Learn Hardcore Hausa: Aikin gida ɗin ya ce mu rubuta tambayoyi goma kan labari. - The homework says we should write ten questions about the story.

aikin gida = homework (schoolwork).
aikin gida can also mean household chores or work done at home in other contexts; you understand which one from context.

In your sentence, it clearly means homework (a homework assignment).

Why is there a ɗin after aikin gida? What does ɗin do?

ɗin (also written ɗin nan or ɗin ɗin) is a definiteness marker, similar in effect to English the or that in many contexts.

aiki = a work / a task
aikin gida = a homework (literally: work of the home)
aikin gida ɗin ≈ the homework / that homework we’re talking about

So ɗin:

Points to a specific, known item: aikin gida ɗin = that particular homework (the one the teacher gave).
Often follows a noun that both speaker and listener already know about.

It does not change the meaning of aikin gida drastically; it just makes it more specific and definite.

In ya ce, what does ya do? Why not use something else?

In ya ce, the word ya is a 3rd‑person masculine singular pronoun + tense/aspect marker. Together, ya ce is roughly he/it said.

Breakdown:

ce = say
ya = he/it (3rd person masculine singular, perfective)

So:

ya ce = he/it said (completed action in the past).

Why ya here?

Hausa verbs generally need a subject pronoun + aspect marker before them.
For a masculine singular subject (he, it referring to a masculine noun), you use ya in the perfective (simple past) aspect.

In your sentence, ya ce can be understood as either:

He said (e.g., the teacher or another person), or
It (the homework / assignment) said – a figurative way of saying the homework instructions say that….

Why is there no cewa before mu rubuta? When is cewa used after ce?

Hausa often uses cewa (roughly that) to introduce a reported clause, similar to English that in He said that….

With cewa: ya ce cewa mu rubuta… = He said that we should write…
Without cewa: ya ce mu rubuta… = He said we should write…

Both forms are grammatically correct. In everyday speech:

It’s very common to drop cewa after ce, especially when the meaning is clear.
Including cewa can sound a bit more explicit or careful, but not necessarily more formal.

So the sentence leaves out cewa because it’s optional here, and Hausa naturally allows ya ce mu rubuta… without it.

What exactly is mu rubuta grammatically? Is it an imperative or a subjunctive like let’s write?

mu rubuta combines:

mu = we (1st person plural subjunctive/imperative marker)
rubuta = to write (verb stem)

Function:

mu rubuta is a subjunctive / hortative form, often translated as let’s write or (for us) to write.
After verbs like ce (say), it can mean that we should write.

So in context:

ya ce mu rubuta tambayoyi goma… ≈ He/it said we should write ten questions…
If used on its own, mu rubuta! ≈ Let’s write! (a suggestion or collective imperative).

It is not the same as the 2nd person imperative (which would be ka rubuta / ki rubuta = you (sg) write!).

How is the plural tambayoyi formed from tambaya? Is there a pattern?

Yes. The singular is:

tambaya = question

The plural is:

tambayoyi = questions

Pattern:

Many Hausa nouns ending in ‑a form a plural in ‑oyi.
Schema: X‑a → X‑oyi
- tambaya → tambayoyi
- ƙofa → ƙofofi (slight change but similar pattern)
- macijiya → macizai (another common pattern: ‑a → ‑ai)

So tambayoyi is the regular, expected plural of tambaya.

Why does goma (ten) come after tambayoyi? How do numbers work with nouns in Hausa?

In Hausa, most cardinal numbers (2 and above) normally follow the noun they count.

tambaya ɗaya = one question
tambayoyi biyu = two questions
tambayoyi uku = three questions
…
tambayoyi goma = ten questions

So the pattern is typically:

[noun] [number]

A few notes:

With one, you often see ɗaya or guda ɗaya / guda after the noun: tambaya guda ɗaya, tambaya guda.
With larger numbers, you just keep the same order: tambayoyi goma sha biyu = twelve questions.

So tambayoyi goma is the normal, grammatical way to say ten questions.

What does kan mean in this sentence, and how is it different from a kan or akan?

In your sentence, kan means about / concerning / on (the subject of):

tambayoyi goma kan labari ≈ ten questions about the story.

About the forms:

a kan = on, on top of, about (literally in/on + top).
akan is just the written/phonetic merging of a kan; very common in modern usage.
kan alone can also carry the meaning about / concerning after some nouns.

Usage:

kan / a kan / akan all can mean about / regarding in many contexts.
You will often see: tambayoyi goma a kan labari or tambayoyi goma akan labari with the same meaning.

So kan labari here is a shorter form meaning about the story, and it’s natural Hausa.

Does labari here mean story or news? How is labari usually used?

labari is a flexible word that can mean:

story (narrative, tale)
news (information, report)
more generally, account or report of something

Which meaning you choose depends on context:

In school contexts (texts, reading passages, comprehension exercises), labari often means story.
In everyday conversation like ya ba ni labari, it’s often news / information: he gave me news / he told me about it.

In your sentence, because you are writing questions on a labari, it very likely refers to a story or passage you just read in class or in a textbook.

How do you pronounce the letter ɗ in ɗin, and how is it different from plain d?

The letter ɗ represents a different sound from d in Hausa.

d = a regular voiced d sound (like English d in dog).
ɗ = a implosive d sound (written in the IPA as [ɗ]).

How to make ɗ:

Start to pronounce a d sound.
At the same time, slightly pull air inward (into your mouth) rather than pushing it out, and tense your tongue a bit more.
It often sounds “heavier” and more emphatic than a normal d.

Minimal pair (different meanings):

dari = hundred
ɗari = laughter

In ɗin, the ɗ marks it as this definite/identifying particle and is always written with the hook. Pronouncing ɗ correctly helps distinguish words, but many learners approximate it with a strong d at first and are still understood.