Yara suna wasa a gefe na gidanmu.

The children are playing at the side of our house.

Breakdown of Yara suna wasa a gefe na gidanmu.

• ne: to be
• gida: the house
• a: at
• yaro: the child
• na: of
• wasa: to play
• gefe: the side

Questions & Answers about Yara suna wasa a gefe na gidanmu.

Does yara mean children or the children? Is there a word for the here?

Yara literally means children, with no explicit the. Hausa normally does not use a separate word for the like English does.

Definiteness is usually understood from context or shown in other ways (like using demonstratives or certain endings). So:

• yara = children / the children (depending on context)
• If the specific children are already known in the conversation, yara naturally means the children.

You might also see yaran (children + a “linker” -n), which often has a more clearly definite sense, like the children. But in your sentence, Yara suna wasa a gefe na gidanmu, context will tell you whether it means children in general or the children that both speakers know about.

What is the singular form of yara?

The singular is:

• yaro = child / boy
• yara = children / boys (plural)

So your sentence:

• Yara suna wasa a gefe na gidanmu.
  = The children are playing at the side of our house.

If you changed it to Yaro yana wasa a gefe na gidanmu, it would mean A child / The boy is playing at the side of our house.

What exactly does suna mean? Is it just like English are?

Suna combines two ideas:

1. su = they (3rd person plural)
2. a present/progressive marker (showing an action in progress)

So suna wasa literally feels like they are (engaged in) play.

In practice:

• suna + verb / verbal noun ≈ they are (currently) doing X

It’s not a pure “to be” verb like English are; it already includes the subject they, and it also tells you that the action is ongoing (progressive aspect).

Is wasa a verb meaning to play, or a noun meaning play?

Wasa is originally a noun meaning play / playing / a game.

However, in this kind of structure, Hausa often uses a verbal noun after a pronoun like suna:

• Yara suna wasa.
  Literally: Children they-are (in) play.

Functionally, this is equivalent to an English present continuous:

• The children are playing.

You can also see forms like:

• suna yin wasa = they are doing play / they are playing
  (yi = to do; yin is its verbal noun form)

So, grammatically, wasa is a noun, but in this construction it works like an English verb play in are playing.

What does the preposition a do in a gefe na gidanmu?

a is a very common preposition in Hausa. Its basic meanings are:

• in / at / on / to / inside (depending on the context)

In your sentence:

• a gefe na gidanmu = at the side of our house / on the side of our house

So:

• a gefe = at a side / at the side
• a gidanmu = at our house
• a kusa da gidanmu = near our house

The exact best English preposition (at, by, on, etc.) depends on the phrase, but a is the general locative preposition.

What does gefe mean here, and how does a gefe na gidanmu work as a phrase?

Gefen / gefe means side / edge.

The full phrase a gefe na gidanmu breaks down like this:

• a = at / on / by
• gefe = side
• na = of (linking word showing possession/association)
• gidanmu = our house

So the structure is:

• a [gefe] na [gidanmu]
  = at [the side] of [our house]

Natural English: at the side of our house / by the side of our house.

What is the role of na in a gefe na gidanmu?

Na is a genitive linker, often translated as of. It links a noun to what it belongs to or is associated with.

Here:

• gefe = side
• gidanmu = our house
• gefe na gidanmu = the side of our house

So na shows a possessive or associative relationship:

• littafin malami or littafi na malami = teacher’s book / book of the teacher
• tsayin bishiya or tsayi na bishiya = the height of the tree

In your sentence, na tells you that the side belongs to or is a part of our house.

Can you break down the word gidanmu?

Yes, gidanmu is made of three parts:

1. gida = house / home
2. -n = linker suffix (often marks “of the …”, and can also give a definite feel)
3. mu = our

So:

• gida + n + mu → gidanmu
  = our house

You’ll see the same pattern with other nouns:

• mota (car) → motarmu (our car)
• miji (husband) → mijina (my husband)
• yaro (boy) → yaronmu (our boy)

The linker changes shape a bit depending on the word (often -n, -r, or -m).

Why isn’t there a separate word for our in gidanmu?

In Hausa, possessive pronouns like my, your, our, their are typically attached directly to the noun as suffixes.

So instead of saying:

• gida our

Hausa says:

• gida
  • possessive = gidanmu (our house)

Common possessive suffixes:

• -na = my (e.g. gidana = my house)
• -ka / -ki = your (m.) / your (f.) (e.g. gidanka, gidanki)
• -sa / -ta = his / her (e.g. gidansa, gidanta)
• -mu = our (e.g. gidanmu)
• -ku = your (pl.)
• -su = their

So our is not a separate word; it’s fused onto gida.

Could the sentence also be Yara suna wasa a gefen gidanmu instead of a gefe na gidanmu?

Yes, Yara suna wasa a gefen gidanmu is also correct and very natural.

Compare:

• a gefe na gidanmu
  Literally: at a side of our house
• a gefen gidanmu
  Literally: at the side of our house

Both are often used with almost the same meaning in everyday speech. The -n on gefen is the same linker you saw in gidanmu; it often makes the phrase feel more tightly connected and can give a slightly more definite sense.

What is the basic word order of this sentence? Can the parts move around?

The sentence follows normal Hausa word order:

• Subject + (tense/aspect pronoun) + main verb + place phrase

Here:

• Yara (subject: children)
• suna (they-are, present progressive)
• wasa (play / playing)
• a gefe na gidanmu (place phrase: at the side of our house)

So: Yara | suna | wasa | a gefe na gidanmu.

You can move the place phrase to the front for emphasis:

• A gefe na gidanmu yara suna wasa.
  = At the side of our house, children are playing.

But the neutral, unmarked order is the one you were given.

Does Yara suna wasa mean the children play (habitually) or the children are playing (right now)?

With suna + verbal noun, the most straightforward reading is a present, ongoing action:

• Yara suna wasa.
  = The children are playing (now).

For clearly habitual meaning (what they usually do), Hausa more often uses other patterns or context, for example:

• Yara sukan yi wasa a gefe na gidanmu.
  = The children usually / often play at the side of our house.
• Or rely on a time phrase, e.g. Yara suna wasa kullum. = The children play every day.

So your sentence is best understood as describing what is happening (or at least “currently true”) around now, not just a general habit.

If the children are already known from context, could I drop yara and just say Suna wasa a gefe na gidanmu?

Yes, you can.

• Suna wasa a gefe na gidanmu.
  = They are playing at the side of our house.

In Hausa, once the subject is clear from context, you can often use just the appropriate subject pronoun + verb:

• Suna wasa. = They are playing.
• Yana wasa. = He / it is playing.
• Tana wasa. = She / it is playing.

So if you and your listener already know which children you’re talking about, Suna wasa a gefe na gidanmu is completely natural.

How would I say in front of our house or behind our house instead of at the side of our house?

You can swap gefe (side) with other location nouns:

• a gaban gidanmu = in front of our house
  (gaba = front)

• a bayan gidanmu = behind our house
  (baya = back / behind)

• a cikin gidanmu = inside our house
  (ciki = inside)

So:

• Yara suna wasa a gaban gidanmu.
  = The children are playing in front of our house.

• Yara suna wasa a bayan gidanmu.
  = The children are playing behind our house.