Learn Hardcore Hausa: Fim ɗin da muka kalla jiya ya koya mana yadda za mu girmama haƙƙin al'umma. - The film that we watched yesterday taught us how we should respect the rights of the community.

There are different forms of the definite marker (-n, -r, -ɗin) depending on how the noun ends. With fim, the correct form is ɗin: fim ɗin.

What is the role of da in da muka kalla jiya?

Here, da is a relative particle, like English “that / which” in phrases such as “the film that we watched”.

So:

da muka kalla jiya = that we watched yesterday

Don’t confuse this with another da that means “and/with” (e.g. Ali da Musa – Ali and Musa; Ina tafiya da shi – I’m going with him).

In this sentence, it is clearly introducing a relative clause describing the film.

Why is it muka kalla and not mun kalla for “we watched”?

Hausa has special verb forms in relative or focus clauses.

In a normal main clause (no da, no question word), you would say:
- Mun kalla fim ɗin. – We watched the film.
But in a relative clause introduced by da, you use the relative/focus form:
- Fim ɗin da muka kalla jiya… – The film that we watched yesterday…

So:

mun kalla – main-clause perfective “we watched”
muka kalla – relative/focus perfective “we watched” (after da, question words, or focus words)

Using da mun kalla here would sound wrong or at least very non‑standard.

Why is jiya (yesterday) at the end of da muka kalla jiya? Could it go somewhere else?

Jiya is an adverb (yesterday). Hausa is fairly flexible with adverb placement, but the most natural place here is at the end of the relative clause:

da muka kalla jiya – that we watched yesterday

You could technically say something like da jiya muka kalla, but it sounds less natural and can feel marked or poetic. For everyday speech, verb + time word at the end is very typical:

na gani jiya – I saw (it) yesterday
suka iso yau – they arrived today

What does ya refer to in ya koya mana?

Ya is the 3rd person masculine singular subject marker in the perfective aspect. It stands for “he / it (masc.)”.

Here, ya refers back to fim ɗin da muka kalla jiya:

Fim ɗin da muka kalla jiya – The film that we watched yesterday
ya koya mana… – it taught us…

Many Hausa nouns are grammatically masculine or feminine, and fim happens to be masculine, so it uses ya, not ta.

masculine: littafi – ya zo (the book came)
feminine: mota – ta zo (the car came)

What does koya mana mean? How is mana different from mu?

koya = to teach
mana = to us / for us (indirect object pronoun)

So ya koya mana = he/it taught us or more literally he/it taught to us.

Hausa distinguishes between:

subject pronoun: mu – we
indirect object pronoun: mana – to us / for us

Some examples:

Sun koya mana Hausa. – They taught us Hausa.
Ya ba mu littafi. – He gave us a book. (Here mu is a short object pronoun, not an indirect one.)

In ya koya mana, ya is the subject (it), koya is the verb (teach), and mana indicates the recipients (us).

What does yadda mean in yadda za mu girmama…?

Yadda means “how / the way that”.

In this sentence:

yadda za mu girmama haƙƙin al'umma
≈ how we will respect the rights of the community
≈ the way in which we should respect the community’s rights

So ya koya mana yadda… = it taught us how / it taught us the way in which…

Why is the future marker za mu used here instead of something like an infinitive “to respect”?

English often uses an infinitive after “teach”:

“It taught us to respect people’s rights.”

Hausa normally uses a finite clause with the future marker za:

ya koya mana yadda za mu girmama…
literally: it taught us how we will respect…

This za + pronoun + verb structure is the standard way to express:

future actions
intentions / plans
or, in contexts like this, something like English “how to …”

So even though English has “how to respect”, Hausa naturally says “how we will respect”: yadda za mu girmama…

What does girmama mean exactly, and is it related to girma (big)?

Yes, they are related.

girima/girma – size, greatness, importance, respect
girmama – to respect, to honor, to show deference to

So za mu girmama haƙƙin al'umma = we will respect / honor the rights of the community.

In many contexts, girmama carries a sense of proper respect or honoring someone’s dignity, not just basic politeness.

What does haƙƙin al'umma mean, and why is there an -n on haƙƙin?

haƙƙi = right / claim / entitlement
al'umma = community, society, people (as a group)

Hausa often uses a genitive/possessive linker -n / -r / -n between nouns, which roughly corresponds to English “of”.

haƙƙin al'umma = the right(s) of the community / the community’s rights

Here:

haƙƙi
- -n
  - al'umma → haƙƙin al'umma

That -n is performing the role of “of”, connecting the two nouns into one noun phrase.

Why is it haƙƙin (singular) and not a plural like “rights”?

Hausa often uses a singular abstract noun in places where English uses a plural.

English: human rights (plural)
Hausa: haƙƙin ɗan Adam – the right(s) of the human being / of mankind

So:

haƙƙin al'umma – literally the right of the community, but usually understood as the community’s rights in general.

There is a plural (haƙƙoƙi – rights), and you could say:

haƙƙoƙin al'umma – the rights of the community

But in many natural contexts, haƙƙin al'umma already implies the whole set of rights.

What exactly does al'umma mean? Is it closer to “community,” “nation,” or “people”?

Al'umma is a flexible word. Common meanings include:

community / society – the people living together with shared identity
the public / people at large – in a more general sense
sometimes nation / ummah – especially in religious or political contexts

In haƙƙin al'umma, translating al'umma as “community” or “society” is usually best:

the rights of the community
the rights of society

How is the whole subject Fim ɗin da muka kalla jiya structured grammatically?

The full subject is a noun phrase made up of:

Head noun + definite marker:
- fim ɗin – the film
Relative clause introduced by da, describing the film:
- da muka kalla jiya – that we watched yesterday

So together:

Fim ɗin [da muka kalla jiya] – The film [that we watched yesterday]

This whole chunk functions as the subject of the verb clause:

Fim ɗin da muka kalla jiya ya koya mana yadda za mu girmama haƙƙin al'umma.
→ The film that we watched yesterday taught us how we should respect the rights of the community.

Could I say Fim ɗin da mun kalla jiya instead, or is that wrong?

In standard Hausa, that is considered wrong or at least non‑standard.

Because da introduces a relative clause, you should use the relative/focus perfective form:

✅ Fim ɗin da muka kalla jiya… – correct
❌ Fim ɗin da mun kalla jiya… – not standard

Use mun kalla only in a normal main clause without da:

Mun kalla fim ɗin jiya. – We watched the film yesterday.

So: after da, stick with muka, not mun, for this meaning.