Learn Hardcore Hausa: Abin nan yana da amfani sosai.

abu = “a thing, something” (more indefinite on its own)
abin = abu
- -n, giving it a more definite, linked feeling: “the thing / that thing / this thing.”

You’ll see abin very often in:

abin nan – this thing
abin da… – the thing that… / what…
abin da yake… – the thing that is…

So abu is the base noun “thing,” and abin is a very common derived form used in fixed expressions and relative clauses.

What does yana da mean, and why is it used here?

Yana da is a very common Hausa structure that corresponds to English “has / possesses / is with.”

Breakdown:

ya- – 3rd person masculine singular subject (“he/it”)
-na – progressive/continuous aspect marker
yana – “he/it is (in the state of) …”
da – with

In practice, yana da X usually just means “he/it has X.”

In this sentence:

Abin nan – this thing
yana da amfani sosai – has a lot of usefulness / is very useful

So yana da is the standard way to say something has a quality, an ability, or something concrete:

Motar nan tana da arha. – This car is cheap. (lit. has cheapness)
Yaro yana da kudi. – The boy has money.

Could we say Abin nan yana amfani sosai instead, without da? Would that still mean “is very useful”?

No, that would change the meaning.

yana da amfani – “it has usefulness” → “it is useful”
yana amfani (without da) – more like “it is using” (it is in the process of using something), and it sounds incomplete unless you say amfani da wani abu (using something).

To say “is useful,” you need da:

yana da amfani sosai – it is very useful
ba shi da amfani – it is not useful

What does amfani mean, and can it be used as a verb?

Amfani is a noun meaning:

use
usefulness
benefit / advantage

Examples as a noun:

Ina ganin amfani a hakan. – I see a benefit in that.
Ba shi da wani amfani. – It has no (any) benefit.

To express “to use” (verb), Hausa typically uses yi amfani da (“do use with”):

Ina yin amfani da wannan littafi. – I use this book.
Ka yi amfani da wuka. – Use a knife.

So:

amfani = “use / benefit” (noun)
yi amfani da X = “use X” (verb phrase)

What does sosai mean, and where does it go in the sentence?

Sosai means:

very
a lot
extremely / really (intensifier)

In this sentence:

amfani sosai = very much usefulness → “very useful”

Placement:

It commonly comes after the word it modifies:
- yayi kyau sosai. – It is very good.
- ta gaji sosai. – She is very tired.
- yana da amfani sosai. – It is very useful.

You can occasionally find sosai earlier for emphasis, but after the adjective or noun phrase is the most neutral and common position.

How would I say “That thing is very useful” instead of “This thing is very useful”?

To shift from “this” to “that (over there),” you change nan (“here/this”) to can or chan (“there/that”):

Abin can yana da amfani sosai. – That thing (over there) is very useful.

You can also use wancan abu (“that thing”):

Wancan abu yana da amfani sosai.

Summary:

nan – here / this (near speaker)
can / chan – there / that (further away)

Is nan optional? What is the difference between Abin nan and just Abin?

Nan is not exactly “optional” because it adds information.

Abin nan – this specific thing here / this particular matter we’re talking about
Abin (alone) – “the thing,” but more vague; often used when it’s already clear from context or in fixed phrases (like abin da… = “that which / what…”).

Compare:

Abin nan yana da amfani sosai. – This (particular) thing is very useful.
Abin yana da amfani sosai. – The thing is very useful. (You’d need clear context for this to sound natural.)

In everyday speech, people usually keep nan if they really mean “this (one here).”

How would you say the negative: “This thing is not very useful”?

Common negative patterns with this structure:

Ba shi da amfani sosai.
- Literally: “It does not have much usefulness.”
- Very natural: “It’s not very useful.”
With the full noun:
- Abin nan ba shi da amfani sosai.
  – This thing is not very useful.

Here:

ba … da – the negation of yana da / shi da (“has”).
shi – “he/it” (referring back to abin nan).

So the pattern is:
[Subject] ba shi/ta da [noun].

Does abin nan have gender, and how would pronouns refer back to it?

In Hausa, abu / abin is grammatically masculine.

So if you refer back to abin nan, you use masculine singular forms:

Pronoun: shi – he/it
Verb subject: yana – he/it is (progressive)

Examples:

Abin nan yana da amfani sosai. Shi ne na fi so.
– This thing is very useful. It is the one I prefer.
Ina son abin nan. Yana da amfani sosai.
– I like this thing. It is very useful.

Are there other common ways to say “This thing is very useful” in Hausa?

Yes, several natural alternatives with slightly different nuances:

Wannan abu yana da amfani sosai.
– Direct “this thing is very useful,” using wannan abu.
Abin nan yana da matuƙar amfani.
– “This thing is extremely useful / very, very useful.”
- matuƙar intensifies “usefulness.”
Abin nan yana da amfani ƙwarai.
– “This thing is very useful indeed.”
- ƙwarai = greatly, very much.
Wannan abu yana da amfani matuƙa.
– Another strong “very useful.”

All of these keep the same basic structure ([this thing] + yana da + [noun of quality]) and just vary the intensifier.