Learn Hardcore Hausa: Ni ba na koyaushe samun hutu, amma ina ƙoƙarin bin yadda likita ya ce. - I do not always get rest, but I am trying to follow what the doctor said.

Ni – I / me
ba … na – negative + present/progressive marker (literally “I am not …‑ing”)
koyaushe – always / all the time
samun – getting / obtaining (verbal noun from samu, “to get”)
hutu – rest, break, holiday
- samun hutu – getting rest / having a break
amma – but
ina – I am (progressive marker: “I am …‑ing”)
ƙoƙarin – trying (verbal noun from ƙoƙarta/ƙoƙari, “to try, to make effort”)
- ina ƙoƙarin – I am trying
bin – following (verbal noun from bi, “to follow, obey”)
yadda – how / the way (that)
likita – doctor
ya ce – (he) said

Literal sense:
“I am not always (in the state of) getting rest, but I am trying (the) following (of) how the doctor said.”
Natural English: “I don’t always get rest, but I’m trying to follow what the doctor said.”

How does ba na work here? Why not just ni na koyaushe samun hutu?

In this sentence, ba … na is the negative progressive form for “I”.

na (here) is a subject marker for “I” in the present/progressive:
- Ina samun hutu. – I am getting rest / I get rest (habitually).
- Na samun hutu. – I am getting rest / I get rest. (Shorter form; often used in writing.)
To negate this kind of present/progressive statement, Hausa uses ba before the subject marker:
- Ba na samun hutu. – I do not get rest / I am not getting rest.

So:

Ni na samun hutu. – I get rest. (emphasis on “I”)
Ni ba na samun hutu. – I do not get rest.

In the given sentence, ba na is needed because the speaker is denying a habit: “I don’t always get rest.”

Why is koyaushe placed before samun hutu? Could I say ba na samun hutu koyaushe?

Both orders are possible, but they feel slightly different:

Ni ba na koyaushe samun hutu.
Literally: “I am not always getting rest.”
- Focus is more on “always”: it suggests that “always” belongs closely with the verb phrase as a whole.
Ni ba na samun hutu koyaushe.
Literally: “I do not get rest always.”
- This also makes sense and is often heard.
- Here koyaushe comes at the end and still modifies the whole action.

In everyday speech, ba na samun hutu koyaushe might feel slightly more natural to some speakers, but your original sentence is correct and understandable. The main point is that koyaushe modifies the habit of samun hutu (“getting rest”), whichever side it appears on.

What’s the difference between koyaushe and ko da yaushe?

They are very close in meaning:

koyaushe – always, all the time
ko da yaushe – always / whenever, literally “at whatever time”

Usage:

In many contexts, they can be swapped:
- Ba na samun hutu koyaushe.
- Ba na samun hutu ko da yaushe.
  Both: “I don’t get rest all the time / always.”
ko da yaushe can sometimes suggest “whenever (it happens)”, a bit more like “at any time”:
- Ina shirye ko da yaushe. – I am ready at any time.

In your sentence, either is fine. koyaushe is just a shorter, very common form.

What does samun hutu literally mean, and why is samun used instead of the plain verb?

samu – to get, obtain, receive
samun – the verbal noun: “getting, obtaining”

Hausa often uses a verbal noun plus another word to express actions like “getting rest”:

samun hutu – getting rest / having rest / receiving a break
samun lafiya – getting health, being well
samun aiki – getting a job

Literal breakdown:

samun – getting
hutu – rest, break, holiday

So samun hutu = “(the) getting of rest,” which in English we simply say as “get rest” / “have a break.”

You normally use samun after markers like ina / na / ba na:

Ina samun hutu. – I am getting rest / I get rest.
Ba na samun hutu. – I don’t get rest.

What’s the function of amma here? Is it just like English “but”?

Yes, amma works very much like English “but”:

It introduces a contrast: something is true, but something else is also true.
In your sentence:
- Ni ba na koyaushe samun hutu – I don’t always get rest,
- amma – but
- ina ƙoƙarin… – I am trying…

So it contrasts the problem (not always getting rest) with the positive effort (trying to follow the doctor’s advice).

