Learn Hardcore Hausa: Yara suna son wasa a waje. - Children like playing outside.

Hausa does not have a separate word like English “the”. Definiteness is usually understood from context, or shown with other words, for example:

yara – children / the children
yaran nan – these children
yaran (with a suffix) – the children of …, those children (depending on context)

So Yara suna son wasa a waje could be translated as either “Children like to play outside” or “The children like to play outside”, depending on the situation.

Is yara the plural of yaro? How do I say “one child”?

Yes.

yaro – a child, a boy
yara – children

So yara is the plural form of yaro.

Examples:

Yaro yana wasa. – A child / the boy is playing.
Yara suna wasa. – Children / the children are playing.

(For a girl, you’d usually see yarinya; its plural is ’yan mata “girls / young women”, not yara.)

What exactly does suna mean here?

Suna is a combination of:

su – they (3rd person plural pronoun)
-na – a marker used for present / continuous / habitual actions

Together suna means roughly “they are (doing something)”.

So in the sentence:

Yara suna son wasa a waje.
- Yara – children
- suna – they are (habitually / generally)
- son wasa – liking to play
- a waje – outside

Grammatically, suna is like saying “they are” before a verb or verbal noun.

Why do we say suna son and not just suna so?

The verb / noun so means “to like / to love / to want”.

When so is followed by a noun or verbal noun (like wasa – play), it usually takes a linking -n, and becomes son:

so + wasa → son wasa

So:

Suna son wasa. – They like (the) play / They like to play.

Compare:

Su-na so shi. – They like him / it. (followed by a pronoun, often just so, no extra -n)
Ina son abinci. – I like food. (so
- abinci → son abinci)
Ina so in tafi. – I want to go. (here so is followed by another verb clause, so it usually stays so, not son)

A simple rule of thumb:

Before a noun or verbal noun (like wasa, abinci): use son.
Before a whole verb clause (like in tafi “that I go”): use so.

Is so “to like” or “to love”? How strong is it?

So covers several English ideas: to like, to love, to want, to prefer, depending on context.

Ina son ki. – I love you (to a woman).
Ina son wasa. – I like playing / I like games.
Ina son shayi. – I like tea.
Ina so in tafi. – I want to go.

So Yara suna son wasa a waje is usually taken as “The children like to play outside”, but in some contexts it could also be understood as “love” in a stronger sense. The strength of so comes from the situation and tone, not from the word alone.

Is wasa a noun or a verb? How would I say “They are playing outside”?

Wasa here is a verbal noun, similar to English “play(ing)” or “a game”.

In suna son wasa, it’s functioning like English “(to) play / playing” after “like”.

To say “They are playing outside” (action happening now), you normally say:

Yara suna wasa a waje. – The children are playing outside.

You can also hear:

Yara suna yin wasa a waje. – literally The children are doing play outside.

But in your original sentence suna son wasa = “(they) like playing / they like to play.”

What does the preposition a mean in a waje? Can I leave it out?

a is a very common locative preposition meaning “in / at / on / to (a place)”, depending on context.

In a waje, it’s needed to show location:

a waje – outside (literally “at outside”)
a gida – at home / in the house
a makaranta – at school

You cannot normally drop a here.

Yara suna son wasa waje. – feels wrong / ungrammatical.
Yara suna son wasa a waje. – correct: The children like to play outside.

Does waje mean just “outside”, or “outside (of something)” like “outside the house”?

Waje means the outside area / outside part / front / yard, and with a it often translates simply as “outside”:

a waje – outside

If you want to be more specific, you can add a word after wajen (“the outside of …”):

a wajen gida – outside the house
a wajen makaranta – outside the school
a wajen mota – by / outside the car

So in your sentence, a waje is general: “outside (in the open air)”.

What is the word order in this sentence, and is it the normal Hausa word order?

The sentence Yara suna son wasa a waje has this structure:

Yara – Subject (S)
suna – Auxiliary / pronoun+aspect (like “they are”)
son wasa – Verb phrase / object (“liking play”)
a waje – Prepositional phrase (location: “outside”)

So it’s essentially S – V – O – (place), which fits the normal SVO (Subject–Verb–Object) order of Hausa.

Placing the location a waje at the end like this is very natural.

Could I say Yara suna wasa a waje instead? How would the meaning change?

Yes, and it changes the meaning:

Yara suna son wasa a waje.
- The children *like to play outside.* (their preference / habit)
Yara suna wasa a waje.
- The children *are playing outside.* (describing what is happening now)

So suna son wasa talks about their liking / preference, while suna wasa describes the activity in progress.

Can I drop suna and just say Yara son wasa a waje?

No, Yara son wasa a waje is not a normal, complete sentence.

You need something to connect the subject Yara to the rest of the clause – here that something is suna (“they are”).

Correct options include:

Yara suna son wasa a waje. – The children like to play outside.
Waɗannan yara suna son wasa a waje. – These children like to play outside.

If you want a noun phrase like “children who like to play outside”, you change the structure, for example:

Yara masu son wasa a waje – children who like to play outside (literally “children having liking of play outside”).

But as a standalone sentence, you need suna.

How would I say “The children like to play inside” instead of outside?

You change the place phrase from a waje (“outside”) to something meaning “inside”, most commonly a ciki.

Examples:

Yara suna son wasa a ciki. – The children like to play inside.
If you want to be specific:
- Yara suna son wasa a cikin gida. – The children like to play inside the house.

Here:

ciki – inside, interior
a ciki – inside
a cikin gida – in the inside of the house => inside the house

How does tense/aspect work here? Does suna son mean “like” (habit) or “are liking” (right now)?

The form suna is often called “progressive / continuous”, but in Hausa it is also used for general / habitual meaning.

So Yara suna son wasa a waje can mean:

“The children like to play outside (in general, as a habit).”
In the right context, it can also describe the present:
- e.g. talking about what these particular children are like nowadays.

English normally uses a simple present with “like” (they like to play), but Hausa uses this suna + son pattern both for ongoing and for general preferences. Context tells you whether it is more “right now” or “in general”.

How do I say “The children don’t like to play outside”?

A common negative form is:

Yara ba sa son wasa a waje.
- The children don’t like to play outside.

You will also see a version with a second ba at the end, especially in careful or written Hausa:

Yara ba sa son wasa a waje ba.

Here:

ba sa … (ba) – negative of suna … for “they are / they usually …”
son wasa a waje – liking to play outside

So:

Yara suna son wasa a waje. – The children like to play outside.
Yara ba sa son wasa a waje (ba). – The children don’t like to play outside.