Learn Hardcore Hausa: Yau hanyoyin sadarwa sun canza, muna amfani da shafukan sada zumunta sosai. - Today ways of communication have changed; we use social media sites a lot.

hanyoyin sadarwa
- hanyoyi → “ways”
- hanyoyin → “the ways of”
- sadarwa → “communication”
  → “the ways of communication”
shafukan sada zumunta
- shafuka → “pages/sites”
- shafukan → “the pages/sites of”
- sada zumunta → “social networking / socializing”
  → “the social‑networking sites/pages”

So -n plays a role similar to English “of”, but is attached to the first noun.

What tense/aspect is expressed by sun canza?

Sun canza uses the perfective (completed) aspect for a 3rd person plural subject:

su – they
perfective subject pronoun: sun
canza – to change

So sun canza means “they have changed” or “they changed”, with the idea that the change is already complete and relevant now.

In context, hanyoyin sadarwa sun canza =
“means of communication have changed (now)” / “communication channels have changed.”

Could I say hanyoyin sadarwa canza without sun?

No. In normal Hausa, a finite verb in a statement almost always needs a subject pronoun before it.

✅ Hanyoyin sadarwa sun canza. – “The means of communication have changed.”
❌ Hanyoyin sadarwa canza. – ungrammatical in this use.

Without sun, canza would look like a bare verb form, which in Hausa does not function as a normal finite predicate in this kind of sentence. You need the appropriate subject pronoun (here sun) to mark both subject and aspect.

Where is the word “we” in muna amfani da shafukan sada zumunta sosai?

The idea of “we” is built into the form muna:

mu – we (independent pronoun)
muna – “we (are) …ing” / “we (habitually) …” (imperfective/progressive subject pronoun)

So:

muna – “we are / we (usually) do”
amfani da shafukan sada zumunta sosai – “using social‑media sites a lot”

You normally do not add a separate mu here:

✅ Muna amfani da shafukan sada zumunta sosai. – “We use social‑media sites a lot.”
❌ Mu muna amfani da shafukan sada zumunta sosai. – Only used if you really want to emphasize “we (as opposed to others)”.

Why does the sentence use muna amfani da (literally “we are use with”) instead of a simple verb “to use”?

Hausa often uses “subject pronoun + verbal noun” to express actions that English expresses with a simple verb.

amfani – “use, usage” (a verbal noun)
muna amfani da X – literally “we are in the use with X”

Functionally, muna amfani da X just means “we use X” or “we are using X”.

This pattern is very common:

Ina karatu. – “I am reading / studying.” (karatu = reading/study)
Suna magana. – “They are talking.” (magana = speech/talking)
Muna amfani da shafukan sada zumunta. – “We use social‑media sites.”

So amfani is not a mistake; it’s the normal, idiomatic way to say “use”.

What exactly does da do in amfani da shafukan sada zumunta?

Da is a very common word, and one of its meanings is “with / by means of”.

In the phrase:

amfani da shafukan sada zumunta

da links “use” with the thing being used:

literally: “use with social‑media sites”
functionally: “use social‑media sites”

So da here marks the instrument or means of the action, much like English “with / by using”.

How is shafukan sada zumunta formed, and what does it literally mean?

Breakdown:

shafi – page, (web)page, section, site
plural: shafuka – pages/sites
shafukan – “the pages/sites of …” (with linker -n)
sada – connecting, causing to meet/join
zumunta – kinship, social ties, relationships

The phrase sada zumunta is used for “social networking / bringing people into relationship”.

So shafukan sada zumunta literally means:

“the pages/sites of social networking”,
i.e. social‑media sites / social‑networking platforms.

What is the difference between sadarwa and sada zumunta?

They are related but not the same:

sadarwa – communication in general
- radio, TV, telephone, email, internet, etc.
- used in hanyoyin sadarwa = “means of communication”
sada zumunta – literally “linking relationships / socializing”
- focused on social ties between people
- in modern usage it refers to “social networking”, hence social media

So in the sentence:

first clause: hanyoyin sadarwa sun canza – “means of communication have changed” (very broad)
second clause: shafukan sada zumunta – specifically social‑media sites, one modern type of communication.

What does sosai add to the sentence, and where does it normally go?

Sosai is an intensifier, meaning “very, a lot, very much”.

In muna amfani da shafukan sada zumunta sosai:

it tells you to what extent “we use social‑media sites”
natural translation: “we use social‑media sites a lot / very much.”

Placement:

It typically comes after the verb phrase or at the end of the clause:
- Ina son ki sosai. – “I love you very much.”
- Yana aiki sosai. – “He works a lot.”
- Muna amfani da shafukan sada zumunta sosai. – “We use social‑media sites a lot.”

So its position at the end here is very normal.

Can Yau (“today / nowadays”) go in another position, or does it have to be at the beginning?

Yau is flexible, but putting it at the beginning is very natural for setting the time frame:

Yau hanyoyin sadarwa sun canza… – “Today / These days, means of communication have changed…”

Other possible placements:

A yau, hanyoyin sadarwa sun canza… – also natural, a bit more formal.
Hanyoyin sadarwa a yau sun canza… – “The means of communication today have changed…”

Less natural or more marked would be putting yau right at the very end of the sentence, especially if you mean “these days / nowadays” rather than strictly “today”. In most everyday speech, you’ll hear it early in the sentence as in the example.