Idan muka yi abin da doka ta ce da haƙuri, ɗan sanda ba zai tsayar da mu ba.

If we do what the law says with patience, the police officer will not stop us.

Breakdown of Idan muka yi abin da doka ta ce da haƙuri, ɗan sanda ba zai tsayar da mu ba.

• ba … ba: not
• yi: to do
• idan: if
• da: that

Questions & Answers about Idan muka yi abin da doka ta ce da haƙuri, ɗan sanda ba zai tsayar da mu ba.

What does Idan mean here, and is it always translated as if?

Idan most often means if or when and is used to introduce a condition or a time clause.

In this sentence, Idan introduces the condition:

• Idan muka yi… = If / When we do…

Context decides whether you translate it as if (conditional) or when/whenever (general habit). Here, both are possible in English:

• If we do what the law says…
• When(ever) we do what the law says…

Why is it muka yi and not mun yi or za mu yi for we do?

Hausa has different forms of the subject pronouns depending on the structure of the clause.

• mun yi = we did / we have done (normal perfective)
• muka yi = we did / we do in a relative/focus/subordinate environment, like after Idan, lokacin da, wanda, etc.

Here, Idan creates a special kind of clause (a conditional / subordinate clause), so Hausa uses the relative perfective form muka instead of mun:

• Idan muka yi… (correct)
• ✗ Idan mun yi… (sounds wrong or at least very unusual)

Even though the Hausa form is perfective, English naturally uses a present tense in if-clauses:

• Idan muka yi… → If we do… (not if we did in this kind of general statement)

What exactly does mean? Why not just or something else for ?