Learn Hardcore Hausa: Uwa tana shirya abinci a ɗakin girki. - Mother is preparing food in the kitchen.

Hausa has no articles like “a/the”, so uwa can be:
- “the mother”, “a mother”, or “(my) mother”, depending on context.
Abinci is general “food” or “a meal”; English often picks whichever makes more sense.
Tana shirya is a continuous/progressive action: she is in the middle of preparing the food now, not just a general habit.

What exactly does tana mean, and why is it written as one word?

Tana is a combination of:

ta = “she” (3rd person singular feminine subject pronoun)
na = progressive aspect marker (“be doing”, ongoing action)

Over time, in fluent speech and writing, ta + na is commonly written together as tana.

So:

tana shirya ≈ “she is preparing / she is in the process of preparing”

Grammatically, tana is “she + is (doing)” glued together, marking both who is acting and that the action is ongoing.

Could I say Uwa na shirya abinci instead of Uwa tana shirya abinci? Is there a difference?

Yes, you can hear both, but there are differences in style and clarity:

Uwa tana shirya abinci
- Very clear, standard.
- Explicitly shows 3rd person feminine (“she”) + progressive.
- Safest choice for learners.
Uwa na shirya abinci
- Also used in speech, especially in some dialects.
- na alone can mark progressive after a noun, but it doesn’t show gender (no “ta”).
- In isolation, it is a bit less explicit than tana, but context usually makes it clear.

For clear, textbook-style Hausa, prefer Uwa tana shirya abinci.

What does shirya mean exactly? Does it only mean “prepare food”?

Shirya is a verb meaning “to prepare” or “to get something ready.”

Common uses:

shirya abinci – prepare food
shirya kaya – pack/prepare clothes or luggage
shirya taro – organize a meeting
na shirya – I am ready / I’ve prepared

So shirya is not limited to food; it means “prepare” in a general sense. Context tells you what is being prepared.

How is abinci used? Does it mean “food” in general or a specific meal?

Abinci generally means:

food, a meal, or something to eat.

Usage:

Ina so in ci abinci. – I want to eat (some) food / I want to have a meal.
Abinci daɗi ne. – The food is delicious.

It usually refers to a meal or food in general, not a specific dish. To be more specific, Hausa often names the type of food:

tuwo – a type of staple (swallow)
shinkafa – rice
nama – meat
dóya – yam, etc.

In Uwa tana shirya abinci, we just know she is cooking/preparing food, unspecified.

What does the preposition a mean in a ɗakin girki? Is it the same as English “in”?

A is a very common preposition that usually corresponds to:

“in / at / on” in English, depending on the sentence.

In a ɗakin girki:

a = “in / at”
ɗakin girki = “the kitchen” (literally “room of cooking”)

So a ɗakin girki = “in the kitchen”.

You’ll also see a in:

a gari – in town
a makaranta – at school
a gida – at home / in the house

English often chooses between “in” and “at”, but Hausa uses a for all of these.

What does ɗakin girki literally mean? Why is there an -n at the end of ɗaki?

Breakdown:

ɗaki – room
girki – cooking (also used for “cooking/food preparation”)
ɗakin girki – literally “room of cooking” → kitchen

The -n on ɗaki is a linking consonant (often called a genitive linker or possessive linker). It:

connects two nouns in a relationship like:
- “room of cooking”
- “house of the chief”
and often gives a definite sense (“the room” rather than just “a room”).

More examples:

gidan biki – party house / hall
(gida
- -n
  - biki)
motar Malam – the teacher’s car
(mota
- -r
  - Malam)

So ɗakin girki is the standard expression for “kitchen.”

How do you pronounce the letter ɗ in ɗaki / ɗakin? It looks different from a regular d.

The Hausa letter ɗ represents an implosive “d” sound. Basic guidance:

Start like you are going to say “d”, with your tongue at your upper teeth / alveolar ridge.
At the same time, draw a little bit of air inward (rather than pushing it out).
Voice it (your vocal cords vibrate), like a normal d, but with that slight inward “pop”.

It’s somewhere between an English d and a “clicky” sound, but quite soft in everyday speech.

Minimal pair example in Hausa:

dari – hundred
ɗari – cold

For many learners, a clear, strong “d” is understood; you can refine the true ɗ sound with practice and listening to natives.

What is the basic word order in Uwa tana shirya abinci a ɗakin girki? Can I move words around like in English?

Hausa typically follows S–V–O word order, similar to English:

Subject – Verb – Object – (Adverbials)

In this sentence:

Uwa – Subject (“Mother”)
tana shirya – Verb phrase (“is preparing”)
abinci – Object (“food”)
a ɗakin girki – Adverbial phrase (“in the kitchen”)

So structure:

Uwa (S) – tana shirya (V) – abinci (O) – a ɗakin girki (place)

You generally cannot freely rearrange these parts the way English sometimes allows. For example:

Uwa tana shirya abinci a ɗakin girki. – correct
A ɗakin girki uwa tana shirya abinci. – possible for emphasis in some contexts, but sounds marked and is not the neutral order for a learner.

Stick with S–V–O (+ place/time) as your default pattern.

Can I drop Uwa and just say Tana shirya abinci a ɗakin girki?

Yes, in context, you can omit Uwa:

Tana shirya abinci a ɗakin girki.
– “She is preparing food in the kitchen.”

Hausa often drops subjects when they are clear from context, especially in conversation.

However, note:

tana explicitly shows she (feminine), but it does not say “mother” anymore.
If you want to be clear that it is the mother, and not just “she”, you would say Uwa at least once in the conversation.

For stand‑alone examples, it’s better to keep Uwa so the meaning is clear.

How would I change this sentence to say “Mother prepares food in the kitchen every day” (habitual, not just right now)?

To express a habitual action, Hausa often uses the present simple without the progressive marker, or with adverbs of frequency.

A natural version:

Uwa kan shirya abinci a ɗakin girki kullum.
– Literally: “Mother usually prepares food in the kitchen every day.”

Explanation:

kan – habitual marker (“usually / tends to”)
kullum – every day / always

You could also say, in some contexts:

Uwa na yawan shirya abinci a ɗakin girki. – Mother often prepares food in the kitchen.

But for “every day / regularly”, kan + kullum is clear.

How would I say “Mother prepared food in the kitchen” in the past tense?

A common past‑tense version is:

Uwa ta shirya abinci a ɗakin girki.
– “Mother prepared food in the kitchen.”

Changes from the original:

tana shirya (she is preparing) → ta shirya (she prepared)
- ta = she (3rd person feminine) + perfective (completed action)
- Drop na (the progressive marker)

So:

tana shirya – is preparing (ongoing, right now)
ta shirya – prepared / has prepared (completed in the past)

Why are there no words for “the” or “a” in Uwa tana shirya abinci a ɗakin girki? How do you know if it’s “a kitchen” or “the kitchen”?

Hausa does not use separate words like English “a / an / the.” Definiteness is expressed by:

Context – what’s already known or obvious.
Linkers / endings like -n / -r between nouns, which often feel more “definite”.

In ɗakin girki:

ɗaki – room
ɗakin girki – room-of-cooking → “the kitchen”
- The construction makes it sound like a specific, known room.

In normal conversation about home life, a ɗakin girki will almost always be understood as:

“in the kitchen” (the family’s normal kitchen).

If you really needed to emphasize “a (random) kitchen”, you’d have to use extra wording and explanation; Hausa usually relies on context rather than articles.