Learn Hardcore Hausa: Baba yana karanta labari a jarida da safe. - Father is reading the news in the newspaper in the morning.

ya karanta labari = he read a story / he has read a story (completed action, past)
yana karanta labari = he is reading a story / he is in the process of reading (ongoing)

In Baba yana karanta labari…, Baba is third‑person singular masculine, so it behaves like shi (he), and we use yana (the “he + progressive” form).

Forms of this pattern:

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

Where is the word “is” in this sentence?

Hausa does not use a separate verb for “to be” in this kind of present‑continuous sentence.

The function of English “is” is built into yana:

Baba yana karanta labari…
literally: Father he‑PROG read story…
functionally: “Father is reading a story…”

So you don’t add another word for “is”; yana already covers both the subject reference (he) and the progressive aspect (is …‑ing).

Is Baba a personal name or just the common word for “father”?

It can be either, depending on context:

Common noun (father / dad):
- Baba yana karanta labari… can simply mean “(My) father is reading a story…”, where Baba refers to someone’s father, often understood as “my father” from context.
As a name or title:
In many Hausa‑speaking families, people actually address or refer to a man as Baba almost like a proper name (similar to “Dad” in English). So Baba in this sentence can act like a name.

Writing:

Baba is often capitalized when used like a name or respectful title.
The same word in lowercase (baba) is the generic noun “father” in dictionaries.

What exactly does labari mean here? Is it “story” or “news”?

Labari is a flexible word that can mean:

story / tale
news / report
message / information

In yana karanta labari a jarida, likely meanings are:

“He is reading a story in the newspaper.”
or “He is reading a news report in the newspaper.”

Usually:

If you are thinking about fiction or narration, labari = story.
If it’s current events, media, or reports, labari = news / report.

Context (and sometimes extra words) makes it clear:

labarin gaskiya – true account / factual story
labaran siyasa – political news

Why don’t we say “the story” or “a story”? Where are “the” and “a” in Hausa?

Hausa does not have separate words for “the” or “a/an”. Nouns like labari and jarida can be interpreted as a story / the story, a newspaper / the newspaper depending on context.

So:

labari can mean “a story” or “the story”
jarida can mean “a newspaper” or “the newspaper”

If you really need to show that something is specific/known, Hausa often uses a final ‑n / ‑r / ‑n (a kind of linking/definite ending), especially before another noun:

labarin nan – this (particular) story
jaridar yau – today’s newspaper

But in your sentence, simple labari and jarida are natural, and English will choose “a” or “the” based on context.

What does the preposition a in a jarida mean? Is it “in”, “at”, or “on”?

The preposition a is a very general locative preposition. It can correspond to “in, at, on, into” in English, depending on the noun and context.

In a jarida, the meaning is “in (the) newspaper”:

karanta labari a jarida – read a story in a newspaper

Other examples:

a gida – at home / in the house
a kasuwa – at the market
a tebur – on the table
a makaranta – at school / in school

So learn a as a broad “location” preposition, and let the English choice (“in / at / on”) adjust to what sounds natural.

What does da mean in da safe? Why not say a safe for “in the morning”?

The construction da + time‑of‑day word is a fixed pattern for “at / in (that time)”.

da safe – in the morning
da rana – in/at midday or afternoon (depending on dialect)
da yamma – in the evening
da dare – at night

Here da is not just “and” or “with”; in this expression it marks a time when something happens. So da safe is the normal way to say “in the morning”.

You would not say a safe for this meaning; that sounds wrong. For time‑of‑day, you should use da, not a:

Baba yana karanta labari a jarida da safe. – Father is reading a story in the newspaper in the morning.

Can I move da safe to the beginning or end of the sentence?

Yes. Time expressions like da safe are relatively free in Hausa word order. These are all acceptable:

Baba yana karanta labari a jarida da safe.
Da safe, Baba yana karanta labari a jarida.
Baba da safe yana karanta labari a jarida. (also heard in speech)

The most neutral is probably (1). Putting da safe at the beginning can add a little emphasis to the time: “In the morning, Father is reading a story…”

What is the difference between karanta labari a jarida and just karanta jarida?

karanta labari a jarida
= read a story / report in the newspaper
You are focusing on the labari (story/news item) being read.
karanta jarida
= read the newspaper
This is more general: reading the paper itself (various articles, pages, etc.), not necessarily a single specific story.

So in your sentence:

With labari: Father is reading a particular story or news item in the newspaper.
Without labari: Baba yana karanta jarida da safe. – “Father is reading the newspaper in the morning.”

What is the basic meaning of the verb karanta, and is it also used for “study”?

Karanta primarily means “to read”, but it also extends to “to study” in many contexts.

Examples:

Ina karanta littafi. – I am reading a book.
Ina karanta Hausa. – I am studying Hausa.
Yaro yana karanta Qur’ani. – The boy is reading/studying the Qur’an.

Related forms:

karatu – reading / study (the noun)
- yana yin karatu – he is doing studies / he is studying
karantawa – the verbal noun/gerund “reading”

In your sentence,

yana karanta labari clearly means “he is reading a story/news item.”

How would the sentence change if I wanted to say “Father reads a story every morning” (habitual), not just “is reading (now)”?

To highlight habitual action (“does it regularly”), Hausa often uses yakan (he usually / he tends to):

Baba yakan karanta labari a jarida da safe.
= Father usually/typically reads a story in the newspaper in the morning.

Other options (still can be understood as habitual by context):

Baba yana karanta labari a jarida kullum da safe.
– Father is reading / reads a story in the newspaper every morning.
(kullum = always / every day)

But the clearest habitual marker in a short sentence is:

yakan karanta rather than yana karanta.

Is the word order always “Subject – yana – Verb – Object – Place – Time” like in this sentence?

The core order in simple Hausa sentences is:

Subject – (tense/aspect) – Verb – Object

Then extra information like place, time, manner, etc. typically comes after that. Your sentence follows a common pattern:

Baba (Subject)
yana (progressive marker for “is …‑ing”)
karanta (Verb)
labari (Object / thing read)
a jarida (Place / where)
da safe (Time / when)

So the general template is: > Subject – TAM (like yana, ya, zai) – Verb – Object – [other phrases]

Those “other” phrases (place, time, etc.) are quite flexible in position, but the Subject–TAM–Verb–Object core is very stable.

How would I say “My father is reading a story in the newspaper in the morning”?

You can add na (“my”) to specify my father:

Baba na yana karanta labari a jarida da safe.

Breakdown:

Baba na – my father
yana – is (progressive)
karanta labari – reading a story / news item
a jarida – in the newspaper
da safe – in the morning

In conversation, context often makes it clear that Baba means “my father” anyway, but Baba na is the explicit form.