Learn Hardcore Hausa: Idan na tashi daga aiki da yamma, ni ma ina dawowa gida. - If I leave work in the evening, I also return home.

Breakdown of Idan na tashi daga aiki da yamma, ni ma ina dawowa gida.

Does idan mean if or when in this sentence?

In Hausa, idan can mean both if and when, depending on context.

Here, Idan na tashi daga aiki da yamma is best understood as When I get off work in the evening, because it describes a regular, expected situation, not a uncertain one.
If the situation were uncertain or hypothetical, idan would lean more toward if.

So idan is a general conditional/time word, and context tells you whether to translate it as if or when.

Why is it na tashi and not ina tashi after idan?

Na tashi uses the perfective aspect (completed action), while ina tashi would be imperfective (ongoing / in progress).

na tashi = I (have) gotten up / I (have) finished / I get off (seen as a complete event)
ina tashi = I am getting up / I usually get up / I get up (habitually)

In time/conditional clauses with idan, Hausa often uses the perfective to talk about the moment a situation is reached:

So the speaker marks the completion of work (the point of leaving), not an ongoing process.

What does tashi daga aiki literally mean, and why is tashi used for “finish work”?