’Yar uwata ta sami sakamako mai kyau, mun yi murna sosai.

My sister got a good result; we were very happy.

Breakdown of ’Yar uwata ta sami sakamako mai kyau, mun yi murna sosai.

• sosai: very
• mai kyau: good
• samu: to get
• yi: to do
• ’yar uwa: the sister
• sakamako: the result
• murna: happy

Questions & Answers about ’Yar uwata ta sami sakamako mai kyau, mun yi murna sosai.

What does ’Yar mean here, and why does it have that apostrophe?

’Yar is the feminine form of ɗa (child / son). The base forms are:

• ɗa = child (often “son” in context)
• ’ya = daughter (feminine form)
• ’yar = feminine form used before another noun, like a linker: “daughter of …”

So:

• ’ya on its own: ’ya ta = my daughter
• ’yar uwa = daughter of (my) mother → sister (female sibling)

The apostrophe (’) represents a glottal stop that’s part of the word’s pronunciation. You’ll almost always see ’yar written with this apostrophe at the start in standard Hausa spelling.

How does ’yar uwata end up meaning “my sister”?

Literally, ’yar uwata breaks down as:

• ’yar = daughter (feminine child of)
• uwa = mother
• -ta = “my” (possessive suffix for 1st person singular)
• uwata = my mother

So:

’yar uwata = “daughter of my mother”

In Hausa kinship terms, ’yar uwa (daughter of the same mother) is the normal way to say “sister” (female sibling). When you add possession to the uwa (mother), you get ’yar uwata = my sister.

Compare:

• ɗan uwana = my (male) sibling / my brother (lit. son of my mother)
• ’yar uwata = my (female) sibling / my sister (lit. daughter of my mother)

What is the function of ta in ta sami?

ta here is the 3rd person singular feminine subject pronoun. It:

• Refers back to ’yar uwata (my sister)
• Marks that the subject is singular and feminine (she)
• Comes before the verb in a typical Hausa verb phrase

So:

• ta sami ≈ she got / she obtained
• If the subject were masculine, it would be ya sami (he got).
• If it were “they (plural) got”, it would be suka sami.

What tense or aspect is expressed by ta sami?

ta sami is in the perfective aspect, usually talking about a completed action in the past. In English, it’s closest to a simple past or present perfect:

• ta sami sakamako mai kyau
  → she got a good result / she has gotten a good result

Some contrasts:

• ta sami = she got (completed, perfective)
• tana samu = she is getting / she usually gets (imperfective / ongoing or habitual)
• za ta samu = she will get (future)

Does sakamako only mean exam result, or can it be more general?

sakamako means result, outcome, consequence in general. Context decides whether it’s about school or something else.

Common uses:

• sakamakon jarrabawa = exam result
• sakamakon bincike = research result / findings
• sakamakon aikinka = the result of your work

In everyday conversation, if people are already talking about school or exams, sakamako on its own is usually understood as exam results.

Why is it sakamako mai kyau and not just sakamako kyau?

In Hausa, adjectives often need a “linker” word. mai is one such word, and here it’s used to form a descriptive phrase:

• mai
  • kyau = “having goodness / having beauty” → good, nice

So:

• sakamako mai kyau = a result that has goodness → a good result

You can see the same pattern in other phrases:

• mutum mai kunya = a modest person
• gida mai kyau = a nice house

You normally don’t say sakamako kyau; you say sakamako mai kyau.

Does mai change form for plural, like “good results”?

Yes, in the plural you usually change mai → masu:

• sakamako mai kyau = a good result (singular)
• sakamako masu kyau = good results (plural)

More examples:

• mutum mai ilimi = a knowledgeable person
• mutane masu ilimi = knowledgeable people

So the pattern is:

• Singular: mai
  • noun/adjective
• Plural: masu
  • noun/adjective

What exactly is going on in mun yi murna sosai?

Breakdown:

• mu = we
• -n (attached) = perfective marker
• mun = we (perfective) → “we did / we have [done sth]”
• yi = to do / to make
• murna = joy, happiness, celebration
• sosai = very, a lot

Literally:

mun yi murna sosai = we did joy very much

Idiomatic English:

we were very happy / we really celebrated / we rejoiced a lot

Hausa often uses yi (do) with a noun to express feelings or actions:

• yi murna = be happy / celebrate
• yi kuka = cry (lit. do crying)
• yi dariya = laugh (lit. do laughter)

Who does mun refer to here, exactly?

mun is “we” (1st person plural, perfective). It refers to:

• The speaker plus one or more other people,
• Usually the family or group the speaker belongs to.

In this sentence, a natural reading is:

• My sister got a good result, and my family and I were very happy.

It does not refer only to the sister; it’s the speaker’s group reacting to her result.

What does sosai add to the meaning of mun yi murna?

sosai is an intensifier meaning very, a lot, really, greatly. It strengthens the verb phrase:

• mun yi murna = we were happy / we rejoiced
• mun yi murna sosai = we were very happy / we really rejoiced

Other common uses:

• na gaji sosai = I’m very tired
• na ji daɗi sosai = I enjoyed it very much

So in the sentence, sosai tells you their happiness was strong, not just mild.