Learn Hardcore Hausa: Yara suna jin daɗi sosai a cikin gida. - The children are feeling very happy inside the house.

In English we just say “are”, but in Hausa that meaning is carried by su + na → suna. It often corresponds to English “are …ing” or “usually …”, depending on context.

What does the phrase jin daɗi mean literally, and how is it used?

Literally:

jin = feeling / sensing / hearing (verbal noun of ji)
daɗi = pleasure, enjoyment, pleasantness

Together jin daɗi literally means “feeling pleasure”.

Idiomatic meaning: to enjoy, to feel good, to have a good time, to be comfortable/happy (in a situation).

So yara suna jin daɗi ≈ “the children are enjoying themselves / they feel good.”

Some notes:

It’s a very common expression for enjoyment or comfort, not just “happiness” in a deep emotional sense.
It can refer to physical comfort (the room is cool; I’m enjoying it) or emotional enjoyment (the party is fun; I’m enjoying it).

How is jin daɗi different from farin ciki (another way to say “happy”)?

jin daɗi = to feel good, to enjoy, to be comfortable / pleased with something.
- Often about enjoying a situation: food, a party, staying indoors, the weather, etc.
farin ciki = literally “white inside”, idiomatically happiness / joy.
- More like an emotional state: gladness, joy.

So:

Yara suna jin daɗi sosai a cikin gida.
→ The children are really enjoying being inside / feel very comfortable indoors.
Yara suna cikin farin ciki.
→ The children are (in a state of) happiness / are joyful.

They overlap, but jin daɗi focuses more on enjoyment/comfort in a situation, while farin ciki is closer to inner happiness/joy.

Why is it yara and not yaran at the start?

yara = children (indefinite / general)
yaran (or yaran nan etc.) = the children (more clearly definite / specific group)

Using yara on its own can mean:

some children, or
children in general, depending on context.

So:

Yara suna jin daɗi sosai a cikin gida.
→ Could be “(The) children are really enjoying being indoors”; definiteness is inferred from context.

If you want to stress a particular known group, you can say:

Yaran suna jin daɗi sosai a cikin gida. → The children (we’ve been talking about) are really enjoying being indoors.

What is the role of sosai, and where can it go in the sentence?

Sosai means “very, a lot, really” (intensifier).

Typical position is after the verb phrase or after the thing it intensifies. In this sentence:

suna jin daɗi sosai = they are enjoying themselves very much.

You’ll commonly see:

Yara suna jin daɗi sosai.
Yara suna jin daɗi ƙwarai sosai. (very, very much – stronger)

You usually wouldn’t put sosai before the verb here:

✗ *Yara sosai suna jin daɗi… (unnatural in this meaning)

So keep sosai after the feeling/action it is intensifying.

What does a cikin gida mean, and why do we need both a and cikin?

Breakdown:

a = a general preposition often translated as in, at, on, to (location-oriented).
cikin = inside, the inside of.
gida = house, home.

So a cikin gida literally = “in the inside of the house.”
Idiomatic = “inside the house / indoors.”

Why both a and cikin?

a introduces the location.
cikin specifies the interior of that location.

Compare:

a gida = at the house, at home (more general location)
a cikin gida = inside the house (specifically indoors, not outside).

Can I omit a and just say “Yara suna jin daɗi sosai cikin gida”?

You might hear forms without a in fast or colloquial speech, but the standard, clearer form is:

a cikin gida

That’s what you should learn and prefer.

cikin gida on its own is also a common fixed expression meaning indoors / inside the house:

Yara suna jin daɗi sosai cikin gida.
→ Acceptable as “The children are really enjoying themselves indoors.”

So:

a cikin gida = grammatically full prepositional phrase.
cikin gida = also widely used, somewhat more compact.

Both are much more natural than dropping both a and cikin and just saying gida in this sentence.

Could the sentence also be “Yara suna jin daɗi sosai a gida”? What would be the difference?

Yes, you can say:

Yara suna jin daɗi sosai a gida.

Difference in nuance:

a cikin gida = inside the house, focusing on being indoors, inside the building.
a gida = at home / at the house, more general: not necessarily stressing indoors as opposed to outdoors.

Context often makes the difference small, but if you want to emphasize “indoors / inside”, a cikin gida is clearer.

Is jin daɗi treated like one verb? How would I make it negative?

Yes, jin daɗi works as a single idea (“to enjoy / feel good”), though grammatically it’s jin (verbal noun) + daɗi (noun).

To negate suna jin daɗi, you use the regular negative pattern with the plural pronoun su:

Ba sa jin daɗi sosai a cikin gida.
→ They are not enjoying themselves much inside the house.

Structure:

Ba
- sa (negative form for su) + verb phrase
Ba sa jin daɗi… = they are not feeling pleasure / not enjoying themselves.

Why isn’t there a copula like ne or ce in this sentence?

In Hausa, ne/ce/ne are used mainly for equative / identifying sentences (X is Y), focus, and some emphasis.

Here, we don’t have “The children are (something)”; we have “The children are *doing something”*:

Yara (subject)
suna jin daɗi sosai (verb phrase: “are enjoying themselves a lot”)
a cikin gida (place).

Because this is a verbal sentence (they are doing X), you do not use ne/ce. Those are for different sentence types (like “Wannan ne gidana” – “This is my house.”).

Is suna always used for “they are …ing”? When would I use forms like suke instead?

Suna is the normal main-clause form for “they (are) doing …” in the progressive/habitual:

Yara suna wasa. – The children are playing / usually play.
Su na aiki. → Suna aiki. – They are working.

Suke is used mainly in relative clauses and certain focused structures, for example:

Yaran da suke a cikin gida suna jin daɗi sosai.
→ The children *who are inside the house are really enjoying themselves.*

Here:

suke = relative form: “who are”.

So:

Main clause “they are …” → suna …
“who are …”, “that are …” → often suke … inside a relative clause.

How is ɗ in daɗi pronounced, and is it different from d?

Yes, ɗ is a different consonant from d in Hausa.

d = a regular voiced alveolar stop, like English d in “dog”.
ɗ = a voiced implosive (written with a little hook). You slightly pull air inward as you pronounce it, and the sound is “heavier” or “popped” compared to plain d.

Minimal pair:

dadi (with simple d) would be a misspelling of daɗi.
daɗi (with ɗ) is the correct form meaning pleasure, enjoyment, tastefulness.

For learners, it’s enough at first to notice the spelling difference and try to make ɗ a bit more emphatic and “popped” than d. Over time, your ear and tongue will adjust.