Transportation

1. Ina son in tafi zuwa...

   I-na son in ta-fi zu-wa...

   I am going to... / I want to go to...

   Usage

   Basic phrase for stating your destination. Fill in "..." with the place name

   Grammar Note

   "Ina son in tafi" means "I want to go." "Son" is "want/like" and "tafi" is "go." "Zuwa" is the directional preposition "to."

2. Mota ko tasi?

   Mo-ta ko ta-si?

   Is there a car or a taxi?

   Usage

   Used to ask about available transportation options

   Grammar Note

   "Tasi" is a borrowing of English "taxi", and "ko" means "or". Hausa readily borrows transport vocabulary from English and French.

3. Nawa ne haya?

   Na-wa ne ha-ya?

   How much is the fare?

   Usage

   Used to ask the price of transport

   Grammar Note

   "Haya" (fare/rent) may derive from Arabic. Negotiating transport fares is as common as market bargaining in Hausa culture.

4. Tashi yanzu

   Ta-shi yan-zu

   Leave now / Depart now

   Usage

   Used to urge a driver to leave immediately

   Grammar Note

   "Tashi" is the imperative form. Hausa commands often use the bare verb stem. "Yanzu" is the time adverb "now."

5. Tsaya nan

   Tsa-ya nan

   Stop here

   Usage

   Used to instruct a driver to stop at this location

   Grammar Note

   "Tsaya" is the imperative of "to stop/stand." "Nan" points to a nearby place ("can" and others are used for places farther away).

6. Ina tashar bas?

   I-na ta-shar bas?

   Where is the bus station?

   Usage

   Used to find a bus stop or motor park

   Grammar Note

   "Tashar" is the linked form of "tasha" (station/stop). "Bas" is borrowed from English "bus." "Tashar jirgin ƙasa" = railway station.

7. Nisa ne zuwa nan?

   Ni-sa ne zu-wa nan?

   Is it far from here?

   Usage

   Used to ask whether a destination is far

   Grammar Note

   "Nisa" is the noun "distance/farness." The copula "ne" forms a predicate. Hausa copulas can sometimes be omitted in casual speech.

8. Jirgin sama yana tashi yaushe?

   Jir-gin sa-ma ya-na ta-shi yau-she?

   When does the plane depart?

   Usage

   Used at the airport to ask about departure time

   Grammar Note

   "Jirgin sama" = vehicle of the sky. "Jirgi" means vehicle/vessel: "jirgin ƙasa" (train, lit. ground vehicle), "jirgin ruwa" (boat, lit. water vehicle).

9. Ka kai ni asibiti

   Ka kai ni a-si-bi-ti

   Take me to the hospital

   Usage

   Used in emergencies to ask a driver to take you to the hospital

   Grammar Note

   "Ka" marks a command to a male. For a female: "Ki kai ni asibiti." "Asibiti" may derive from Arabic or be a loanword from English "hospital."

10. A hankali

    A han-ka-li

    Slowly / Carefully / Take it easy

    Usage

    Used to ask a driver to slow down or as a general caution

    Grammar Note

    "Hankali" means care/wisdom/patience. "A hankali" functions as "carefully/slowly." It is also used as a parting word meaning "take care."

11. Wace hanya zan bi?

    Wa-ce han-ya zan bi?

    Which route should I take?

    Usage

    Used to ask for directions or route guidance

    Grammar Note

    "Zan" is the future auxiliary followed by the verb. "Bi" means to follow/take (a road). Hanya ("road") is feminine, so the question word is the feminine "wace" ("wane" is for masculine nouns).

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