Learn Hardcore Hausa: Dole ne mu saurari umurnin likita idan muna son lafiya. - We must listen to the doctor’s instructions if we want health.

Dole is a noun meaning something like necessity / compulsion / obligation.
Ne is a little linking word (a copula) that you can think of as is.

So dole ne literally means it is a necessity or it is necessary.

In natural English, this whole piece dole ne mu saurari … is best understood as:

We must listen …
We have to listen …
We need to listen …

So yes, dole ne functions very much like English must / have to.

What is the function of ne in dole ne mu saurari umurnin likita? Can you drop it and just say Dole mu saurari umurnin likita?

Ne is the copula (a kind of is word) that links dole to the clause that follows. Think:

Dole ne [mu saurari umurnin likita]
≈ It is necessary [that we listen to the doctor’s instructions].

About dropping ne:

Dole ne mu saurari … is the standard, neutral form you will see in textbooks and careful speech.
In fast or informal speech, some speakers do say Dole mu saurari … without ne, and it will usually be understood.
As a learner, it is safer and more natural to keep ne with dole: Dole ne mu …

Why do we say mu saurari and not muna saurari in Dole ne mu saurari umurnin likita?

Mu here is the subjunctive (or modal) form of we. Hausa uses this form after expressions of necessity, desire, possibility, etc.

Dole ne mu saurari … → we must listen … (obligation / something that should happen)

If you said:

Muna saurari umurnin likita,
that would mean We are listening to the doctor’s instructions (describing an action in progress or a usual habit), not an obligation.

So:

mu + verb here = we should / must + verb (after something like dole ne, ya kamata etc.)
muna + … = we are …‑ing / we (usually) … (progressive / habitual).

In mu saurari umurnin likita, what exactly does mu do? Is it just the word for we?

Yes, mu is the 1st person plural subject marker, corresponding to English we.

But in Hausa, subject markers change form depending on aspect/mood:

Subjunctive (after dole ne, ya kamata, etc.): mu saurari = (that) we listen
Progressive (ongoing/general): muna sauraron sa = we are listening to him / we (generally) listen to him
Perfective (completed): mun saurari = we listened (already)

In your sentence, because it follows dole ne (must), Hausa uses the subjunctive form mu with the bare verb saurari.

How does saurari work? Do you need a preposition like to (as in English listen to), or is umurnin likita a direct object?

Saurari means to listen to / pay attention to / obey.

It takes a direct object, without any preposition.
So saurari umurnin likita literally means listen-to doctor’s instructions.

Examples:

Ka saurari Malam. – Listen to the teacher.
Ku saurari iyayenku. – Listen to your parents.

So, unlike English listen to, Hausa saurari directly attaches its object; you do not insert a preposition like to.

What does umurnin mean, and why does it end in -n?

The base noun is umurni:

umurni = order, command, instruction.

The -n on umurnin is the genitive linker (called izafi in Hausa). It links two nouns in a relationship like:

X of Y
Y’s X

For masculine nouns ending in a vowel, you usually add -n before another noun:

umurni + n + likita → umurnin likita
= the doctor’s orders / the orders of the doctor

Other examples of the same pattern:

gida + n + Bala → gidan Bala – Bala’s house
sunan yarinya – the girl’s name (suna + n + yarinya)

Note: Even though English uses a plural (orders / instructions), Hausa often uses singular umurni to refer to a whole set of instructions collectively.

Why is it umurnin likita and not likitan umurni, since English says the doctor’s orders?

Hausa and English put the two nouns in the opposite order.

English: doctor’s orders → [possessor]’s [thing]
Hausa: umurnin likita → [thing] of [possessor]

So in Hausa, the pattern is:

The thing possessed (here: umurni – orders),
The genitive linker (-n),
The possessor (here: likita – doctor).

More examples:

jakar Malama – the female teacher’s bag
motar likita – the doctor’s car
sunan yaro – the boy’s name

So umurnin likita is exactly how you say the doctor’s orders in Hausa.

What does idan mean in this sentence, and is it more like if or more like when?

Idan can mean both if and when, depending on context.

In your sentence:

idan muna son lafiya
is best taken as if we want health / if we want to be healthy (a condition that may or may not be fulfilled).

In other contexts:

Idan ya zo, zan tafi. – When he comes / If he comes, I will go.

Hausa also has a shorter form in that behaves similarly to idan, but idan is very common and slightly clearer for learners.

In idan muna son lafiya, why do we say muna son instead of something like mu so as in the first clause?

Two different things are happening:

After dole ne (necessity), Hausa prefers the subjunctive form:
- Dole ne mu saurari … – We must listen …
After idan (if/when), you normally use ordinary aspect forms, like:
- muna son (progressive / general present),
- mun so (perfective, for a specific, completed wanting).

So:

idan muna son lafiya expresses a general, ongoing condition:
if we (generally) want health / if we want to be healthy.
Using mu so after idan would not be normal here; it sounds wrong or at least very odd to native speakers.

In short: dole ne → subjunctive mu, idan → normal forms like muna / mun.

What is the structure of muna son lafiya? Is so a verb or a noun here?

Structurally, muna son lafiya breaks down like this:

muna – progressive form of mu (we): we are / we (currently) …
son – the verbal noun (masdar) of the verb so (to like / to want / to love)
lafiya – health, well-being

Literally, it is something like:

We are in a state of wanting health.

But in normal English that is simply:

We want health.
We want to be healthy.

This same pattern is very common:

Ina son abinci. – I want/like food.
Yana son ki. – He loves / likes you (to a female).

So in muna son lafiya, son is a noun-like form of so, and Hausa uses [pronoun + progressive] + son + object to express want/like.

Does lafiya always mean health, or can it also mean things like fine / well in greetings?

Lafiya has a broad meaning of health, safety, well‑being.

In this sentence:

lafiya clearly means health / good health.

But in everyday language, it appears in:

Greetings: Lafiya? – (Is everything) fine?
Replies: Lafiya lau. – Completely fine / very well.
Expressions: Allah ya ba mu lafiya. – May God give us health.

So lafiya can correspond to English health, well‑being, or fine / OK, depending on context. Here it is best understood as good health / being healthy.

Could the sentence also be translated as We have to obey the doctor, not just We must listen to the doctor’s instructions? Does saurari umurnin likita imply obedience?

Yes, that is a natural understanding.

Literally: saurari umurnin likita = listen to the doctor’s orders / instructions.
But in context, listening to someone’s orders normally implies following / obeying them.

So translations like:

We must obey the doctor.
We have to follow the doctor’s instructions.

are faithful to the meaning of the Hausa sentence, even though the verb chosen in Hausa is saurari (listen to) plus umurni (orders).