Learn Hardcore Hausa: A makaranta duk yara suna daidai.

a makaranta can be understood as “at school” or “in school”.
It is not usually “to school” (for direction/motion, Hausa more often uses zuwa makaranta or just maktaranta with a motion verb like je “go”).

So in this sentence, a makaranta is best read as “at school / in school”.

Does makaranta mean specifically “school”, or can it be any place of learning like “university”?

makaranta literally means a place of learning, but in modern usage it most commonly means:

school (primary or secondary)
sometimes Qur’anic or religious school, depending on context

For university, Hausa speakers often say jami’a (from Arabic jāmiʿa). You can still hear makaranta in a broader sense, but in everyday language makaranta ≈ school.

Why is it duk yara and not duk yaran? I’ve seen yaran elsewhere.

Both forms exist, but they have slightly different structures:

yara = “children” (bare plural)
yaran = “the children” or “children of …” (plural with a linking -n/-r that can mark definiteness or possession)

You can say:

duk yara – “all (the) children” (more bare, general)
duk yaran – “all the children” (a bit more specific or definite, e.g. the ones we have in mind)

In many everyday contexts, duk yara and duk yaran can both be used with almost the same meaning. The sentence as given with duk yara is fine and natural.

Where exactly is the subject in this sentence? Is duk yara the subject of suna?

Yes.

duk yara (“all children”) is the subject.
suna is the verb phrase head, literally “they are”.

So the logical structure is:

(A makaranta) – locative phrase: “at school”
(duk yara) – subject: “all children”
(suna daidai) – predicate: “are equal / are the same / are okay”

Word-for-word, you might see it as:
At school, all children they-are equal.

Why is it suna and not yana or na? What is suna exactly?

suna is the 3rd person plural continuous/progressive (or stative) form of zuwa/na “to be / to do”, used as an auxiliary.

The pattern is:

ina – I am
kana – you (sg.) are (masc.)
kina – you (sg.) are (fem.)
yana – he is
tana – she is
muna – we are
kuna – you (pl.) are
suna – they are

Because the subject is yara (children = they), you must use the plural form suna, not yana (he), and not bare na.

What does daidai mean here? “Equal”, “the same”, or “okay / fine”?

daidai is a flexible word; it can mean:

equal / the same
- Suna daidai. – “They are equal / the same.”
correct / right
- Amsa ta daidai ce. – “The answer is correct.”
okay / fine (in responses)
- Yaya aiki? – Daidai. – “How is work? – Fine / okay.”

In the sentence A makaranta duk yara suna daidai, the most natural reading is:

“At school, all children are equal / the same (in status, treatment, etc.).”

Why is the adjective daidai coming after the verb suna instead of before the noun yara?

In Hausa, when you describe a state (what someone is), you often use a structure like:

subject + auxiliary (suna/yana/…) + adjective/state word

So:

yara suna daidai – “the children are equal / the same”
mota tana tsada – “the car is expensive”
gida yana tsarki – “the house is clean”

If you want to use an adjective directly before a noun, you typically need a linking element like mai, mai-, or the genitive marker -n/-r, and it often describes a more permanent or noun-like quality:

mota mai tsada – “an expensive car”
yaran daidai (less common, somewhat marked; context-dependent)

For simple “X is Y” statements about current state, the suna + adjective pattern is standard.

Could I say A makaranta dukkan yara suna daidai instead of duk yara? What’s the difference between duk and dukkan?

Yes, you can say dukkan yara, and it’s grammatical.

duk = “all”
dukkan (or dukk before a vowel) is a more explicit / emphatic form of “all”, often used before a definite or specific group.

Subtle differences:

duk yara – all children (general, broad)
dukkan yaran nan – all these children (more specific/emphatic)

In many everyday situations, duk and dukkan overlap; speakers use them somewhat interchangeably, especially in casual speech.

Can the word order be changed, like Duk yara suna daidai a makaranta?

Yes, Hausa word order is somewhat flexible for adverbial phrases like a makaranta. These are all possible and understandable:

A makaranta duk yara suna daidai.
Duk yara a makaranta suna daidai.
Duk yara suna daidai a makaranta.

The difference is mostly one of focus and emphasis:

Starting with A makaranta draws attention to the location: “At school, all children are equal.”
Starting with Duk yara emphasizes the group: “All children at school are equal.”

For a neutral statement highlighting the setting, the original order A makaranta duk yara suna daidai is very natural.

Is a makaranta required here, or could I just say Duk yara suna daidai?

You can say Duk yara suna daidai and it is grammatically correct. It would just mean “All children are equal / the same” in a more general sense, with no specific place implied.

Adding a makaranta narrows and specifies the context:

Duk yara suna daidai. – “All children are equal (in general).”
A makaranta duk yara suna daidai. – “At school, all children are equal.”

So a makaranta is not grammatically required, but it changes and clarifies the meaning.

Does suna daidai always mean “are equal”? Could it also mean “are okay / fine” in this sentence?

In isolation, suna daidai can mean “they are okay / fine” (e.g., when answering “How are they?”).

In this particular sentence, though, the presence of a makaranta and duk yara strongly suggests a social / comparative meaning:

“At school, all children are equal / on the same level.”

So while the literal pieces allow “they are fine”, the most natural interpretation in this full sentence is “are equal / the same (in status, treatment, or level).”

How would I say “At school, all the children are equal” very explicitly, with a clear “the”?

A very explicit, clearly definite version would be:

A makaranta duk yaran suna daidai.
- yaran = “the children”

You could also make the definiteness even clearer by specifying:

A wannan makarantar duk yaran suna daidai.
- “In this school, all the children are equal.”

So if you want to highlight “the children (of that school)”, use yaran instead of the bare plural yara.