Learn Hardcore Hausa: Uwa ta ce a kashe fitila kafin barci domin kada mu ɓata wuta. - Mother said to turn off the lamp before sleep so that we do not waste electricity.

It is the 3rd person singular feminine subject pronoun = she.
In the perfective aspect, this pronoun also functions as a tense/aspect marker, indicating a completed action in the past.

So Uwa ta ce is literally “Mother she-said”, but in natural English we just say “Mother said” (past, completed action).

Why is ce used in Uwa ta ce? Is it the same as “to say”?

Yes, ce (often from the verb faɗi) means “to say” in this context.

Uwa ta ce = Mother said.
Base form: faɗi = to say, to tell, to speak.
In actual sentences you often see ce (or cewa when introducing a whole quoted sentence).

Examples:

Uwa ta ce mu tafi. – Mother said we should go.
Uwa ta ce a kashe fitila. – Mother said (that) the light should be turned off.

So here ce is the verb “said.”

What is going on grammatically in a kashe fitila? What does a mean?

A kashe fitila is a kind of impersonal/jussive/subjunctive construction.

kashe = to turn off / to kill.
fitila = lamp/light.
The a before the verb is a subjunctive/jussive marker used when:
- you’re expressing what should be done,
- but not specifying exactly who does it.

So a kashe fitila literally means “let the light be turned off” or “that the light be turned off.”

Putting it in full context:

Uwa ta ce a kashe fitila…
= Mother said (that) the light should be turned off…

Compare:

Mu kashe fitila – Let’s turn off the light (we should turn it off).
Ku kashe fitila – You (plural) turn off the light.
A kashe fitila – The light should be turned off (no explicit subject).

Why does Hausa use kashe (which I know as “to kill”) to mean “turn off (a light)”?

In Hausa, kashe is used for both:

“to kill” (a living thing)
“to turn off / extinguish” (a light, fire, engine, etc.)

Think of it as “put out” or “extinguish”:

kashe mutum – to kill a person.
kashe wuta – to put out a fire.
kashe fitila – to turn off a lamp/light.
kashe rediyo – to turn off the radio.

Context tells you whether it’s literal killing or just switching off/extinguishing. In your sentence, kashe fitila clearly means “turn the light off.”

What is the exact difference between fitila and wuta here? Both seem related to light.

They are related but not identical:

fitila = a lamp, light fixture, bulb, flashlight, etc. (the device that gives light).
wuta = fire, and by extension light, heat, electricity, power.

In your sentence:

a kashe fitila – turn off the light (lamp, bulb, etc.).
kada mu ɓata wuta – so that we don’t waste electricity/power (literally “waste fire/light”).

So fitila is the object you switch off, and wuta is the energy/source (fire/electricity) that might be wasted.

Why is it kafin barci and not something like kafin mu yi barci? Is something omitted?

Barci is a verbal noun (like “sleeping/sleep” in English), so Hausa can use it without an extra verb:

barci = sleep (noun), the act of sleeping.

Thus:

kafin barci = before sleep / before sleeping.

You could say:

kafin mu yi barci – before we sleep / before we go to sleep,

but Hausa often prefers the shorter kafin barci, using the verbal noun instead of a full “we do sleep” construction. Both are grammatical; kafin barci is just more compact and very natural.

I’ve seen barci and bacci. Which spelling is correct, and do they sound different?

Both spellings appear, but barci is generally the more standard modern Hausa spelling.

Pronunciation:

barci is pronounced roughly /bar-chi/ (like “bar-chee”).
bacci reflects an older or alternative orthography for the same sound sequence.

Meaning is the same: sleep.
So: kafin barci = kafin bacci = before sleep.

What does domin mean in domin kada mu ɓata wuta? Is it “because” or “so that”?

Domin can mean both “because” and “in order to / so that”, depending on context.

In your sentence:

domin kada mu ɓata wuta = “so that we don’t waste electricity” / “in order that we don’t waste electricity.”

Here it clearly introduces a purpose clause (why we should turn off the light), so “so that / in order that” is the best translation.

Compare:

Na zo domin in taimake ka.
– I came to help you / in order to help you.
Na yi hakan domin na ji tsoro.
– I did that because I was afraid.

So domin = for the sake of, in order to, because of, with subtleties decided by context.

Why is the negation kada mu ɓata wuta and not something like ba mu ɓata wuta ba?

Hausa has different negation forms for different functions.

ba … ba is the ordinary statement negation:
- Mu ba mu ɓata wuta ba. – We do not waste electricity.
kada is used for:
- negative commands / prohibitions, and
- negative purpose clauses (like “so that we don’t …”).

Your clause is a negative purpose clause:

domin kada mu ɓata wuta – so that we do not waste electricity.

So kada + subject pronoun + verb is the correct and natural choice here, not ba … ba.

What does mu do in kada mu ɓata wuta?

Mu is the 1st person plural subject pronoun = we.

The structure is:

kada – negative/jussive marker (for “don’t / lest / so that not”).
mu – we.
ɓata – waste, spoil.
wuta – fire/light/electricity.

So kada mu ɓata wuta literally: “that we not waste electricity” or more naturally “so that we don’t waste electricity.”

What does ɓata mean exactly, and how is ɓ different from b?

Meaning first:

ɓata = to waste, spoil, ruin, mess up, misuse.

So ɓata wuta = to waste electricity/power (or literally spoil/misuse fire/light).

Sound:

ɓ is an implosive bilabial consonant, different from b.
It’s pronounced by bringing your lips together like b, but with a slight inward airflow (implosive), not outward like English b.

Minimal pair example:

bata (with b) – can mean to miss (e.g. a target), be late, depending on context.
ɓata (with ɓ) – to spoil, waste, ruin.

So spelling ɓ vs b actually matters for meaning in Hausa. In your sentence the correct form is ɓata.

What does the whole sentence literally say, word for word?

Breaking it down:

Uwa – mother.
ta – she (3sg feminine subject/particle, marking past perfective).
ce – said.
a kashe – that (it) be turned off / let (someone) turn off.
fitila – the lamp/light.
kafin – before.
barci – sleep.
domin – so that / in order that.
kada – not / lest.
mu – we.
ɓata – spoil, waste.
wuta – fire/electricity/light.

Literal-style translation:

“Mother said that the light should be turned off before sleep so that we don’t waste electricity.”

Could the mother also give the order more directly, like “Mother said we should turn off the light”? How would that look in Hausa?

Yes, there are a few natural alternatives, depending on emphasis:

Uwa ta ce mu kashe fitila kafin barci domin kada mu ɓata wuta.
– Mother said we should turn off the light before sleeping so that we don’t waste electricity.
(Here mu kashe has an explicit “we” as the doers.)
Uwa ta ce ku kashe fitila kafin barci domin kada ku ɓata wuta.
– Mother said you (plural) should turn off the light before sleeping so that you don’t waste electricity.
Your original:
Uwa ta ce a kashe fitila…
– Mother said the light should be turned off (no specific subject stated).

All are correct; they just differ in how explicit they are about who must do the action.

Is Uwa here a general word for “mother,” or like a proper name (like “Mom” in English)?

Uwa literally means “mother” in Hausa, but it can function much like “Mom/Mum” in English when used as a form of address or reference within the family.

In this sentence, Uwa is best understood as “Mother” or “Mum”:

Uwa ta ce… – Mother said…

More formal/technical word:

mahaifiya – mother (biological term, more formal).

Colloquial terms:

Mama, Inna, etc., also mean “Mum/Mother” in different dialects and contexts.

So here Uwa is not a name, but functions like a capitalized “Mother/Mom” when talking about your own mother.