Learn Hardcore Hausa: Yawanci ina yin waya da iyayena kafin dare ya yi. - Usually I call my parents before it becomes night.

In this sentence: Yawanci ina yin waya da iyayena... = I usually call my parents...
It typically comes at the beginning of the sentence, like English Usually, I…

You can sometimes move it, but the most natural and common position for yawanci is at or near the start:

Yawanci ina yin waya da iyayena. ✅ (very natural)
Ina yin waya da iyayena yawanci. ✅ (possible, a bit less common)

How does ina yin waya express “I (usually) make phone calls / I phone”?

Breakdown:

ina = I am (progressive marker for I)
yi = to do / to make
yin = yi
- the connecting -n (used before a noun)
waya = phone / telephone (here, phone call)

So ina yin waya literally is “I am doing phone”, which corresponds in natural English to:

I am making a phone call (right now)
or, in context with yawanci:
I usually make phone calls / I usually phone…

In Hausa, the same progressive form (ina + verbal noun) can be used for present continuous and regular/habitual actions, especially when there is an adverb like yawanci (usually) giving the habitual meaning.

Why is the progressive form ina used for a habitual action? Isn’t that “I am doing” in the present?

In Hausa, ina + verbal noun often covers both:

Present continuous: action happening right now
- Ina yin waya. = I am making a phone call.
Habitual / regular action, especially with adverbs like yawanci, sau da yawa (often), kullum (every day / always):
- Yawanci ina yin waya da iyayena.
  = I usually call my parents.

There is also a more explicitly habitual form using kan (nakan yi waya = I usually/typically call), but ina yin waya with an adverb of frequency is very natural and common in everyday speech.

What does da mean in ina yin waya da iyayena?

Here da means with in the sense of talking with someone.

ina yin waya da iyayena
= I am making a phone call with my parents
= I am talking on the phone to/with my parents.

Common pattern:

yin waya da mutum = to talk on the phone with someone

How is iyayena formed, and what exactly does it mean?

iyayena means my parents.

Formation:

iyaye = parents
-na = my (1st person singular possessive suffix)

When you attach -na to iyaye, the vowels adjust and you get:

iyaye + na → iyayena = my parents

More examples with iyaye:

iyayena = my parents
iyayenka = your (m.sg.) parents
iyayenki = your (f.sg.) parents
iyayensa = his parents
iyayenta = her parents
iyayensu = their parents

What does kafin mean in kafin dare ya yi?

kafin means before.

It is used to introduce something that happens earlier than another event or time:

kafin dare ya yi = before it becomes night / before night falls

Basic pattern:

kafin
- time/event
  - kafin in tafi = before I go
  - kafin safe = before morning
  - kafin dare ya yi = before night (comes/falls)

Why do we say kafin dare ya yi instead of just kafin dare?

kafin dare (literally before night) is understandable, but kafin dare ya yi is more explicit and natural.

dare = night
ya yi = it does / it becomes (here: it becomes night)

So dare ya yi is like saying “night has come” or “it has become night”.
Then kafin dare ya yi is “before it becomes night / before night falls.”

Using dare ya yi makes it clear you are talking about the time when night begins, not just the general concept night.

What is the ya in dare ya yi referring to?

ya is the 3rd person singular masculine subject pronoun: he/it.

In dare ya yi:

dare (night) is grammatically masculine in Hausa.
So you use ya for it:
dare ya yi = night, it has come / it has become night.

This subject-pronoun-after-the-noun structure is normal in Hausa:

rana ta fito = the sun has risen (literally sun, it-fem came out)
ruwa ya tsaya = the rain stopped (literally rain, it-masc stopped)

Could I just say kafin dare and drop ya yi? Would the meaning change?

You can say kafin dare, and people will usually understand you, especially from context, as:

before night (time)

However:

kafin dare ya yi → more clearly before it becomes night / before night falls, focusing on the transition into night.
kafin dare → looser, more like before night (in general); sometimes feels less complete.

In many natural contexts where you mean before it gets dark, kafin dare ya yi is more idiomatic and precise.

Is Yawanci always placed at the beginning, or can it move inside the sentence?

Most commonly, yawanci is at the beginning:

Yawanci ina yin waya da iyayena kafin dare ya yi. ✅

You can sometimes move it, but it may sound a bit less neutral:

Ina yawanci yin waya da iyayena kafin dare ya yi. (possible, but not the most natural)
Ina yin waya da iyayena yawanci kafin dare ya yi. (also possible)

For learners, the safest and most natural pattern is:

Yawanci + [subject + verb + rest of sentence].

Is there another way to say “I usually call my parents before it gets dark” in Hausa, and how does it differ?

Yes. A very common alternative uses kan to mark habit:

Nakan yi waya da iyayena kafin dare ya yi.

Comparison:

Yawanci ina yin waya da iyayena kafin dare ya yi.
– Uses yawanci (“usually”) and the progressive ina yin waya.
– Feels like: I usually (as a rule) call my parents…
Nakan yi waya da iyayena kafin dare ya yi.
– na-kan is a habitual form (I normally / I tend to / I’m in the habit of).
– Often a bit more compact and explicitly habitual.

Both are correct and natural; your original sentence is perfectly good, everyday Hausa.