana (maa). |
Did you hear? I didn’t (hear). |
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8.D.2 Present and future negative of verbs |
The negative of the present and future tense is formed with the negative auxiliary
'si' in the same way as with 'mana' (in this case replacing 'ga'). Note that for present it must be actual present action, not a present state dependent on past action. That requires a past negative. |
| Zarma |
English |
| A si koy. |
He/She is not going (shall not go). |
| Ay si bay! |
I don't know! |
| Iri s’ a neera hunkuna. |
We are not selling (will not sell) it today. |
| I si maa. |
They do not hear (will not hear). |
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The auxiliary 'manti' is used in negative answers or exclamations when the verb is omitted. |
| Zarma |
English |
| Manti sohon! |
Not now! |
| Manti ne! |
Not here! |
| Manti nga! |
Not him! (see section 8.D.6) |
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Note: These uses with 'manti' can be past tense, of course, if the context indicates. |
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8.D.3 Negative of verb 'to be' |
| The verb 'to be' has many different forms (see section 4.D.3). Sometimes the negative is formed by using 'si' and other times by using 'manti'.
To show absolute existence (French 'il y a') the form 'go no' is used. This changes to 'si no' to form the negative. |
| Zarma |
English |
| Gooro yaŋ si no. |
There are no kola nuts. |
| Ŋwaari si no. |
There is no food. (lit. Food not be) |
| Buuru iyye si no fuwo ra. |
There are no seven loaves of bread in the house. |
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The form 'go' is used along between the subject and predicate nominative to indicate locations. The negative is formed by replacing 'go' by 'si'. |
| Zarma |
English |
| Tira si taablo boŋ. |
The book is not on the table. |
| Maman nda Fati si ne. |
Maman and Fati are not here. |
| Hanso si fuwo ra. |
The dog is not in the house. |
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When a noun is used as a predicate nominative and the 'no' form is used, 'manti' is used instead of 'si' to make the negative. |
| Zarma |
English |
| Bora din manti ay baaba no. |
That person is not my father. |
| A maa manti Aline. |
Her name isn't Aline. |
| Manti cimi no! |
It’s not true! |
| Manti ay no! |
It’s not me! |
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When the verb 'no' has its subject stated (and not implied) the auxiliary
'ya' must follow the object (see section 6.D.5). The negative of 'ya ... no' is formed by adding 'manti'. Some people use the short form without 'ya'. |
| Zarma |
English |
| Ay ya manti cawandiko no. |
I 'm not a teacher (an instructor). |
| Ni ya manti Ingilisi boro no. |
You aren't an Englishman. |
| Bora din manti butikkoy no. |
That person isn't a shopkeeper. |
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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 (see section 4.D.3). In translation it becomes the verb 'to be'. The negative form of 'ga' is 'si'. |
| Zarma |
English |
| A si tin. |
It isn't heavy. |
| Boro yaŋ si no habu. |
There isn't anybody at the market. |
| Haw wo si futu. |
This cow isn't mean. |
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8.D.4 Use of 'yes' and 'no' |
A negative question, which we could ordinarily answer with 'no' in English, is often answered with 'yes' in Zarma. |
| Zarma |
English |
| A mana ban, wala? |
It isn’t finished, is it? |
| Oho. |
Yes. (The idea being: 'You are right, it isn’t done.') |
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8.D.5 The conjunction-preposition 'ba' |
The conjunction-preposition 'ba' (even though) is often used with the verb in the negative to express the idea of 'not even'. |
| Zarma |
English |
| Hari mana kaa ne ba kayna. |
Not even a little rain fell here. |
| Ba afo mana kaa ne. |
Not even one came here. |
| Ay mana koy Filingue ba ce fo. |
Not once have I gone to Filingue. |
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8.D.6 'Abada' and 'koyne' |
In the same way as 'ba', 'abada' (never) and 'koyne' (again) are used with the negative, to mean 'not ever', 'nevermore', or 'no more', 'not any more'. |
| Zarma |
English |
| A si kaa ne abada. |
He will never come here (never comes here). |
| A si te koyne. |
It won’t do anymore. |
| A ne nga si goy koyne. |
He says he will work no longer. |
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8.D.7 Emphatic pronouns |
The emphatic form of the pronoun is used whenever special stress is being laid on the pronoun. In the four uses below, the regular form of the pronoun is used except in the third person singular (a) and plural (i), which always uses the longer from, respectively 'nga' and 'ngey'. The second person singular 'ni' may change to 'nin'.
| 1 |
With the verb (to be), positive form 'no' |
| 2 |
After the negative 'manti' |
| 3 |
To denote a contrast |
| 4 |
For the above sense (contrast) 'wo' is used with the pronoun to place strong emphasis. |
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| Use |
Zarma |
English |
| 1 |
Nga no. |
It is he. |
| 1 |
Nin no. |
It is you. |
| 2 |
Manti ngey! |
Not they! |
| 2 |
Manti nin! |
Not you! |
| 3 |
Nga kaa, amma a izey mana kaa. |
He came, but his children didn’t. |
| 4 |
Ay wo ci hayey kan a di ay Baaba do; araŋ mo go no ga te hayey kan araŋ maa araŋ baaba do. (John 8:38). |
I am telling you the things I have seen while with the Father; as for you, practice the things you have heard from the Father!” (John 8:38) |
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8.D.8 Money to 100 Francs |
Money in Zarma is based on the 5-Franc unit. To a Zarma this is not five of everything: it is one, 1 dala. Instead of dala you may also hear dela.
Some of them may have heard of the Franc, but it is no more a money unit to them than a farthing is to you. They look at a 25-Franc piece and they think 'five'. They see a 100-Franc bill and they think 'twenty'. There used to be 5-Franc bills, so few people will see 'billet' for this unit, and may use 'katibi' for it, but this is still the smallest money unit now in use. Smaller units were formerly common, but only older people remember them; even they were not called Francs, but other names. |
Money to 100 Francs
| Zarma |
English |
Zarma |
English |
| dala fo |
5 Francs |
dala way |
50 Francs |
| dala hinka |
10 Francs |
dala way cindi taaci |
70 Francs |
| dala hinza |
15 Francs |
dala way cindi iddu |
80 francs |
| dala taaci |
20 Francs |
(dala) waranka hinka si |
90 Francs |
| dala gu |
25 Francs |
(dala) waranka af si |
95 Francs |
| dala iddu |
30 Francs |
(dala) waranka |
100 Francs |
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How to ask how much something cost is shown in the greetings (section 8.C). Some more examples are given below. |
| Zarma |
English |
| I na feej’ ize iddu neera. |
They sold 6 lambs |
| Marge no? Waranka-waranka. |
For how much? 100 Francs apiece. |
| Marge no leemu beeri? Iddu dala gu. |
How much are oranges? Six for 25 Francs. |
| Ay day dala ahakku gunguri habu susub’o. |
I bought 8 dala’s worth of eggs in market this morning. |
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Note that the difference between 'how much' and 'how many' might be very subtle in Zarma, as shown in the next table. |
| Zarma |
English |
Marge no araŋ n’ a day? |
For how much (money) did you buy it? |
| Marge no araŋ day? |
How many (number) did you buy? |
| Leemu marge no araŋ day? |
How many oranges did you buy? |
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