A ƙauyenmu akwai al'ada cewa kowa yana kawo kyauta idan aka yi biki.

Yes. A is a preposition that usually means in / at / on depending on context.

• ƙauye = village
• ƙauyenmu = our village
• A ƙauyenmu = In our village

So the sentence starts by setting the location: A ƙauyenmu = In our village.

Hausa often attaches possessive pronouns to the end of nouns.

• ƙauye = village
• -n/-n ƙauyen = a linker/“of” form (used before another noun or pronoun)
• mu = we / us

Combine them:

• ƙauye + -n + mu → ƙauyenmu = village-of-us = our village

So instead of saying village of us with separate words, Hausa fuses it into one word. That’s why you don’t see a separate word for our here.

akwai is an existential verb, usually translated as there is / there are.

In the sentence:

• akwai al'ada = there is a custom / there is a tradition

You can think of the structure as:

• A ƙauyenmu (In our village)
• akwai (there is)
• al'ada (a custom / tradition)

So akwai is not “is” in the copula sense (like he is tall); it’s specifically for existence or presence: there exists / there is.

al'ada means custom / tradition / habit.

The apostrophe ' in Hausa orthography usually marks a glottal stop – a brief closing of the vocal cords, like the break in the middle of uh-oh in English. So:

• al'ada is pronounced with a small “break” between al and ada.

It’s not punctuation in the English sense; it’s representing a consonant sound.

cewa is a complementizer; it functions like English that introducing a clause:

• al'ada cewa… = a custom that…

So the structure is:

• akwai al'ada = there is a custom
• cewa kowa yana kawo kyauta = that everyone brings a gift

In many cases Hausa needs cewa where English could drop that. So you shouldn’t usually omit it here.

In Hausa, kowa (everyone) is grammatically singular, even though the meaning refers to many people.

• kowa = everyone, each person (singular)
• yana = he is / it is (3rd person masculine singular, progressive)

So:

• kowa yana kawo kyauta = literally everyone (he) is bringing a gift
• but in natural English: everyone brings a gift / everyone is bringing a gift

This is similar to English agreement: we also use a singular verb with everyone (e.g. everyone is here, not everyone are here).

yana kawo is the progressive / continuous aspect:

• yana = he is (progressive marker + pronoun)
• kawo = to bring

So yana kawo literally = he is bringing.

However, in Hausa, this progressive form is often used for habits / general rules, not just actions happening right now. So in this sentence, kowa yana kawo kyauta naturally translates as:

• everyone brings a gift (habitual/general custom)

You could say ya kawo (he brought) for a single completed act, but here the point is a repeated, customary action, so yana kawo fits well.

idan literally means if, but in Hausa it very often functions like when(ever) for repeated or typical situations.

• idan aka yi biki = when there is a celebration / whenever a celebration is held

There is an “if” flavor in the literal meaning, but because we are talking about a customary rule (“in our village it’s a custom that…”), natural English uses when:

• …that everyone brings a gift when there is a celebration.

So you can understand idan here as whenever / when(ever).

aka is an indefinite / impersonal subject marker used with the perfective. It roughly means someone/people/they did something, with the doer left unspecified, often giving a passive-like feel.

• yi = to do / to perform
• aka yi biki = a celebration was held / one held a celebration / people did a celebration

an yi is also an indefinite perfective form, but aka yi is especially common in narration and general statements, and it often follows things like idan (if/when).

So:

• idan aka yi biki: very natural, idiomatic Hausa = “when (a) celebration is held”.

Both an yi biki and aka yi biki are possible in other contexts, but with idan plus a general rule/custom, aka yi biki is the standard feel.

kyauta has both meanings, depending on context:

1. gift / present – something given to someone

   • na kawo maka kyauta = I brought you a gift.

2. for free / free of charge – without paying

   • sun ba ni shi kyauta = they gave it to me for free.

In kowa yana kawo kyauta, the context of a celebration and custom makes kyauta clearly mean a gift / present.

Both orders are possible, but fronting the place is very natural in Hausa when you want to set the scene:

• A ƙauyenmu akwai al'ada… = In our village, there is a custom… (emphasis on the place)
• Akwai al'ada a ƙauyenmu… = There is a custom in our village… (more neutral)

Putting A ƙauyenmu first highlights “as for our village…”, then tells what is true there. It’s similar to topicalizing in English: “As for our village, there is a custom that…”.

Yes, you could restructure the sentence, for example:

• A ƙauyenmu al'ada ce cewa kowa yana kawo kyauta idan aka yi biki.
  → In our village, it is a custom that everyone brings a gift when there is a celebration.

Here:

• al'ada ce = (it) is a custom (ce is the feminine copula, agreeing with al'ada, which is grammatically feminine).

Both versions are grammatical. The original with akwai al'ada uses the existential “there is a custom” structure; al'ada ce uses the copular “it is a custom” structure. The overall meaning is the same.

Hausa distinguishes between k and ƙ:

• k: an ordinary voiceless velar stop, like English k in cat.
• ƙ: an ejective k, produced with a glottalic burst – you close the throat and “pop” the sound out more sharply.

In ƙauyenmu, the first consonant is ƙ, not plain k. Native speakers hear this difference as clearly as, say, p vs b in English. Getting ƙ roughly right is important for clear pronunciation, even if your ejective isn’t perfect at first.