Learn Hardcore Hausa: ɗan uwana ya gama sakandare, yanzu yana shirin zuwa jami'a. - My brother has finished secondary school; now he is preparing to go to university.

In everyday Hausa, ɗan uwa can also be used more broadly for a close male relative or kinsman, sometimes even “brother” in a non-literal sense (close friend, fellow believer, etc.).
In this sentence, the most natural reading is “my brother”.

Why is there a special letter ɗ in ɗan instead of just d, and how do I pronounce it?

Hausa distinguishes between d and ɗ; they are different consonants:

d is like English d in “dog”.
ɗ is an implosive d: you tap the tongue as for d, but you slightly suck air inwards instead of pushing it out.

It often helps to:

Say English “da”,
Then repeat it but with a tiny inward gulp of air at the d – that is close to ɗa.

Using ɗ vs d can change meaning, so the special letter is important in writing.

How is possession shown in uwana, and why is it written as one word?

uwana is uwa + -na:

uwa = mother (here, part of the fixed expression ɗan uwa “brother/kinsman”)
-na = my (attached possessive pronoun)

So uwana literally means “my mother”, and in the expression ɗan uwana, the whole phrase means “my brother / my mother’s son.”

In normal writing, the noun and the possessive suffix are written together as one word (uwana, gidana, sunana, etc.), even though grammatically it is “uwa + na”.

What is the role of ya in ya gama? Is it just the pronoun “he”?

ya is a subject pronoun meaning “he” (3rd person singular masculine), but in Hausa it is tightly bound to the verb:

ya gama = he finished / has finished
ya tafi = he went / has gone

So ya both:

Marks the subject as “he”, and
Signals the perfective (completed) aspect of the verb.

If you want to emphasize the pronoun, you can add the full independent pronoun:

shi ya gama sakandare = he (and not someone else) finished secondary school.

But in neutral sentences, just ya gama is normal.

What is the difference between ya gama sakandare and yana gama sakandare?

ya gama sakandare = completed action → He has finished secondary school.
yana gama sakandare = ongoing / in the process of finishing → roughly He is (in the middle of) finishing secondary school.

So:

ya gama = “he finished / has finished” (it's done)
yana gama = “he is finishing” (not yet fully done, or habitually does so)

In your sentence, ya gama sakandare clearly says that secondary school is already completed.

What exactly does sakandare refer to—“high school” or “secondary school”?

sakandare is borrowed from English “secondary” and refers to secondary school education.

Depending on your English variety:

In a British / Nigerian context, you can translate it as “secondary school.”
In a North American context, “high school” is usually the closest equivalent.

So ya gama sakandare = he has finished secondary school / he has finished high school.

What does yanzu do here, and where can it appear in the sentence?

yanzu means “now.” In the sentence:

ɗan uwana ya gama sakandare, yanzu yana shirin zuwa jami'a.
→ My brother has finished secondary school; now he is preparing to go to university.

yanzu is an adverb of time, and its position is flexible. You can say:

Yanzu ɗan uwana yana shirin zuwa jami'a.
ɗan uwana yanzu yana shirin zuwa jami'a.
ɗan uwana yana shirin zuwa jami'a yanzu. (often more like “these days / at this time”)

The meaning “now” remains; the difference is mostly about emphasis and style.

How does the expression yana shirin work? Why not just a single verb meaning “to plan”?

yana shirin is built from:

yana = he is (doing), progressive form (3rd person masculine)
shiri = plan, preparation (a noun)
shirin X = the plan/preparation of X

So yana shirin zuwa jami'a literally is:

He is in the plan/preparation of going to university →
He is preparing / getting ready / planning to go to university.

Hausa often forms this kind of meaning with:

yana + [verbal noun] + [complement]

You could also say:

yana shirya zuwa jami'a (he is preparing to go to university)

but yana shirin zuwa jami'a is very natural and common.

What kind of word is zuwa in zuwa jami'a? Is it like the English preposition “to”?

zuwa originally comes from a verb meaning “to go / going”, but in modern Hausa it often behaves like a preposition:

zuwa jami'a = to (the) university
zuwa kasuwa = to the market
zuwa gida = home / to the house

In structures like yana shirin zuwa jami'a, you can think of zuwa as corresponding to English “to” in “to go to university,” combining the idea of going with direction.

Why is there no word for “the” or “a” before jami'a? How do you know if it means “a university” or “the university”?

Hausa does not have separate words exactly like English “the” and “a/an.”

jami'a on its own can mean “a university” or “the university,” depending on context.
In this sentence, it most naturally means “university” in general, as in going to university (not specifying which one).

If you want to be more explicit, Hausa uses other strategies:

wata jami'a = a certain / some university
jami'ar nan = this university
jami'ar Kano = the University of Kano (a specific named one)

So definiteness and specificity come from context and extra words, not from an article like the.

How do you pronounce the apostrophe in jami'a?

The apostrophe in jami'a marks a glottal stop—a brief closure of the vocal cords, like the break in English “uh‑oh” or some pronunciations of “butter” in London English.

So jami'a is pronounced roughly:

ja‑mi (short pause) ‑a

You do not run the vowels together like “jamia”; there is a small, clear break between i and a.

Can I omit yanzu or repeat the subject in the second clause, for example: ɗan uwana ya gama sakandare, yana shirin zuwa jami'a?

Yes, both are possible, with small nuances:

ɗan uwana ya gama sakandare, yana shirin zuwa jami'a.
- Natural and grammatical. The subject “he” is understood from context.
- Still means: My brother has finished secondary school; he is preparing to go to university.
If you want to be very explicit, you can repeat the subject pronoun:
- ɗan uwana ya gama sakandare, shi kuma yana shirin zuwa jami'a.
- Here shi kuma adds a slight contrast (as for him, he is preparing…).
You can also keep yanzu but drop it or move it without changing the core meaning.

So your suggested version without yanzu is fine and common in speech.

How would the sentence change if I were talking about a sister instead of a brother?

For a female sibling, Hausa usually uses yar uwa (“sister”), so you would change both the kin term and the gender of the pronoun:

Original (brother):
ɗan uwana ya gama sakandare, yanzu yana shirin zuwa jami'a.
With a sister:
yar uwata ta gama sakandare, yanzu tana shirin zuwa jami'a.

Changes:

ɗan uwana → yar uwata = my sister (literally “daughter of my mother”)
ya → ta (3rd person feminine “she”)
yana → tana (feminine progressive form “she is ...”)

This version means: My sister has finished secondary school; now she is preparing to go to university.