Learn Hardcore Hausa: ’Yanci na kowa yana da muhimmanci sosai a gida da a gari. - Everyone’s freedom is very important both at home and in town.

Literal idea: Freedom of everyone it-is with importance very in home and in town → “Everyone’s freedom is very important at home and in the community.”

What exactly does ’Yanci mean, and why is there an apostrophe at the beginning?

’Yanci (often written ƴanci) means freedom, liberty.
The initial symbol ’ / ƴ represents a special consonant in Hausa, the implosive y (different from regular y).
Phonetically, it’s a bit like saying y while pulling air in slightly rather than pushing it out, but in practice many learners just pronounce it as a normal y.
Grammatically, ’yanci is a noun, so it can act as the subject of the sentence, as it does here.

What does na kowa mean, and how does this possessive structure work?

na is a genitive/possessive linker, roughly equivalent to “of” or the “’s” in English.
kowa means everyone / everybody.
So ’Yanci na kowa literally = “freedom of everyone” = “everyone’s freedom”.

This X na Y pattern is very common:

motar Ali or mota ta Ali – Ali’s car
’yar’uwar Musa or ’yar’uwa ta Musa – Musa’s sister
’yanci na yara – the children’s freedom / freedom of the children

Here, ’yanci is the thing possessed, and kowa is the possessor, linked by na.

Why is yana da muhimmanci used instead of something like “is important”? What does this structure mean?

In Hausa, one very common way to say “X is important” is:

X yana da muhimmanci – X has importance → X is important.

Breakdown:

yana – “he/it is (in a state of…)”
da – “with / having”
muhimmanci – “importance”

So yana da muhimmanci literally = “is with importance / has importance”.

This yana da + noun pattern is used a lot for properties:

Littafin yana da amfani. – The book has usefulness → The book is useful.
Wannan al’ada tana da matsala. – This custom has a problem → This custom is problematic.

In the sentence:

’Yanci na kowa yana da muhimmanci sosai…
→ “Everyone’s freedom is very important…” (literally “has a lot of importance”).

What’s the difference between muhimmanci and muhimmi? Why use muhimmanci here?

muhimmi is basically an adjective: important.
muhimmanci is a noun: importance, significance.

In this sentence, we have:

yana da muhimmanci sosai – “(it) has a lot of importance / is very important.”

Because of yana da, Hausa prefers to follow it with a noun, so muhimmanci fits better than the adjective muhimmi.

You can also hear:

Yana da muhimmanci sosai. – standard and very natural.
Yana da matuƙar muhimmanci. – it is extremely important.
Yana da muhimmanci ƙwarai. – it is very/indeed important.

To use muhimmi directly as an adjective, you’d more likely see it in structures like:

Abu ne mai muhimmanci. – It is an important thing.

What does sosai add, and where does it usually go in the sentence?

sosai means very, really, extremely, a lot.
It usually comes after the word or phrase it is intensifying.

Examples:

Yana da muhimmanci sosai. – It is very important.
Na gaji sosai. – I’m very tired.
Sun yi farin ciki sosai. – They were very happy.

Here, sosai comes right after muhimmanci, so:

muhimmanci sosai ≈ “very great importance” → “very important”.

What does the preposition a mean, and why is it repeated in a gida da a gari?

a is a very common preposition meaning roughly in, at, on (the exact English equivalent depends on context).
In a gida = at home / in the home.
In a gari = in the town / in the community.

In coordination with da (“and”), Hausa can:

Repeat the preposition:
a gida da a gari – in the home and in the town.
Or omit it the second time:
a gida da gari – in the home and (in) the town.

Repeating a (as in your sentence) is clear and very natural, and slightly emphasizes that each place is a separate location where this statement applies.

What’s the difference between gida and gari in this sentence?

gida – home, house, household. It often implies family life and the private/domestic sphere.
gari – town, city, and by extension the wider community / society / public space.

So:

a gida – at home, within the family/household.
a gari – in the town, in public life, in the wider society.

Putting them together:

…a gida da a gari emphasizes both private and public contexts:
Everyone’s freedom is very important both at home and in society.

Why is yana (3rd person masculine singular) used for ’yanci, which is an abstract noun?

In Hausa, many inanimate or abstract nouns are treated grammatically as masculine singular by default, so:

’Yanci (freedom) takes yana (he/it is), not tana (she/it is).

Other examples:

Littafi yana da tsada. – The book is expensive.
Aiki yana da wahala. – Work is hard.
Ilimi yana da muhimmanci. – Knowledge is important.

So there is nothing special or “male” about ’yanci itself; it just follows the general rule that many things default to masculine agreement in Hausa grammar.

Could this sentence be worded slightly differently in Hausa and keep the same meaning?

Yes, there are several very natural variations that keep essentially the same meaning. For example:

’Yancin kowa yana da muhimmanci sosai a gida da a gari.
– Using ’yancin kowa instead of ’yanci na kowa; both mean “everyone’s freedom”.
’Yancin kowa yana da matuƙar muhimmanci a gida da a gari.
– matuƙar adds extra emphasis: “is extremely important”.
’Yanci na kowa yana da muhimmanci ƙwarai a gida da a gari.
– ƙwarai is another intensifier: “very / indeed”.

The core grammar pattern remains:

[’Yanci na/’yancin kowa] + [yana da muhimmanci (sosai)] + [a gida da a gari].