Learn Hardcore Hausa: Jiya ɗan uwa na ya ji ciwo sosai, amma yanzu yana jin daidai. - Yesterday my brother felt very ill, but now he feels okay.

In many contexts it is used like brother (a male sibling).
It can also mean male close relative or male cousin, depending on context and dialect.

If you clearly mean brother, ɗan uwa is still the normal word a lot of speakers use. There is also yaya for an older sibling and kanne for a younger one, but ɗan uwa is common and understood.

Why is it ɗan uwa na and not na ɗan uwa, like my brother in English?

Hausa usually puts the possessive pronoun after the noun it belongs to.

ɗan uwa = brother / male sibling
na = my

So:

ɗan uwa na = brother my → my brother
mota ta = car my → my car
gida su = house their → their house

You might also see the possessive attached directly to the noun in writing or speech, for example ɗan uwana (my brother). That is basically ɗan uwa na said quickly and joined together.

What is the role of ya in ɗan uwa na ya ji ciwo? Why do we need it?

ya is the 3rd person masculine singular subject marker – roughly “he”.

In Hausa, a typical clause needs:

the subject marker (like ya, ta, sun, muka, etc.)
plus the verb

So in ɗan uwa na ya ji ciwo:

ɗan uwa na = my brother (a full noun phrase)
ya = he (subject marker for 3rd person masculine singular)
ji = feel / hear
ciwo = pain / sickness

Literally: my brother, he felt pain / sickness.

Even though English doesn’t repeat the subject (my brother he…), Hausa normally does: it mentions the noun (ɗan uwa na) and then uses the subject marker (ya) with the verb.

I thought ji meant “to hear.” Why does it mean “to feel sick” here?

ji is a very general verb meaning to perceive, so it can be:

to hear: Na ji sauti. → I heard a sound.
to feel / experience (emotion or physical state):
- Na ji daɗi. → I felt good / pleased.
- Na ji ciwo. → I felt pain / I was in pain / I felt sick.

So ya ji ciwo sosai literally means he felt pain a lot, which is naturally translated as he felt very sick or he was in a lot of pain.

Why is it ya ji ciwo but yana jin daidai? What’s the difference between ji and jin, and between ya and yana?

There are two things going on: tense/aspect and a little linking -n.

ya ji vs yana ji(n)
- ya ji is the perfective (completed past):
  - ya ji ciwo → he felt pain / he was sick (at that time)
- yana ji(n) is progressive / ongoing:
  - yana jin daidai → he is feeling fine (now)
The progressive is formed with yana (he is) + ji
- often a linking -n before the next word. When spoken, ji + n is commonly written jin.
ji vs jin
- Base verb: ji = to feel / hear.
- Before another word, Hausa often attaches a linking -n sound:
  - ji + n + daidai → jin daidai
  - ji + n + Hausa → jin Hausa (to understand Hausa)

So:

ya ji ciwo = completed event in the past.
yanzu yana jin daidai = ongoing state now.

Is jiya (yesterday) always at the beginning, like Jiya ɗan uwa na…, or can I move it?

You can move jiya. Common positions:

At the start (very common and natural):
- Jiya ɗan uwa na ya ji ciwo sosai.
After the subject:
- ɗan uwa na ya ji ciwo sosai jiya.

Both are correct. Putting jiya at the beginning strongly sets the time frame right away, which is why it is very common in storytelling or explanations.

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

sosai means very, a lot, deeply / intensely. It strengthens the verb or adjective.

In this sentence:

ya ji ciwo sosai = he felt pain a lot → he was very sick / in a lot of pain.

Position:

It typically comes after the item it modifies:
- ya ji ciwo sosai → very sick
- ya gaji sosai → very tired
- ta yi kyau sosai → very beautiful

You could sometimes hear it earlier for emphasis, but after the verb phrase is the usual position for learners.

What does amma mean exactly? Are there other words for but?

amma means but / however and is very common in everyday Hausa.

In … amma yanzu yana jin daidai, it contrasts the past and present:

Before: he felt very sick.
amma: but
Now: he feels okay.

Other ways to say “but” include:

sai dai – but / except that, often a bit stronger or more formal.
amma kuwa – but indeed / but actually, adds emphasis.

For a simple, neutral but, amma is the safest choice.

What does yanzu mean? Is it exactly “now”? Can it mean “today”?

yanzu means now, at this moment / at this time.

Yanzu yana jin daidai. → Now he feels fine.

It does not normally mean today. For today, Hausa usually uses yau:

Yau zan je kasuwa. → Today I will go to the market.

Some related expressions:

yanzu haka – roughly right now / as it is now.
daga yanzu – from now on.

In this sentence, amma yanzu sets up a time contrast: but now (as opposed to yesterday).

Could I say yanzu yana lafiya instead of yanzu yana jin daidai? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say yanzu yana lafiya, and it is very natural.

yanzu yana jin daidai ≈ now he is feeling okay / fine.
yanzu yana lafiya ≈ now he is healthy / in good health.

Subtle difference:

jin daidai focuses more on how he feels subjectively right now.
lafiya is the standard word for health, well‑being; saying yana lafiya is a general statement of good health.

In everyday conversation, both can be used to mean he’s okay now.

How would I change this sentence if I want to talk about my sister instead of my brother?

For “my sister”, you use ’yar uwa ta (or ’yar uwata).

A natural parallel sentence would be:

Jiya ’yar uwa ta ta ji ciwo sosai, amma yanzu tana jin daidai.

Breakdown:

’yar uwa ta = my sister (’yar = daughter / female child)
ta = she (3rd person feminine subject marker)
ta ji ciwo sosai = she felt a lot of pain / was very sick
amma yanzu tana jin daidai = but now she is feeling fine

Notice the changes:

ɗan uwa na → ’yar uwa ta (my brother → my sister)
ya ji → ta ji (he felt → she felt)
yana jin → tana jin (he is feeling → she is feeling)

How would I say the negative: “Yesterday my brother did not feel sick, but now he feels sick”?

You use the perfective negative pattern: bai … ba for 3rd person masculine singular.

Yesterday my brother did not feel sick, but now he feels sick.
→ Jiya ɗan uwa na bai ji ciwo ba, amma yanzu yana jin ciwo.

Breakdown of the first clause:

ɗan uwa na = my brother
bai … ba = he did not (negative frame)
ji ciwo = feel pain / feel sick

So bai ji ciwo ba = he did not feel sick.

Second clause is just positive present progressive:

amma yanzu yana jin ciwo = but now he is feeling sick.

How do I pronounce the letter ɗ in ɗan? Is it the same as English d?

ɗ is not the same as plain d. It is an implosive d‑sound common in Hausa:

To pronounce ɗ, start as if you will say d, but slightly pull the tongue inward and make a sort of “sucking in” movement as you voice the sound.
It’s softer and “heavier” than a normal English d.

Minimal pair:

dan (with plain d) and ɗan (with ɗ) can contrast in meaning in Hausa, so the dot under the ɗ is important in writing.

In ɗan uwa, you should try to use this special Hausa ɗ sound.