Yaushe ka iso?

When did you arrive?

Breakdown of Yaushe ka iso?

• ka: you (masculine)
• iso: to arrive
• yaushe: when?

Questions & Answers about Yaushe ka iso?

What does each word in Yaushe ka iso? mean?

• Yaushe = when
• ka = you (addressing one male)
• iso = arrive / arrived

So the sentence is built very directly as When + you + arrive?

Why is ka used here instead of kai for you?

In Hausa, ka is a subject marker used with the verb. It already tells you who is doing the action, so you do not need the independent pronoun kai here.

• ka iso = you arrived
• kai is the independent pronoun you and is usually used for emphasis or contrast

So in an ordinary question, Yaushe ka iso? is the natural form.

Is ka only used when speaking to a man?

Yes. In this sentence, ka is for second-person singular masculine.

If you are speaking to:

• one man: Yaushe ka iso?
• one woman: Yaushe kika iso?
• more than one person: Yaushe kuka iso?

So this exact sentence is specifically addressed to one male person.