Learn Hardcore Hausa: Mun yanke shawara mu tafi sinima a Asabar maimakon a Lahadi. - We decided to go to the cinema on Saturday instead of on Sunday.

mun = we (perfective)
- mu (we) + -n (perfective marker)
- It marks a completed action: mun yanke shawara = we decided / we have decided.
mu before tafi = we in a subjunctive / “that we …” clause
- mu tafi sinima = (that) we go to the cinema / for us to go to the cinema.

So the structure is:

Mun yanke shawara → We decided
mu tafi sinima a Asabar → (that) we go to the cinema on Saturday

Put together: We decided (that) we will go to the cinema on Saturday instead of Sunday.

English uses to + verb (decide to go); Hausa instead often uses a second clause with a pronoun + bare verb (mun yanke shawara mu tafi).

What does yanke shawara literally mean, and is it always “to decide”?

Literally:

yanke = to cut
shawara = advice, counsel, suggestion

So yanke shawara is literally “cut advice / cut counsel”, but idiomatically it means:

to make a decision
to decide

It’s the normal, everyday way to say decide in Hausa:

Mun yanke shawara = We decided / We have made a decision.
Za ka yanke shawara? = Will you decide? / Are you going to make a decision?

So yes, whenever you want to say decide, yanke shawara is usually the safest, most natural choice.

Why isn’t there a word like English to in “decide to go”? Why is it just mun yanke shawara mu tafi?

Hausa doesn’t use an infinitive “to go” structure the way English does.
Instead, very often it uses:

[main clause] + [subject pronoun + bare verb]

So:

English: We decided to go to the cinema.
Hausa: Mun yanke shawara mu tafi sinima.
Literally: We decided we go to the cinema.

The mu tafi part acts like “(that) we go” / “for us to go”, covering the meaning of English to go in this kind of sentence.

Other examples:

Na so in tafi. = I wanted to go. (literally: I wanted I go)
Sun yi ƙoƙari su gama. = They tried to finish. (literally: they tried they finish)

Could I say Mun yanke shawara za mu tafi sinima instead of Mun yanke shawara mu tafi sinima? What’s the difference?

You can say:

Mun yanke shawara za mu tafi sinima.

The meaning is very close, but there’s a nuance:

mu tafi after yanke shawara:
- Subjunctive / volitional feel
- Emphasizes the plan/decision itself:
  We decided (that) we should go / we are going.
za mu tafi:
- za marks a plain future: we will go
- Emphasizes the future event:
  We decided we will go (in the future).

In many everyday contexts, both are acceptable, but mun yanke shawara mu tafi is the more standard pattern after yanke shawara and other verbs of wanting/deciding/trying.

What tense/aspect is mun yanke shawara? Does it mean past or present perfect?

mun yanke shawara is perfective aspect for we.

It typically covers:
- simple past: we decided
- present perfect: we have decided

Context usually decides how it’s translated:

Talking about a finished decision relevant now:
Mun yanke shawara mu tafi sinima a Asabar.
→ We’ve decided to go to the cinema on Saturday.
Talking about a distant past decision could still be mun yanke shawara, translated as we decided.

So you can think of mun here as: we (have) done X.

Why is the preposition a used with the days Asabar and Lahadi? Does a mean “on”, “in”, or “at”?

The preposition a is very flexible. It can mean:

in
on
at
general “in/at a place or time”

In this sentence:

a Asabar = on Saturday
a Lahadi = on Sunday

More examples:

a gida = at home / in the house
a makaranta = at school
a ƙarfe huɗu = at four o’clock
a lokacin nan = at that time

So when used before days of the week, a is best translated as on in English, even though it’s the same a that is translated as in or at in other contexts.

Could I drop the a and just say Asabar or Lahadi without it?

Yes, in informal speech, Hausa speakers often drop a before days of the week, especially when the meaning is clear from context.

So you might hear:

Za mu tafi sinima Asabar.
Za mu gan ka Lahadi.

But:

In careful speech and writing, including the a (as in a Asabar, a Lahadi) is very standard.
For learners, it’s safer to learn and use the version with a, then you’ll easily understand the shorter spoken forms.

What does maimakon mean exactly, and how does it work in the sentence?

maimakon means instead of / in place of.

In the sentence:

… a Asabar maimakon a Lahadi.
→ … on Saturday instead of on Sunday.

Structure here is:

[choice] + maimakon + [thing being replaced]

You can use maimakon with:

nouns:
- Na sha ruwan lemo maimakon shayi.
  = I drank soda instead of tea.
clauses:
- Na yi aiki maimakon in huta.
  = I worked instead of resting.

So here, going on Saturday is chosen instead of going on Sunday.

Why is it mu tafi sinima, not something like mu je sinima? What’s the difference between tafi and je?

Both tafi and je can mean go, but they’re used a bit differently.

tafi
- Very common, general go
- Often used by itself or with destinations:
  - mu tafi sinima = let’s go to the cinema
  - Sun tafi gida. = They went home.
je
- Also go, but:
  - Often used in future or subjunctive with zuwa or a noun:
    - Za mu je sinima. = We will go to the cinema.
    - Ina son in je kasuwa. = I want to go to the market.
  - You frequently see je followed by zuwa:
    - Za mu je zuwa kasuwa.

In mu tafi sinima, tafi is perfectly natural and very common.
You could say mu je sinima, but mu tafi sinima is probably the more usual-sounding choice in many regions.

Can I change the word order to Mun yanke shawara a Asabar mu tafi sinima maimakon a Lahadi?

You can say:

Mun yanke shawara a Asabar mu tafi sinima maimakon a Lahadi.

But the meaning shifts slightly:

Original:
Mun yanke shawara mu tafi sinima a Asabar maimakon a Lahadi.
→ Focus is on going on Saturday instead of Sunday.
New order:
Mun yanke shawara a Asabar mu tafi sinima…
→ Sounds more like We made the decision on Saturday to go to the cinema (instead of Sunday).

So in the new version, a Asabar is more likely to be understood as when you decided, not when you’re going.

If you want to be clear that the going is on Saturday, keep a Asabar next to mu tafi sinima, as in the original.

How would this sentence change with different subjects, like I or you?

Same structure, but you change the subject pronouns:

We
- Mun yanke shawara mu tafi sinima a Asabar maimakon a Lahadi.
I
- Na yanke shawara in tafi sinima a Asabar maimakon a Lahadi.
  - na = I (perfective)
  - in tafi = (that) I go
You (singular)
- Ka yanke shawara ka tafi sinima a Asabar maimakon a Lahadi. (to a male)
- Kin yanke shawara ki tafi sinima a Asabar maimakon a Lahadi. (to a female)
They
- Sun yanke shawara su tafi sinima a Asabar maimakon a Lahadi.

Pattern:

Main clause: [subject-perfective] yanke shawara
Subordinate clause: [same subject pronoun] + verb

This is a very common pattern in Hausa for decide to X, want to X, try to X, etc.