Learn Hardcore Hausa: Bayan waɗannan tafiye-tafiye, ta sami kwarewa a cibiyar koyarwa ta jami'a. - After these trips, she gained expertise at the university's teaching center.

Bayan waɗannan tafiye-tafiye, ta sami kwarewa a cibiyar koyarwa ta jami'a.

After these trips, she gained expertise at the university's teaching center.

Breakdown of Bayan waɗannan tafiye-tafiye, ta sami kwarewa a cibiyar koyarwa ta jami'a.

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Questions & Answers about Bayan waɗannan tafiye-tafiye, ta sami kwarewa a cibiyar koyarwa ta jami'a.

In the phrase Bayan waɗannan tafiye-tafiye, how does bayan work, and how is it different from baya or daga baya?

Bayan means after when it is followed by a noun phrase. So Bayan waɗannan tafiye-tafiye = After these trips.

bayan + X → after X (a specific period or event)
- Bayan aiki = after work
- Bayan wannan rana = after that day

Compare:

baya (without -n) usually means back/behind or, in time, in the past:
- a baya = in the past / previously
daga baya = later / afterwards, more like a general “later on”, not tied to a specific noun phrase:
- Zan yi maka bayani daga baya = I’ll explain to you later.

So in this sentence, bayan is correct because it directly introduces the time expression waɗannan tafiye-tafiye.

What exactly does waɗannan mean, and can it go after the noun instead of before it?

Waɗannan means these (plural demonstrative, near the speaker).

wannan = this (singular)
waɗannan = these (plural)

In Hausa, waɗannan normally comes before the noun:

waɗannan tafiye-tafiye = these trips

You would not normally say *tafiye-tafiye waɗannan.
If you want a post‑noun demonstrative, Hausa uses nan/can instead:

tafiye-tafiyen nan = these trips (here)
tafiye-tafiyen can = those trips (over there)

Why is tafiye-tafiye written with a hyphen and repeated, instead of just a simple plural like tafiyoyi?

The base noun is tafiya = trip / journey.

It has (at least) two common plurals:

tafiyoyi – a regular plural
tafiye-tafiye – a reduplicated plural

Tafiye-tafiye often suggests several trips / repeated travelling / many journeys, and it is very common in speech and writing. The hyphen simply shows reduplication of the same form. Some writers omit the hyphen (tafiye tafiye); the meaning is the same.

Using tafiye-tafiye here subtly emphasizes that there were multiple trips, not just one or two.

The word ta appears twice: ta sami and ta jami'a. Are these the same word and how do I know which is which?

They are two different functions that just happen to look the same:

ta in ta sami
- This is the 3rd person feminine singular subject pronoun = she.
- It also marks the perfective (past) aspect of the verb.
- ta sami ≈ she got / she has gained.
ta in ta jami'a
- This is the genitive linker meaning of, agreeing with a feminine head noun.
- It links cibiyar koyarwa (the head noun phrase) to jami'a (the possessor).
- cibiyar koyarwa ta jami'a = the university’s teaching center / the teaching center of the university.

You distinguish them by position and role:

ta + verb → subject pronoun (she)
noun phrase + ta + noun → genitive linker (of)

If the subject were masculine or plural instead of feminine singular, how would ta sami change?

The verb sami stays the same; you only change the subject pronoun. For the perfective (past) aspect:

ya sami = he got / he has gained
- Bayan waɗannan tafiye-tafiye, ya sami kwarewa...
sun sami = they got / they have gained
- Bayan waɗannan tafiye-tafiye, sun sami kwarewa...
mun sami = we got / we have gained
- Bayan waɗannan tafiye-tafiye, mun sami kwarewa...

So the pattern is [subject perfective pronoun] + sami.

Why is the verb sami and not samu here?

The basic verb is samu = to get / to obtain / to find.

In the perfective (completed action), Hausa often changes the final -u to -i:

samu (dictionary / infinitive form)
ta sami (she got / she has obtained)

Other examples of this pattern:

zama → ya zama (he became) – this one doesn’t change
karɓa → ta karɓi (she received)
ga samu → ya sami (he got)

So sami here is the perfective form meaning got / has gained.