Other similar conjunctions include amma dai (“but still”) and amma fa (adds emphasis), but amma on its own is the standard “but.”

How does ina ƙoƙarin mean “I’m trying”? What exactly is ƙoƙarin?

ƙoƙari / ƙoƙarta – to try, to make an effort
ƙoƙarin – verbal noun (“trying, making effort”) + possessive ending “‑n”

Structure:

ina – I am (progressive marker)
ƙoƙarin – trying, making an effort (literally “the effort of …”)

So:

Ina ƙoƙarin bin yadda likita ya ce.
Literally: “I am in the effort of following how the doctor said.”
Natural: “I’m trying to follow what the doctor said.”

You’ll see this pattern a lot:

Ina ƙoƙarin koyo Hausa. – I am trying to learn Hausa.
Muna ƙoƙarin gyara matsalar. – We’re trying to fix the problem.

What does bin yadda likita ya ce literally mean?

Let’s break it down:

bi – to follow, obey, go along with
bin – verbal noun: “following”
yadda – how, the way (that)
likita – doctor
ya ce – he said

So bin yadda likita ya ce is:

bin – following
yadda likita ya ce – how the doctor said / the way the doctor said

Literal meaning: “following how the doctor said.”
Natural English: “following what the doctor said” or “following the doctor’s instructions.”

Why is it likita ya ce, not something like likitan ya ce or likita ya faɗa?

Several points here:

likita ya ce
- likita – doctor (indefinite: “a doctor” / “the doctor”, depending on context)
- ya ce – he said
  Together: “the doctor said” (in this context, a specific doctor is meant).
likitan ya ce
- likitan = likita + ‑n (definite “the doctor”)
- likitan ya ce – “the doctor said”, with a bit more explicit definiteness.
  Both forms are possible depending on style and context; Hausa doesn’t always mark definiteness the way English does.
ce vs. faɗa
- ce – to say (very common, especially with direct/reported speech)
- faɗa – to say / tell / speak (also common, sometimes with a slight nuance of “tell” someone)
So you could also hear:
- bin yadda likita ya faɗa. – following what the doctor said / told me.

Your sentence chooses the very common and straightforward ce.

What tense is ya ce? Why isn’t it yana cewa for “is saying”?

ya ce is perfective aspect: “he said” (a completed action).
In this context, it refers to something the doctor already said (earlier), and whose instructions you are now following.

Why not yana cewa?

yana cewa – “he is saying” or “he keeps saying / he says (repeatedly).”
But you want to refer to a statement already made, and you’re following that past instruction now. Hausa normally uses the perfective ya ce for this.

So:

bin yadda likita ya ce – following what the doctor said (before).
bin yadda likita yake cewa – would be more like “following what the doctor (usually) says,” a more habitual sense.

How is the letter ƙ in ƙoƙarin pronounced, and is it different from normal k?

Yes, ƙ is different from plain k in Hausa:

k – a regular “k” sound, like in English “kite.”
ƙ – an implosive or “swallowed” k:
- The tongue is in a similar place to k, but you slightly pull air inward or “suck” the sound rather than pushing air out strongly.
- To many English speakers, it can sound like a softer, more “inside” k.

In practice:

ƙoƙarin is not the same as kokarin; in careful speech, natives clearly distinguish them.
If you can’t produce the implosive perfectly yet, a plain k is usually understood, but it’s good to aim for the correct ƙ as you improve.

Can this sentence also mean “I don’t usually get rest” rather than literally “always”?

Yes, in real usage koyaushe here can be understood a bit more loosely as “regularly / as often as I should”, not only in the strict mathematical sense of “100% of the time.”

So:

Ni ba na koyaushe samun hutu…
Can be taken as:
- “I don’t always get rest,”
  but in many contexts it implies:
- “I don’t usually get enough rest,”
  or
- “I don’t manage to rest as often as I should.”

The exact nuance depends on context and tone, but your translation “I don’t always get rest” is a good base meaning.