Learn Hardcore Hausa: Dazun na ji kira daga wayar Baba amma ban amsa ba. - A moment ago I heard a call from father’s phone but I did not answer.

In na ji kira, the na is the subject pronoun “I” combined with a perfective (completed action) marker. Hausa doesn’t usually use a separate free word for “I” the way English does. Instead, it uses these short bound forms before the verb.

Breakdown:

na = I (perfective)
ji = hear
kira = a call

So na ji kira literally is “I-heard call”, i.e. I heard a call.

Other similar forms:

ka ji kira = you (m.sg) heard a call
ya ji kira = he heard a call

Is na ji a past tense? How is it different from ina ji or zan ji?

Na ji is a perfective (completed) form and usually corresponds to past in English.

na ji = I heard / I have heard (completed event)
ina ji = I am hearing / I hear (right now / generally)
zan ji = I will hear

So in your sentence:

Dazun na ji kira… = A short while ago I heard a call… (it’s already over).

What exactly is kira in na ji kira, and why doesn’t Hausa say “hear a call” with a preposition?

Kira is a noun meaning “call”, usually in this context a phone call.

ji (verb) = to hear
kira (noun) = a call

Hausa often uses a simple verb + noun pattern where English might use a preposition:

ji kira = hear (a) call
gan shi = see him (no preposition)

So na ji kira is literally I-heard call and naturally means I heard a call.

What does daga mean in kira daga wayar Baba?

Daga is a preposition meaning “from”.

kira daga wayar Baba = a call from Baba’s phone

Other uses of daga:

na fito daga gida = I came out from the house
ya zo daga Kano = he came from Kano

So here it marks the source of the call.

Why is it wayar Baba and not just waya Baba? What is the -r on wayar?

The -r in wayar is the linker (genitive marker) that connects a noun to what follows it, often translated as “’s” or “of” in English.

waya = phone
wayar Baba = Baba’s phone / the phone of Baba

Rules in brief:

A noun ending in -a (like waya) usually takes -r when it’s followed by another noun in a possessive-like relationship.
- waya + r + Baba → wayar Baba
A noun ending in a consonant often takes -n:
- motar Baba (from mota) = Baba’s car
- gidin Malam (from gida) = the teacher’s house (here a → i before -n)

So wayar Baba is the standard possessed form: Baba’s phone.

Does Baba here mean “father” or is it just a name?

Baba literally means “father / dad”, but it’s also very common in Hausa to use it:

As a kinship term for one’s own father
- wayar Baba = my father’s phone (context can imply “my”)
As an honorific or nickname for an older man, or even as a personal name.
- In some families, someone may be called Baba as a proper name.

In your sentence, English might render it as:

from my dad’s phone
or from Baba’s phone

depending on the context and whether Baba is being treated as a title/role or as a fixed name.

How does the negation ban amsa ba work? Why are there two ba’s?

Ban amsa ba is the negative perfective form of “I answered”. It literally follows the pattern:

ba + subject (perfective) + verb + ba

Breakdown:

ba = negative particle (start)
na = I (perfective)
ba + na → ban (they merge in speech and spelling)
amsa = to answer
ba = negative particle (end)

So:

ban amsa ba = I did not answer

Other examples:

ba ka ji ba = you (m.sg) did not hear
ba ta gani ba = she did not see

That initial ba and final ba “sandwich” the verb phrase in the negative perfective and many other tenses.

Where is the “I” in ban amsa ba? I only see ba and amsa.

The “I” is hidden inside ban. It is really:

ba + na → ban

Here:

ba = negative marker
na = I (perfective)
merged form ban = I (negative perfective) at the start

So:

ban amsa ba = ba (neg) + na (I) + amsa (answer) + ba (neg)
= I did not answer.

Other similar mergers:

ba + ka → ba ka (often still written separate) = you (m.sg) didn’t…
ba + mu → ba mu = we didn’t…

Only ba + na regularly fuses into ban in writing.

Why is there no object after amsa? Shouldn’t it be “I didn’t answer it / him / the call”?

In Hausa, if the context is clear, the object can be understood and left out.

In your sentence, we already know from earlier:

na ji kira daga wayar Baba = I heard a call from Baba’s phone

So when the second clause says:

amma ban amsa ba

it is naturally understood as:

but I didn’t answer (it / the call).

If you want to be explicit, you could say:

amma ban amsa kiran ba = but I didn’t answer the call
amma ban daga wayar ba = but I didn’t pick up the phone

But ban amsa ba alone is totally normal in context.

How is ban amsa ba different from ba zan amsa ba?

They differ in time and aspect:

ban amsa ba
- negative perfective (completed past)
- I did not answer (that time / earlier).
ba zan amsa ba
- negative future
- ba
  - zan (I will) + amsa
    - *ba
- I will not answer / I’m not going to answer.

So your sentence is about a past event that already happened (and you didn’t answer), not about a decision concerning the future.

What does amma do in this sentence, and is its position fixed?

Amma means “but” and introduces a contrast between two clauses.

In your sentence:

Dazun na ji kira daga wayar Baba = A moment ago I heard a call from Baba’s phone
amma ban amsa ba = but I did not answer

Amma appears at the start of the second clause, much like English “but”. That is its normal position:

Na ji kira, amma ban amsa ba. = I heard a call, but I didn’t answer.

You can also start a sentence with amma in conversation to contrast with what came before.