Mun biya haraji.

Mun is the 1st person plural subject form used with a completed action. In simple terms, it means we in a sentence like we paid or we have paid.

So in Mun biya haraji, mun is doing more than just saying we. It also helps show that the action is completed.

Because Hausa does not build tense and aspect the same way English does. English often changes the verb itself, like pay → paid. Hausa usually keeps the verb more stable and shows person and aspect through short words like mun.

So:

• mun = we
  • completed action
• biya = pay

Together, mun biya means we paid or we have paid.

It can mean either one, depending on context.

Hausa mun often expresses a completed action, so English may translate it as:

• we paid tax
• we have paid tax

If the situation is about a finished event in the past, we paid tax is natural. If the focus is that the payment is now completed, we have paid tax is also natural.

Biya means to pay. In this sentence it is the main verb.

So the sentence breaks down like this:

• Mun = we + completed action
• biya = pay
• haraji = tax

That gives We paid tax.

Because Hausa verbs usually do not change as much as English verbs do for person. Instead, Hausa often shows that information in the subject form before the verb.

So English changes meaning with forms like:

• I paid
• we paid
• they paid

But in Hausa, the subject marker changes more than the verb itself:

• na biya = I paid
• mun biya = we paid
• sun biya = they paid

The verb biya stays the same here.

Because Hausa normally uses the order:

subject marker + verb + object

So:

• Mun = subject
• biya = verb
• haraji = object

That word order is very normal in Hausa.

Hausa does not use articles in the same way English does. English often needs words like a, an, or the, but Hausa often does not.

So haraji can simply appear by itself, and English supplies the most natural translation from context:

• tax
• the tax
• sometimes even taxes

depending on what is being talked about.

By itself, haraji is commonly understood as tax in a general sense, but context matters. In English, the best translation may be:

• tax
• taxes
• the tax

Hausa does not always force the same singular/plural distinction that English does in every sentence, so learners often need to rely on context.

A rough English-style guide is:

mun BEE-ya ha-RA-jee

A few helpful notes:

• mun sounds a bit like moon, but shorter
• biya is roughly BEE-ya
• haraji is roughly ha-RA-jee
• the r in Hausa is often lighter than in English, sometimes like a quick tap

This is only an approximation, but it is a useful starting point.

You can say:

Ba mu biya haraji ba.

That means We did not pay tax or We have not paid tax.

Notice the negative pattern:

• Ba at the beginning
• ba at the end

That is a very common Hausa negative structure.

They are not the same.

• mun biya = we paid / we have paid
• mu biya usually has a different meaning, such as let us pay or that we pay, depending on context

So the -n in mun matters a lot. It helps show that the action is completed.