Learn Hardcore Hausa: Shi zai zo gidan. - He will come to the house.

Shi is the independent subject pronoun used to mean "he" (referring to a male or generally a third-person singular subject in Hausa). It’s placed at the start to clearly identify who the speaker is talking about.

How does zai indicate the future tense?

Zai is the Hausa future marker. Whenever you see zai (or za followed by the appropriate subject pronoun), it tells you the action will happen in the future. So zai zo specifically means "he will come."

Is zo the basic verb form for "come"?

Yes, zo is the simple (or infinitive-like) form of the verb "come" in Hausa. For different persons and tenses, Hausa adds markers or pronouns around zo to show who is coming and when.

Why do we see gidan instead of gida?

In Hausa, gidan is the definite or specific form of gida, meaning "the house." When used in contexts where the speaker talks about a particular house, Hausa often uses this -n suffix to indicate definiteness.

Why is there no separate word for "to" in "Shi zai zo gidan"?

In Hausa, direction toward a place is often understood from the context and the way the noun follows the verb. You don’t need a separate word for "to." Saying naturally means "he will come to the house."