Learn Hardcore Hausa: Uwa tana nuna mana cewa taimako ga wasu yana da fa'ida kuma yana ƙara mana daraja. - Mother shows us that helping others is beneficial and increases our respect.

a mother (general)
the mother (a specific one already known in the context)
our mother / Mom (very common interpretation in a family / teaching context)

In a sentence like Uwa tana nuna mana..., speakers will often understand it as “(Our) mother shows us…” or simply “Mother shows us…”, especially if you’ve already been talking about your own mother or about a “mother” figure.

What is the function of tana in Uwa tana nuna mana?

tana is the 3rd person singular feminine subject pronoun + continuous/progressive marker:

ta = she
na (here fused) = marks the progressive / ongoing aspect

So tana nuna literally is “she is showing” or “she shows (regularly / generally)”.

Because uwa (mother) is grammatically feminine in Hausa, it takes tana rather than yana.

What does nuna mana mean exactly, and what is mana doing here?

nuna = to show, to demonstrate
mana = to us / for us (indirect object pronoun: mu “we/us” + -na dative clitic)

So nuna mana = “show (to) us”.

English needs a separate word to (show to us), but Hausa often expresses this with an attached pronoun like -na forming mana.

What does cewa mean, and why is it used here?

cewa is a complementizer, similar to English “that” introducing a clause:

Uwa tana nuna mana cewa...
→ Mother shows us that…

It links the verb nuna (to show) to the content of what is shown (the entire following clause). Without cewa, the sentence can sound incomplete or less natural in careful speech, though in informal speech it’s sometimes dropped when the meaning is clear.

What is taimako in taimako ga wasu? Is it a verb or a noun?

taimako is a verbal noun / noun meaning “help,” “assistance,” “support.”

It comes from the verb taimaka = to help.

taimaka (verb) = to help
taimako (noun) = help, assistance

So taimako ga wasu literally means “help (to) others” or “helping others.”

Why is it ga wasu and not something like wa wasu? What does ga mean here?

Both ga and wa can introduce an indirect object, and their use overlaps, but there are tendencies:

ga often corresponds to “to / towards”, sometimes with a slight sense of direction or relation.
wa is also “to / for”, and is often used with people as indirect objects.

In taimako ga wasu:

taimako ga wasu = help to others / helping others

Using ga here is natural and common; taimako wa wasu is also possible in many contexts and would be understood. Here, ga simply marks “to others”.

How should I understand yana da fa'ida? Is it literally “has benefit”?

Yes, structurally it is “it has benefit”, but idiomatically it means “it is beneficial / it is useful.”

yana = he/it is (doing / having), 3rd singular masculine progressive form
da = with / having
fa'ida = benefit, advantage, usefulness

So:

...taimako ga wasu yana da fa'ida...
→ literally: “help to others is with benefit”
→ more naturally: “helping others is beneficial / has benefits.”

Why do we have tana earlier and yana later in the same sentence?

They agree with different subjects:

Uwa tana nuna mana...
- uwa (mother) is grammatically feminine, so you use tana (she is).
...taimako ga wasu yana da fa'ida...
- taimako (help) is grammatically masculine, so you use yana (it is).

Hausa verbs must agree in gender with the grammatical gender of the subject noun, not with the speaker’s idea of “natural” gender.

Could the sentence drop the second yana in kuma yana ƙara mana daraja and just say kuma ƙara mana daraja?

In everyday casual speech, Hausa speakers sometimes drop repeated pronouns when the meaning is very clear, but in standard, clear Hausa, you normally keep the second yana:

...yana da fa'ida kuma yana ƙara mana daraja.

The repeated yana clearly shows you have two separate predicates about the same subject (taimako ga wasu):

yana da fa'ida = it is beneficial / it has benefit
yana ƙara mana daraja = it increases our value / it adds to our honor

Dropping the second yana is poorer style and can sound incomplete or less clear, so keep it in careful speech and writing.

What does ƙara mana daraja mean literally, and how is ƙara used?

ƙara = to add, to increase
mana = for us / to us
daraja = value, honor, respect, status, dignity

So yana ƙara mana daraja is literally:

“it is adding value to us” or “it is increasing our honor / status.”

Idiomatically:

“it gives us more value,” “it raises our status / dignity,” “it brings us honor.”

The pattern ƙara + (indirect object pronoun) + noun is common:

ƙara masa ƙarfi = increase his strength / give him more strength
ƙara musu lada = increase their reward

Is the word order with cewa the same as English “that”-clauses, or does Hausa change the order?

In this sentence, the word order inside the cewa-clause is similar to normal Hausa declarative order, and broadly comparable to English “that”-clauses:

cewa taimako ga wasu yana da fa'ida kuma yana ƙara mana daraja.
→ “that helping others is beneficial and increases our value.”

Inside the cewa-clause:

Subject: taimako ga wasu
Verb phrase: yana da fa'ida kuma yana ƙara mana daraja

Hausa does not require a special word order inside cewa-clauses; it generally keeps the normal Subject–Verb–(Objects/Complements) pattern.

What kind of tone or register does this sentence have? Is it formal, religious, or everyday?

The sentence has a neutral to slightly elevated, moral / didactic tone:

Words like fa'ida (benefit, advantage) and daraja (value, honor, dignity) are common in moral, religious, or educational contexts.
Grammatically and lexically, it’s suitable for everyday conversation, but also sounds natural in sermons, talks, or lessons.

So it’s not slangy or highly colloquial; it’s a good standard, polite Hausa you can use in both family and educational contexts.