Does ta sami kwarewa mean she got experience or she has gained experience? How does tense/aspect work here?

Ta sami kwarewa is perfective aspect: a completed action.

In English, you can translate it as either:

she got experience, or
she has gained experience,

depending on context. Hausa perfective does not strictly distinguish between English simple past and present perfect; it just says the action is completed. The surrounding context (time expressions like bayan) tells you which English tense feels more natural.

What does kwarewa mean exactly, and is it the same as “experience” in English?

Standard spelling is ƙwarewa (with ƙ), though you often see kwarewa without the special letter.

ƙwarewa = skill, expertise, proficiency, being very good/competent at something.

In context, ta sami ƙwarewa can be translated as she gained experience because gaining experience usually leads to increased skill. But strictly:

ƙwarewa leans more toward expertise / high level of skill.
For general “experience” (life or work experience), Hausa also uses gogewa.

So literally it’s closer to she became skilled / she gained expertise, but she gained experience is a natural English rendering.

What does the preposition a do in a cibiyar koyarwa ta jami'a?

A is a very common preposition meaning in / at / on depending on context.

Here:

a cibiyar koyarwa ta jami'a = at the university’s teaching center.

So:

a + place → in/at + place
- a gida = at home
- a makaranta = at school
- a cibiyar koyarwa ta jami'a = at the university’s teaching center

Can you break down cibiyar koyarwa ta jami'a word by word?

Yes, it’s a layered noun phrase:

cibiya = center
cibiyar = the center of ...
- Feminine nouns ending in -a often take -r in this “construct” form before another noun:
  - mota → motar (car → the car of …)
  - cibiya → cibiyar (center → the center of …)
koyarwa = teaching, the act of teaching
- From the verb koya (to teach).

So cibiyar koyarwa = teaching center (literally: center of teaching).

ta = of (genitive linker agreeing with feminine cibiya)
jami'a = university

Put together:

cibiyar koyarwa ta jami'a = the university’s teaching center / the teaching center of the university.

Why is the linker ta used in cibiyar koyarwa ta jami'a, and when would I use na instead?

In this structure, ta and na both mean of, but they agree with the gender/number of the head noun (the first noun phrase).

cibiya is feminine singular, so you use ta:
- cibiyar koyarwa ta jami'a = the teaching center of the university

If the head noun were masculine singular or plural, you would usually use na:

sashen koyarwa na jami'a = the university’s teaching department
- sashe (department) is masculine → na
cibiyoyin koyarwa na jami'a = the teaching centers of the university
- cibiyoyi (centers) is plural → na

So:

Feminine singular head noun → ta
Masculine singular / plural head noun → typically na

Could I move the time expression to the end and say Ta sami kwarewa a cibiyar koyarwa ta jami'a bayan waɗannan tafiye-tafiye?

Yes, that word order is grammatically correct.

Bayan waɗannan tafiye-tafiye, ta sami kwarewa...
Ta sami kwarewa... bayan waɗannan tafiye-tafiye.

Both are fine. Putting Bayan waɗannan tafiye-tafiye at the beginning is just a common way to set the time frame up front, similar to English “After these trips, she …”. Placing it at the end shifts the emphasis slightly but doesn’t change the basic meaning.

Is the comma after tafiye-tafiye necessary in Hausa writing?

The comma after tafiye-tafiye is optional, but it is quite natural.

Writers often use a comma to separate an initial adverbial phrase (like a time expression) from the main clause, just as in English:

Bayan waɗannan tafiye-tafiye, ta sami kwarewa...

You can also omit it:

Bayan waɗannan tafiye-tafiye ta sami kwarewa...

Both are acceptable; using the comma slightly clarifies the structure for the reader.

How would this sentence change if I wanted to say we instead of she?

You only change the subject pronoun; everything else stays the same.

Original:
- Bayan waɗannan tafiye-tafiye, ta sami kwarewa a cibiyar koyarwa ta jami'a.
- = After these trips, she gained experience at the university’s teaching center.
With we (1st person plural perfective pronoun mun):
- Bayan waɗannan tafiye-tafiye, mun sami kwarewa a cibiyar koyarwa ta jami'a.
- = After these trips, we gained experience at the university’s teaching center.