Lokacin da na dawo daga siyayya yau, na ji ƙamshin miya daga ɗakin girki.

When I came back from shopping today, I smelled the aroma of soup from the kitchen.

Breakdown of Lokacin da na dawo daga siyayya yau, na ji ƙamshin miya daga ɗakin girki.

• yau: today
• ɗakin girki: the kitchen
• daga: from
• dawo: to return
• miya: the soup
• lokacin da: when
• siyayya: the shopping
• ji: to smell
• ƙamshi: the smell

Questions & Answers about Lokacin da na dawo daga siyayya yau, na ji ƙamshin miya daga ɗakin girki.

What does lokacin da mean here, and is it always used for “when”?

Lokacin da literally means “the time that/when”.

• lokaci = time
• lokacin = lokaci
  • linking -n → “the time (of)”
• da = here works as a subordinator, roughly “that / when”

So Lokacin da na dawo… = “(At) the time when I came back…” → “When I came back…”

You don’t have to use lokacin every time you say “when”:

• You can say: Da na dawo daga siyayya yau, na ji…
  → “When I came back from shopping today, I smelled…”

Using lokacin da sounds a bit more explicit and slightly more formal/clear, but da alone is also common.

What exactly is the role of da in lokacin da? Isn’t da usually “and / with”?

Yes, da is very flexible in Hausa and has several common uses:

1. “and”:

   • Ali da Aisha = Ali and Aisha

2. “with”:

   • Ina tafiya da kai = I am going with you

3. Subordinator “that / when / if” (as in your sentence):

   • Lokacin da na dawo… = When I came back…
   • Da ka zo, sai ka kira ni. = When/If you come, call me.

In lokacin da, da is not “and” or “with”; it’s a linker introducing a subordinate clause, similar to “when” or “that” in English.

How should I understand na dawo? Is na just “I”, or is it also a tense marker?

In na dawo, the na is both:

• the 1st person singular subject (“I”)
• and a perfective aspect marker (completed action)

So:

• na dawo ≈ “I came back / I have come back” (completed action)
• Ina dawowa = “I am coming back” (progressive / continuous)

Other persons in the perfective:

• ka dawo = you (sg. male) came back
• ki dawo = you (sg. female) came back
• ya dawo = he came back
• ta dawo = she came back
• mun dawo = we came back
• kun dawo = you (pl.) came back
• sun dawo = they came back

So yes, in this position na does more than just mean “I”; it also tells you the action is completed.

What does daga mean? Is it always “from”?

Daga is a preposition that primarily means “from”:

• Na dawo daga siyayya. = I came back from shopping.
• Ya fito daga gida. = He came out from the house.

In your sentence it appears twice:

• daga siyayya = from shopping
• daga ɗakin girki = from the kitchen

Its core meaning is “from (a place, activity, or source)”. Depending on context, it can also feel like “out of, away from”, but “from” is usually a good translation.

What is siyayya exactly? Is it a verb or a noun?

Siyayya is a verbal noun / gerund-like noun, meaning “shopping” (the activity).

Think of it like English “shopping” in “I went shopping”:

• Na je siyayya. = I went shopping.
• Na dawo daga siyayya. = I came back from shopping.

It’s not a finite verb; the verb is sayo or saya (“to buy”), but Hausa often uses siyayya to talk about going to buy things as an activity.

Why is yau (“today”) placed after siyayya? Can I move it around?

In your sentence:

• Lokacin da na dawo daga siyayya yau, …

Yau is modifying the whole situation “coming back from shopping”, not just the verb. The position is natural, but not the only possibility.

You could also hear:

• Yau lokacin da na dawo daga siyayya, na ji ƙamshin miya…
• Lokacin da na dawo daga siyayya a yau, na ji ƙamshin miya…

All are understandable. Subtle differences:

• Placing yau early (at the very start) can give it slightly more emphasis: “Today, when I came back from shopping…”
• Where it is now is very normal spoken style: “When I came back from shopping today…”

So yes, you can move yau, but it should stay near the part of the sentence it’s qualifying.

What does na ji mean here? Does ji only mean “hear”?

