Learn Hardcore Hausa: Na saya sabuwar riga a kasuwa jiya. - I bought a new shirt/dress at the market yesterday.

As a subject pronoun, na = “I” (1st person singular).
In this position before the verb saya, it also marks the perfective (completed action) in the past.

So Na saya… is best understood as “I bought …” / “I have bought …”, a completed action. You don’t need an extra word for “did” or “have” in Hausa.

Why is it saya and not some other form for “buy”? Does saya show tense?

Saya is the verb root meaning “to buy”.

The tense/aspect is mostly shown by the subject pronoun form (here Na) and sometimes by other particles, not by changing saya itself.
So Na saya = I (perfective) buy → “I bought”.
If you wanted a progressive meaning (“I am buying”), you would change the pronoun form and sometimes the verb pattern, e.g. Ina sayen riga = “I am buying a shirt.”

Why is it sabuwar riga and not just sabuwa riga for “new shirt/dress”?

This is about adjectival agreement and position.

The basic adjective is sabo/sabuwa = “new” (masc./fem.).
When many Hausa adjectives appear before a noun, they take a special attributive/genitive form.
For the feminine noun riga (“shirt/dress/robe”), the feminine attributive form of sabuwa is sabuwar.

So:

Basic: sabuwa (new, feminine)
Attributive before a feminine noun: sabuwar riga = “a new shirt/dress”

You can’t say sabuwa riga in this meaning; it sounds wrong to native speakers.

What does riga refer to exactly? Is it “shirt” or “dress” or “clothes”?

Riga is a general word for an upper-body garment. Its exact translation depends on context:

Everyday modern clothing: often understood as “shirt” or “blouse”.
Traditional or long garments: can be “gown”, “robe”, or “dress”.
It does not usually mean “clothes” in general (that would be tufafi, kayan sawa, etc.).

So sabuwar riga could be “a new shirt” or “a new dress/robe”, depending on the situation.

Is riga masculine or feminine in Hausa? Does that matter?

Riga is feminine in Hausa, and this does matter:

The adjective “new” must match the noun’s gender.
- Masculine: sabo (attributive: sabon)
- Feminine: sabuwa (attributive: sabuwar)

Because riga is feminine:

You say sabuwar riga, not sabon riga.

Another example:

tsohuwar riga = an old shirt/dress (from tsohuwa = old, fem.)

Why does the adjective sabuwar come before the noun riga, when I learned that adjectives usually come after nouns in Hausa?

Hausa has two main patterns for adjectives:

Post-nominal (after the noun), often with -n / -r linking:
- riga fara / rigar fara (dialectal/colloquial) = a white shirt/dress
- many learners are taught patterns like mace kyakkyawa = a beautiful woman
Pre-nominal attributive form (adjective first), especially for color, size, and some common adjectives:
- farar riga = white shirt/dress
- babban gida = big house
- sabuwar riga = new shirt/dress

So with adjectives like sabo/sabuwa (“new”), Hausa most commonly uses the pre-nominal attributive form: sabuwar riga, not riga sabuwa.

What does a kasuwa mean exactly? Is a like “in” or “at”?

A is a preposition that can mean “in, at, on” depending on context.

a kasuwa literally = “at the market / in the market”.
Hausa does not use a separate word for “the” here; a kasuwa usually translates as “at the market”, not “at a market” in everyday English.

So Na saya sabuwar riga a kasuwa jiya = “I bought a new shirt/dress at the market yesterday.”

Why is there no word for “the” or “a” in Hausa? How do I know if it’s “a new shirt” or “the new shirt”?

Hausa normally doesn’t have separate words for the English articles “a/an” and “the”.

sabuwar riga can mean:
- “a new shirt/dress” (introducing it for the first time)
- “the new shirt/dress” (if both speakers know which one)

You get the meaning from context, not from a specific article word.

If you really need to emphasize “this particular one”, you can use demonstratives:

waccan sabuwar riga = that new shirt (over there)
wannan sabuwar riga = this new shirt

Where does jiya (“yesterday”) normally go in the sentence? Can it go at the beginning?

Jiya means “yesterday”, and it is quite flexible in position.

All of these are grammatical:

Na saya sabuwar riga a kasuwa jiya.
Jiya na saya sabuwar riga a kasuwa.

The meaning is the same; putting jiya at the beginning can give it a bit more emphasis on the time:

Jiya na saya… = “Yesterday I bought …”

If I want to say “I did not buy a new shirt at the market yesterday”, how do I negate this sentence?

To negate Na saya sabuwar riga a kasuwa jiya, you wrap the verb phrase with a negative pronoun and a final ba:

Ban sayi sabuwar riga a kasuwa jiya ba.

Changes to notice:

Na → Ban … ba (negative 1st person perfective).
saya → sayi (the verb often changes slightly in negative perfective).
The final ba at the end is required.

So:

Na saya sabuwar riga a kasuwa jiya. = I bought a new shirt…
Ban sayi sabuwar riga a kasuwa jiya ba. = I did not buy a new shirt…

How would I ask “Did you buy a new shirt at the market yesterday?” in Hausa?

You mainly change the subject pronoun and use question intonation (or a question mark in writing):

To a male:

Ka sayi sabuwar riga a kasuwa jiya?

To a female:

Kin sayi sabuwar riga a kasuwa jiya?

Notes:

ka = you (male, perfective)
kin = you (female, perfective)
Hausa often does not need a special word for “did” or a question particle; the question is clear from context and intonation.

If the speaker is a woman, does Na saya sabuwar riga a kasuwa jiya change?

No, it stays exactly the same.

Na is 1st person singular (“I”) and does not mark gender.
Whether the speaker is male or female, the sentence is:
- Na saya sabuwar riga a kasuwa jiya.

Gender affects 2nd and 3rd person forms (e.g. ka/kin, ya/ta), but not the 1st person.

How would I say “We bought new shirts at the market yesterday” based on this sentence?

You mainly change the subject pronoun and make the noun/adjective plural:

Mun saya sababbin riguna a kasuwa jiya.

Breakdown:

Mun = we (1st person plural perfective)
saya = buy
sababbi (attrib. plural) + riguna (plural of riga)
→ sababbin riguna = new shirts/dresses
a kasuwa jiya = at the market yesterday

So Mun saya sababbin riguna a kasuwa jiya = “We bought new shirts/dresses at the market yesterday.”