Shi yana son ruwa.

A simple breakdown is:

• Shi = he / him
  An independent pronoun. In this sentence, it points to he.
• yana = a 3rd person singular masculine marker used in the imperfective/present-type pattern
  Very roughly, this is the part that matches he is / he does depending on context.
• son = liking / wanting / loving
  This is the form used here after yana.
• ruwa = water

So the structure is roughly:

• Shi
  • yana
    • son
      • ruwa
• he
  • present/imperfective marker + like/want/love
    • water

That is a very common question.

Yes, yana already tells you the subject is 3rd person singular masculine: he.

So why add shi?

• yana son ruwa = a complete, normal sentence
• shi yana son ruwa = adds emphasis, contrast, or topical focus

So shi is often like:

• he, as for him...
• he himself...
• as for him, he likes/wants water

In many contexts, shi can be left out.

Yana is not just a separate word for is.

It is better to think of yana as a grammatical marker that combines:

• subject agreement: he
• aspect: usually imperfective/present/habitual/progressive, depending on the verb and context

With a verb like so/son, English often translates it as a simple present:

• yana son ruwa = he likes water or he wants water

So yana does not always mean a literal English is.

In patterns like this, Hausa commonly uses a verbal-noun-type form after markers such as yana.

So learners often meet the expression as:

• yana son...
• ina son...
• tana son...

You do not need to overcomplicate it at first. The useful beginner rule is:

• after forms like yana, the normal pattern is son

So it is best to learn yana son ruwa as a standard grammatical combination.

It can depend on context.

The Hausa verb behind son can cover meanings that English splits up:

• like
• want
• sometimes love

So yana son ruwa might mean:

• he likes water
• he wants water

Context tells you which one is most natural.

For example:

• If you are talking about preferences, it may mean he likes water.
• If someone is thirsty, it may mean he wants water.

Yes.

That is a fully correct and very natural sentence:

• Yana son ruwa.

Adding shi usually gives extra emphasis or contrast:

• Shi yana son ruwa. = He, on the other hand, likes/wants water.

So for a basic neutral sentence, dropping shi is often fine.

Because Hausa does not use articles the same way English does.

In English, you often need words like:

• a
• the
• some

In Hausa, a bare noun often works by itself:

• ruwa = water, the water, or some water, depending on context

So ruwa without an article is completely normal.

Yes.

A useful beginner pattern is:

• (optional independent pronoun)
  • subject/aspect marker
    • verb form
      • object

So here:

• Shi = optional independent pronoun
• yana = subject/aspect marker
• son = verb form
• ruwa = object

That makes the sentence very normal grammatically.

A rough English-friendly approximation is:

• Shi ≈ shee
• yana ≈ YAH-na
• son ≈ sohn
• ruwa ≈ ROO-wa

So the whole sentence is roughly:

• shee YAH-na sohn ROO-wa

A few extra notes:

• The r in ruwa is usually lighter than a strong English r.
• Hausa pronunciation is generally more consistent than English spelling.
• Tone matters in Hausa, but for a beginner, getting the basic syllables right is a good start.

It can correspond to both he and him, depending on its role in the sentence.

Unlike English, Hausa does not always change the pronoun form the way English does:

• English: he / him
• Hausa: often shi in different functions

In Shi yana son ruwa, it functions on the subject side, so the natural English translation is he.

You would use the feminine forms:

• Ita tana son ruwa.
• or simply Tana son ruwa.

So the change is:

• shi → ita
• yana → tana

That shows that the subject is 3rd person singular feminine.

For a negative sentence:

• Ba ya son ruwa. = He does not like/want water.

For a yes/no question, you can often use intonation:

• Yana son ruwa?

You may also see shin introducing a question:

• Shin yana son ruwa?

So a learner can think of the basic set like this:

• Yana son ruwa. = statement
• Ba ya son ruwa. = negative
• Yana son ruwa? = question