Yara suna so su yi wanka da safiya.

The children want to take a bath in the morning.

Breakdown of Yara suna so su yi wanka da safiya.

• ne: to be
• so: to want
• yaro: the child
• su: they
• da: during
• yi: to do
• safiya: the morning
• wanka: the bath

Questions & Answers about Yara suna so su yi wanka da safiya.

What does each word in Yara suna so su yi wanka da safiya correspond to in English?

A rough word‑for‑word breakdown is:

• Yara – children
• suna – they are (3rd person plural + continuous/habitual aspect)
• so – like / want
• su – they (subject pronoun for the next verb)
• yi – do / make (here: take, as in “take a bath”)
• wanka – bath / bathing
• da – with / at / in (a general preposition, here used for time)
• safiya – morning

Very literal idea: Children they-are liking they do bathing in morning.
Smooth English: The children like to bathe in the morning or The children want to have a bath in the morning.

Why is suna used instead of just su at the beginning?

Suna is actually su + na fused together:

• su – they
• na – continuous / habitual aspect marker

So suna means they are (doing something) or they (habitually) do (something).

You use suna before a main verb to say what people are doing now or usually do.
Here, suna so… = they (habitually) like / they currently want…

Why do we need another su before yi? Why not just Yara suna so yi wanka?

In Hausa, when one verb (so – to like/want) is followed by another verb (yi wanka – to bathe), the second verb usually has its own subject pronoun in front of it.

Patterns:

• Ina so in tafi. – I want to go.
• Kana so ka ci. – You want to eat.
• Yara suna so su yi wanka. – The children want to bathe.

So su before yi tells us who will do the second action.
Yara suna so yi wanka is not grammatical; you need that second pronoun su.

What exactly does so mean here: “like” or “want”?

So can mean both like and want, and context decides:

• Yara suna so su yi wanka da safiya.
  – Could be understood as The children like to bathe in the morning (habit, preference).
  – Or The children want to bathe in the morning (desire).

Because suna is a continuous/habitual marker, the sentence often sounds habitual: They (normally) like to bathe in the morning.

If you were talking about a specific situation right now, context or extra words (like yanzu – now) would make the want meaning more obvious.

What is the role of yi in su yi wanka? Why not just su wanka?

Yi is the very general verb to do / to make, and it’s often used together with a verbal noun:

• yi wanka – do bathing → bathe / take a bath
• yi addu’a – do prayer → pray
• yi magana – do speech → speak / talk

So wanka by itself is bathing / a bath (a noun), but yi wanka is the full verb phrase to bathe / to take a bath.

You cannot say su wanka here; it needs to be su yi wanka to form the correct verb phrase.

Is wanka a verb or a noun?

Wanka is primarily a verbal noun (a noun derived from a verb). It corresponds to English bathing, a bath.

• As a noun:
  
  • Ina shirin wanka. – I am preparing (for) a bath.
• With yi it forms a verb phrase:
  
  • Ina yin wanka. – I am bathing / I am taking a bath.
  • Su yi wanka. – (Let) them bathe / for them to bathe.

In your sentence, yi wanka together means to bathe / to take a bath.

What does da safiya literally mean, and how does it function in the sentence?

Literally:

• da – with / at / in
• safiya – morning

Together da safiya means in the morning or in the mornings.

It is a time expression modifying the verb phrase su yi wanka. So it tells you when the children bathe:

• su yi wanka da safiya – for them to bathe in the morning.

Does da safiya mean “every morning” or just “in the morning (this one time)”?

It can mean either, depending on context, but with suna (continuous/habitual) it usually sounds habitual:

• Yara suna so su yi wanka da safiya.
  – Most naturally: The children like to bathe in the mornings (as a general habit).

If you wanted to be very clearly habitual, you could add kullum (always/every day):

• Yara suna so su yi wanka da safiya kullum. – The children like to bathe every morning.

What is the plural form relationship between yaro and yara?

• yaro – a boy / a child (singular)
• yara – boys / children (plural)

This is an irregular plural pattern in Hausa where -o changes to -a and the internal form changes slightly. So yara is the regular plural of yaro, even though it’s not formed just by adding a suffix like in English.

Why doesn’t Hausa use a word like “the” before yara?

Hausa does not have a separate word exactly like English the. Definiteness is usually shown by:

• Context
• Word order
• Demonstratives (like waɗannan – these, waɗancan – those)
• Possession

So yara can mean children or the children, depending on context.

In this sentence, English needs the to sound natural, so we say The children like to bathe…, but in Hausa Yara suna so… is enough.

Can this sentence also describe what is happening right now, or is it only habitual?

Suna can express both:

1. Progressive (now):

   • Yara suna so su yi wanka da safiya (yanzu).
     – The children want to bathe in the morning (now / at this moment as a plan).

2. Habitual (general):

   • Yara suna so su yi wanka da safiya.
     – The children (generally) like to bathe in the morning.

In isolation, most people will hear it as habitual, but context can push it toward a present, specific meaning.

How would I say “The children do not want to bathe in the morning” using the same structure?

One natural negative version is:

• Yara ba sa so su yi wanka da safiya.
  – The children do not want to bathe in the morning.

Structure:

• Yara – children
• ba sa – they do not (negative of suna)
• so – like / want
• su yi wanka – for them to bathe
• da safiya – in the morning

So you mainly change suna to ba sa to make the verb negative.