Schedule & Booking

1. Yaushe jirgin sama zai tashi?

   Yau-she jir-gin sa-ma za-i ta-shi?

   When will the plane depart?

   Usage

   Asking the departure time of a flight

   Grammar Note

   "Jirgin sama" = "jirgi" (vehicle) + "sama" (sky) = airplane. "Zai" is the masculine singular future marker.

2. Taron yana farawa da safe

   Ta-ron ya-na fa-ra-wa da sa-fe

   The meeting starts in the morning

   Usage

   Informing someone that a meeting or tour begins in the morning

   Grammar Note

   "Da safe" (morning), "da rana" (daytime), "da dare" (night) are Hausa's time-of-day expressions. "Da" acts as a temporal preposition.

3. An riga an jima

   An ri-ga an ji-ma

   It has already been a long time

   Usage

   Expressing that a wait has gone on for too long

   Grammar Note

   "Riga" means "already/beforehand" in Hausa. Combined with "an" (passive), it expresses "it has already been done".

4. Yaushe zai dawo?

   Yau-she za-i da-wo?

   When will he/it return?

   Usage

   Asking when a bus, guide, or person will return

   Grammar Note

   Hausa future markers vary by gender/number: "zai" (he), "za ta" (she), "za ku" (you plural), "za su" (they).

5. Shirin yau ya canza

   Shi-rin yau ya can-za

   Today's plan has changed

   Usage

   Informing someone that today's schedule has changed

   Grammar Note

   "Shiri" (plan/preparation) is the common Hausa term for schedule. "Canza" (to change) is versatile — direction, content, plans.

6. Ƙarfe nawa ne yanzu?

   Ƙar-fe na-wa ne yan-zu?

   What time is it now?

   Usage

   Asking the current time

   Grammar Note

   "Ƙarfe" is the Hausa marker for clock hours (o'clock). "Ƙarfe ɗaya" = 1 o'clock, "ƙarfe biyu" = 2 o'clock, etc.

7. Na makara

   Na ma-ka-ra

   I am late

   Usage

   Telling someone you have arrived late

   Grammar Note

   "Na makara" = "I have gotten late". Nigeria is known for "Nigerian time" — punctuality expectations are often relaxed culturally.

8. Mu haɗu gobe da safiyar rana

   Mu ha-ɗu go-be da sa-fi-yar ra-na

   Let us meet tomorrow morning

   Usage

   Setting a meeting for the next morning

   Grammar Note

   "Jiya" (yesterday), "yau" (today), "gobe" (tomorrow) are basic Hausa time adverbs. "Safiyar rana" = early morning.

9. Taron zai ɗauki nawa lokaci?

   Ta-ron za-i ɗau-ki na-wa lo-ka-ci?

   How long will the meeting take?

   Usage

   Asking how long a meeting or tour will take

   Grammar Note

   "ɗauki" (to take/require) has Hausa's implosive "ɗ". "zai ɗauki" means "will take", and "nawa lokaci" asks "how much time".

10. An yi tanadi a gidan abinci

    An yi ta-na-di a gi-dan a-bin-ci

    A reservation has been made at the restaurant

    Usage

    Informing staff that you have a restaurant reservation

    Grammar Note

    "Gidan abinci" (restaurant) = "house of food". "Gida" (house) is productively used in Hausa facility names.

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