Learn Hardcore Hausa: Masallacin inda Baba yake salla yana a bayan kasuwa. - The mosque where father prays is behind the market.

Makes the noun definite – roughly like the in English.
- masallaci = a mosque
- masallacin = the mosque
Links the noun to what follows (a possessive, a relative clause, etc.).
In this sentence Masallacin is directly linked to the clause inda Baba yake salla (where Baba prays). So Masallacin inda Baba yake salla means something like “the mosque where Baba prays” as one unit.

So Masallacin here is “the mosque (that…)” and the -n shows both definiteness and that some extra information about the mosque is coming next.

What does inda mean here, and how does it work in the sentence?

Inda basically means where in the sense of “the place where…”.

In the sentence, inda Baba yake salla is a relative clause (a clause that describes the mosque):

inda = where
Baba = Baba / (my) father (as a name/title)
yake salla = is praying / prays

Together: inda Baba yake salla = where Baba prays.

That whole chunk describes the mosque:

Masallacin [inda Baba yake salla] = the mosque where Baba prays

You might also hear da instead of inda in some contexts:

Masallacin da Baba yake salla

This is also possible in many dialects; inda is more clearly “where (place)”, while da is a more general “that / which / when.” Here inda fits nicely because we’re talking specifically about a place.

Why is it just Baba, with no word for “my” or “the” before it?

In Hausa, Baba can function like a name as well as the common noun “father”.

In everyday speech:

Children (and others in the family) often call their father simply Baba, as if that were his proper name.
So when you hear Baba as the subject, it often effectively means “Dad / my father” in context, without adding na (my).

More explicitly:

Baba = Baba / Dad (context often implies “my father”)
Baba na = my father (spelled out)
Baban Ali = Ali’s father

In this sentence, Baba is just treated as a known person – like saying “Baba” or “Dad” as a proper name, so no extra article or possessive is needed.

Why is it yake salla and not yana salla in the part Baba yake salla?

Both yana and yake are related to the progressive / continuous aspect (is doing…), but they are used in different environments:

Baba yana salla. = Baba is praying.
This is a main clause.

Inside relative clauses and some focused structures, Hausa tends to use yake instead:

Mutumin da yake salla = the man who is praying
inda Baba yake salla = where Baba is praying

So:

Main statement: Baba yana salla.
Inside the descriptive clause after a noun: … inda Baba yake salla.

A very literal breakdown is not important here; the practical rule is:

Use yana in a simple main sentence.
Use yake in this kind of “who is / where … is … -ing” clause after a noun or relative word.

Why is salla (a noun) used instead of a verb meaning “to pray”?

In Hausa, many activities are expressed with a verbal noun instead of a bare verb, especially common religious or routine actions.

salla = prayer (the Islamic ritual prayer)
yin salla = doing prayer, to pray (literally doing prayer)

The “full” form would be:

Baba yake yin salla. = Baba is praying.

In everyday speech, speakers often drop the verb “yin” (doing) and just say:

Baba yake salla.

This is understood as “Baba is praying”, just as in English we can say “He is at prayer” using a noun. So salla here is a verbal noun meaning the activity of praying.

What does yana mean in yana a bayan kasuwa, and what is its subject?

Yana is a combination of a 3rd person masculine singular pronoun and an aspect marker:

ya = he / it (masculine)
-na (in this form) = here it marks a continuous or locative “is (in a state / at a place)”

In practice, you can think of yana here as one word meaning he/it is (located).

The subject of yana is Masallacin… (the mosque). Hausa does not add a separate “it”:

English: The mosque … it is behind the market.
Hausa: Masallacin … yana a bayan kasuwa.
(literally: “The mosque … is behind the market.”)

Because masallaci is grammatically masculine, Hausa uses yana (masc):

masallaci → yana
mota (car, feminine) → tana (it (fem.) is)

What do a and bayan each contribute in yana a bayan kasuwa?

Let’s break that phrase down:

yana = he/it is (here: it is – referring to the mosque)
a = in, at (a basic locative preposition)
bayan = the back of / behind
(literally “back-of” + what follows)
kasuwa = market

So:

bayan kasuwa = the back of the market / behind the market
a bayan kasuwa = at (the place) behind the market
yana a bayan kasuwa = it is (located) behind the market

The a just marks this as a location; bayan kasuwa tells which location (the back/behind side of the market).

Is the a in yana a bayan kasuwa really necessary, or could you say yana bayan kasuwa?

You can say either:

yana a bayan kasuwa
yana bayan kasuwa

Both are acceptable and widely used.

What’s going on:

With certain “locative nouns” like bayan (behind), gaban (in front of), cikin (inside), Hausa often drops the preposition a in speech.
Adding a can sound slightly more explicit or formal: “is at the back of the market”.
Without a, it still clearly means “is behind the market”.

So as a learner, it’s fine to use yana bayan kasuwa; you will also hear yana a bayan kasuwa, as in your sentence.

What is the difference between baya and bayan?

They’re closely related:

baya = back (as a noun) / behind (in some uses)
- bayansa = his back / behind him
- a bayana = at my back / behind me
bayan = back of, behind, after (when followed by another noun)
It’s basically baya + the linking/possessive -n:
- bayan gida = behind the house / after the house
- bayan kasuwa = behind the market

Simple rule for learners:

If it stands alone or takes a pronoun: you’ll usually see baya (bayana, bayanka, bayansa…).
If it is followed by a noun: use bayan + noun, as in bayan kasuwa.

Should there be a ne or ce at the end, like … yana a bayan kasuwa ne?

You can add ne/ce in some versions of this sentence, but it’s not required.

ne is used with masculine/neutral subjects.
ce is used with feminine subjects.

They often appear in equational or focused sentences, like:

Wannan shi ne masallacin inda Baba yake salla.
This is the mosque where Baba prays.

In your sentence, yana (a) bayan kasuwa already behaves like a full verb phrase of location (“is behind the market”), so ne/ce is optional and would mainly add emphasis or contrast:

Masallacin inda Baba yake salla yana bayan kasuwa ne.
(roughly: it’s behind the market (that) the mosque is, stressing the location)

For a straightforward statement, Masallacin inda Baba yake salla yana a bayan kasuwa is perfectly complete without ne/ce.

Can the word order be changed, for example putting the place earlier in the sentence?

Some parts are more flexible than others.

The noun and its relative clause must stay together.
- Masallacin [inda Baba yake salla] should not be split.
  You would not normally say:
  ✗ Masallacin yana a bayan kasuwa inda Baba yake salla.
  because the relative clause is too far from Masallacin.
The location phrase can sometimes move for emphasis, especially in more advanced or spoken styles, e.g.:
- A bayan kasuwa ne masallacin inda Baba yake salla yake.
  (heavily focused: It’s behind the market that the mosque where Baba prays is.)

For learners, the safest and most natural pattern is exactly what you have:

[Masallacin inda Baba yake salla] [yana (a) bayan kasuwa].

Head noun + its descriptive clause, followed by the verb phrase telling where it is.