Ji is a very general perception verb in Hausa. It can mean:

• hear (a sound)
• feel (a feeling, pain)
• smell (a scent)
• sometimes taste or sense more broadly

So:

• Na ji ƙamshin miya literally: “I perceived the smell of soup” → “I smelled soup.”
• Na ji zafi. = I feel pain / I feel hot.
• Na ji muryarka. = I heard your voice.

The exact sense (hear, smell, feel) is usually clear from the object:

• ƙamshi (smell) → smell
• muryar (voice) → hear
• zafi (pain/heat) → feel

What is the structure of ƙamshin miya? Why is there an -n on ƙamshi?

ƙamshin miya is a genitive (possessive / “of”) construction:

• ƙamshi = smell
• ƙamshi + -n → ƙamshin (the bound/construct form)
• miyya / miya = soup (here: miya)

So:

• ƙamshin miya = “the smell of soup”

This pattern is very common:

• sunna = tradition → sunnar Musulunci = the tradition of Islam
• gida = house → gidan malam = the teacher’s house / house of the teacher

Here, -n (or -r / -ar in other words) is a link that roughly corresponds to English “of” or the apostrophe-s.

What does ɗakin girki literally mean, and how is it formed?

ɗakin girki is also a genitive / compound:

• ɗaki = room
• ɗaki + -n → ɗakin (“the room of …” / “room-”)
• girki = cooking

So literally:

• ɗakin girki = “the room of cooking” → “kitchen”

This is a typical way Hausa forms compound nouns:

• ɗakin kwana = bedroom (room of sleeping)
• ɗakin wanka = bathroom (room of bathing)
• ɗakin karatu = classroom / study room (room of reading)

So daga ɗakin girki = “from the kitchen.”

Why is it daga ɗakin girki and not a ɗakin girki? Could I say a ɗakin girki?

Both daga and a are common prepositions, but they highlight different things:

• daga = from (source/origin)

  • Na ji ƙamshin miya daga ɗakin girki.
    → “I smelled the smell of soup from the kitchen.” (the smell is coming from there)

• a = in / at (location)

  • Na ji ƙamshin miya a ɗakin girki.
    → “I smelled the smell of soup in the kitchen.” (that’s the place where you smelled it)

So:

• daga ɗakin girki emphasizes the source of the smell.
• a ɗakin girki emphasizes the location where you were when you smelled it.

Your original sentence is focusing on the source of the smell, so daga is the natural choice.

Can I drop lokacin and just say Da na dawo daga siyayya yau, na ji ƙamshin miya…?

Yes, that’s possible and very natural:

• Da na dawo daga siyayya yau, na ji ƙamshin miya daga ɗakin girki.

Here da alone is functioning as “when” (a subordinator). There is a slight nuance:

• Lokacin da na dawo…
  
  • Slightly more explicit: “At the time when I came back…”
• Da na dawo…
  
  • More compact, very common in speech: “When I came back…”

Both are correct; choice often depends on style and rhythm.

How would I say “When I was coming back from shopping today…” in Hausa (continuous, not completed)?

To express an ongoing/continuous action in the subordinate clause, you’d change na dawo (perfective) to a continuous form, e.g.:

• Lokacin da nake dawowa daga siyayya yau, na ji ƙamshin miya daga ɗakin girki.
  = “When I was coming back from shopping today, I smelled the smell of soup from the kitchen.”

Breakdown:

• n (short for ina) + ake → nake: 1sg continuous in a relative/subordinate setting
• dawowa = verbal noun for “coming back”

So nake dawowa ≈ “I was (in the process of) coming back” in that “when”-clause context.

Is the word order na ji ƙamshin miya daga ɗakin girki fixed, or can I move daga ɗakin girki earlier?

The given order is the most natural:

• na ji [ƙamshin miya] [daga ɗakin girki]
  = I felt/smelled [the smell of soup] [from the kitchen].

You might occasionally hear different orders for emphasis, but the neutral pattern is:

1. Verb: na ji
2. Direct object: ƙamshin miya
3. Prepositional phrase: daga ɗakin girki

So you generally don’t want to say:

• ?Na ji daga ɗakin girki ƙamshin miya. (understandable but awkward in neutral speech)

Keep:

• Verb + Object + (Place/Source phrase)
  → na ji ƙamshin miya daga ɗakin girki.