Learn Hardcore Hausa: Kada ki wuce titi idan motoci suna tafiya da sauri. - Do not cross the street if cars are moving fast.

kada – don’t / let not
ki – you (2nd person singular, feminine, subject marker used with commands/subjunctive)
wuce – to pass, go past, go beyond
titi – road, street
idan – if / when (introduces a condition)
motoci – cars (plural of mota, car)
suna – they are (3rd person plural su
- progressive marker -na)
tafiya – going, movement, journey (verbal noun of “go/walk”)
da – with; (here: “with” speed → “fast”)
sauri – speed, quickness; in this expression: fast

So a more word‑for‑word sense is:
“Don’t you (fem.) pass the street if cars are in-going with speed.” → “Don’t cross the street when the cars are going fast.”

What is the role of kada here? Is it like English “don’t”?

Yes. Kada is a negative particle used mainly to say “don’t …” or “let not …” in commands, warnings, and wishes.

It’s typically followed by:

a subject marker (like ki, ka, ku, etc.)
and then a bare verb (subjunctive form):

Examples:

Kada ka tafi. – Don’t go. (to a male)
Kada ku yi magana. – Don’t speak. (to more than one person)
Kada ki wuce titi. – Don’t cross the street. (to a female)

So in this sentence, kada is giving a negative command or warning: “Don’t …”

What does ki mean, and how is it different from ka and ku?

Ki is a 2nd person singular feminine subject marker used with certain verb forms, including commands introduced by kada.

Basic distinctions:

ka – “you (male, singular)” in many contexts, especially with commands / subjunctive
- Kada ka wuce titi. – Don’t cross the street. (to a man/boy)
ki – “you (female, singular)” in those same types of structures
- Kada ki wuce titi. – Don’t cross the street. (to a woman/girl)
ku – “you (plural)”
- Kada ku wuce titi. – Don’t cross the street. (to several people)

So kada ki… is addressing one female specifically. If you don’t care about gender, many speakers default to ka with adults, but ki is the grammatically feminine form.

Why is the verb wuce in this bare form, without prefixes like ki wucewa or kina wucewa?

After kada (and in other subjunctive/imperative contexts), Hausa normally uses the bare verb form:

No progressive marker (-na)
No -wa nominal ending
No subject prefix joined to the verb itself

So you get:

Kada ki wuce. – Don’t (you, fem.) pass.
Kada ka yi haka. – Don’t (you, masc.) do that.
Kada su zo. – Let them not come.

If you said kina wucewa, that would sound like “you (fem.) are crossing / tend to cross”, a descriptive statement, not a command.
Kada ki wuce uses the plain verb wuce to express a direct prohibition.

Is wuce titi the usual way to say “cross the street”, or is there a more exact verb?

Wuce titi is natural and common in everyday speech for “cross the street / pass the road”.

However, there is a more “precise” verb:

ketare titi – literally to cross over the road

So you might also hear:

Kada ki ketare titi idan motoci suna tafiya da sauri.

Both wuce titi and ketare titi are understandable.

Wuce is more general: to pass, go past, overtake, go beyond.
Ketare focuses specifically on the act of crossing over from one side to the other.

In many real contexts, wuce titi is perfectly fine for “cross the street.”

What exactly does idan mean here? Is it more like “if” or “when”, and how is it different from in?

Idan introduces a condition and can often be translated as either “if” or “when”, depending on context.

In this sentence:
Kada ki wuce titi idan motoci suna tafiya da sauri.
you could read it as:

“Don’t cross the street when cars are going fast.”
or
“Don’t cross the street if cars are going fast.”

Both are acceptable.

About idan vs. in:

idan – widely used in both speech and writing; neutral, clear “if/when”
in – a shorter form, common in spoken Hausa and some styles; can often replace idan in conditional sentences

For example:

In motoci suna tafiya da sauri, kada ki wuce titi.
≈ “If/when cars are going fast, don’t cross the street.”

In many everyday sentences, idan and in can be used interchangeably, but idan is a bit more explicit and beginner‑friendly.

How does motoci suna tafiya da sauri work grammatically? Why not just motoci suna sauri?

Motoci suna tafiya da sauri breaks down as:

motoci – cars
suna – they are (progressive marker)
tafiya – going, moving (verbal noun)
da sauri – with speed → fast

Literally: “the cars are in movement with speed.”

So you’re explicitly describing the action of moving and the manner (fast).

You could say:

Motoci suna sauri. – “The cars are fast / going fast.”

That’s also understandable and used, but:

suna tafiya da sauri emphasizes the ongoing action of moving quickly.
suna sauri can sound either like “are fast” or “are in a hurry,” depending on context.

The pattern (subject) suna tafiya da X is a common way to say “are going/moving in an X way” (fast, slowly, quietly, etc.).

What is the plural motoci based on? How is it formed from mota?

The singular is:

mota – car

The plural is:

motoci – cars

This is a common noun class pattern where:

-a → -oci

Other examples with similar pattern (not always identical, but comparable style of change) include nouns where the ending changes and some vowels shift.

You don’t just add a simple -s like in English; you often get stem + new ending, and mota → motoci is one such common pattern learners just memorize:

mota → motoci
car → cars

What does da do in da sauri? Is it literally “with speed”, and is this a common way to say “fast”?

Yes. Da here literally means “with”:

da sauri – with speed → fast, quickly

This is a very common pattern in Hausa:

da sauri – fast / quickly (with speed)
da hankali – carefully (with care)
da karfi – strongly / forcefully (with strength)
da nutsuwa – calmly (with calmness)

So in suna tafiya da sauri, you have:

suna tafiya – they are going
da sauri – in a fast way

It’s a standard and natural way to form adverb‑like phrases in Hausa.

Can the sentence order be changed to put the idan clause first, like in English “If cars are going fast, don’t cross the street”?

Yes. You can perfectly well say:

Idan motoci suna tafiya da sauri, kada ki wuce titi.

This is completely grammatical and natural. The meaning is the same:

Kada ki wuce titi idan motoci suna tafiya da sauri.
Idan motoci suna tafiya da sauri, kada ki wuce titi.

Both mean: “Don’t cross the street when/if cars are going fast.”
Switching the order only slightly changes the flow, not the core meaning.

How strong or polite is Kada ki wuce titi…? Is it like a soft suggestion or a firm warning? Are there other common variants?

Kada ki wuce titi… is a clear, firm prohibition—very much like English “Don’t cross the street…” It’s suitable for:

giving safety instructions
warning a child or someone you’re responsible for
rules and regulations

It doesn’t automatically sound rude; the tone depends on voice, context, and added words like don Allah (please).

You’ll also hear:

Kar ki wuce titi idan… – colloquial; kar is a shortened, very common spoken form instead of kada.

So:

Kada ki wuce titi idan motoci suna tafiya da sauri. – Standard / neutral written form.
Kar ki wuce titi idan motoci suna tafiya da sauri. – Very common in everyday speech.

Both carry a strong “don’t do this” message, like a serious warning, not just a light suggestion.