Na duba lambar takalmi.

Here na is the 1st person singular completive marker, so it tells you the subject is I and the action is viewed as completed.

So:

• Na duba = I looked / I checked / I have checked

In Hausa, this is more about aspect than a strict English tense. Depending on context, na duba could be translated as:

• I checked
• I looked at
• I have checked

Also note: na can mean other things in other contexts, but before a verb like duba, it is the normal I + completed action form.

Because duba can take a direct object in Hausa.

In English, we often say:

• look at the shoe size
• check the shoe size

But in Hausa, you can simply say:

• duba lambar takalmi

So the structure is closer to:

• I checked the shoe size
• literally, something like I looked/examined the shoe size

This is very common when learning Hausa: verbs do not always use the same prepositions as their English equivalents.

It can mean all of those, depending on context.

Common meanings of duba include:

• to look at
• to check
• to inspect
• to examine

So in this sentence, if the context is shopping or reading a label, duba is very naturally understood as check. If the context is more visual, it can feel closer to look at.

That is why the same Hausa sentence may be translated in more than one natural English way.

Because lambar takalmi is a noun-plus-noun construction, roughly like the number of the shoe or shoe number/size.

The basic noun is lamba = number.

When it is linked to another noun after it, Hausa often puts the first noun into a construct form. Since lamba is feminine singular, it becomes lambar.

So:

• lamba = number
• lambar takalmi = shoe number / shoe size

This -r is not random; it is part of Hausa grammar.

Literally, it means something like shoe number.

In practice, that usually means:

• shoe size

This is very natural, because shoe sizes are normally expressed as numbers. So even though the literal words are about number, the real meaning in context is often size.

Because in Hausa, just like in English, a noun used in a compound-like expression is often left in the singular.

Compare English:

• shoe size, not usually shoes size

Similarly in Hausa:

• lambar takalmi = shoe size

So takalmi here works like the noun modifying lamba. It does not necessarily mean only one actual shoe is involved; it is just the normal form of the expression.

Hausa does not use articles in the same way English does.

English forces you to choose things like:

• a shoe size
• the shoe size

Hausa often leaves that unstated, and the context tells you what is meant.

So lambar takalmi can be understood as:

• shoe size
• the shoe size
• sometimes even a shoe size

depending on the situation.

That is very normal in Hausa.

The order is:

• Na = I
• duba = checked/looked at
• lambar takalmi = shoe size

So the pattern is basically:

• Subject marker + verb + object

This is a very common Hausa sentence pattern.

It can match either one in English, depending on context.

So Na duba lambar takalmi could be translated as:

• I checked the shoe size
• I have checked the shoe size

Hausa and English do not divide time in exactly the same way. The Hausa form here mainly tells you the action is completed, not whether you should always use English simple past or present perfect.

You would normally use a different Hausa form, such as:

• Ina duba lambar takalmi.

Here ina duba means something like:

• I am checking
• I am looking at

So the contrast is:

• Na duba lambar takalmi. = I checked / I have checked
• Ina duba lambar takalmi. = I am checking

That is a useful contrast to learn early.

A simple learner-friendly pronunciation guide would be:

• Na ≈ nah
• duba ≈ doo-bah
• lambar ≈ LAM-bar
• takalmi ≈ ta-KAL-mi

A few tips:

• Hausa vowels are usually pronounced clearly.
• u in duba sounds like oo in food.
• The r in lambar is usually a light flap/trill, not a strong English r.
• In takalmi, pronounce all the vowels: ta-kal-mi.

A rough full reading:

• nah DOO-bah LAM-bar ta-KAL-mi

It is a very natural and common way, especially because shoe sizes are given as numbers.

You may also hear other size-related expressions in Hausa depending on context, but lambar takalmi is a very useful everyday phrase to know.

So for a learner, this is a good expression to remember as a set phrase:

• lambar takalmi = shoe size