Learn Hardcore Hausa: To, idan kun gama aikin gida, za ku iya yin wasa a waje. - So, if you plural finish the homework, you can play outside.

It’s used to get attention, introduce what you’re about to say, or mark a little change in topic. You could drop To, and the sentence would still be grammatically fine, just a bit less conversational.

Does idan mean “if” or “when” here?

Idan can mean both “if” and “when”, depending on context.

In a rule or instruction like this, it’s very similar to English “when you’ve finished your homework, you can …”
It still has a conditional flavour, like “if/once you finish …”, but it assumes that finishing will really happen.

So you can think of idan as “if/when” used for real, likely conditions.

What exactly is kun gama? What tense or form is this?

Kun gama is the perfect aspect of the verb gama (to finish, to complete), with 2nd person plural “you”.

Breakdown:

gama – to finish
Perfect subject markers:
- na gama – I have finished
- ka gama – you (sg. male) have finished
- kin gama – you (sg. female) have finished
- ya gama – he has finished
- ta gama – she has finished
- mun gama – we have finished
- kun gama – you (pl.) have finished
- sun gama – they have finished

So kun gama ≈ “you have finished” / “you’re done”.

In the sentence, idan kun gama aikin gida = “when/if you have finished the homework.”

Why is kun/ku used for “you”? Is it always plural?

Ku-/kun is 2nd person plural “you (all)”, but Hausa commonly uses the plural forms to speak politely to just one person as well.

So kun gama / za ku iya can mean:

“you (all) have finished / you (all) can” (actual plural), or
“you (sir/ma’am) have finished / can” (polite singular).

For a clearly singular, informal way to say it, you’d use:

to a boy/man: idan ka gama aikin gida, za ka iya yin wasa a waje.
to a girl/woman: idan kin gama aikin gida, za ki iya yin wasa a waje.

What does aikin gida literally mean? Is it “homework” or “housework”?

Literally:

aiki – work
–n – linking/possessive marker (aikin = “work-of”)
gida – house, home

So aikin gida = “home work / house work”.

In real usage:

In a school or teaching context, aikin gida usually means school homework.
In a household context, it can mean housework (chores).

If you specifically want “school homework,” you can make it clearer as:

aikin gida na makaranta – homework from school.

What does za ku express here? Is it just future tense?

Za ku is the future/irrealis marker za plus ku (2nd person plural subject).

ku yi – you (pl.) do
za ku yi – you (pl.) will do / you (pl.) are going to do

Here, with iya, it’s not just simple future; it’s part of a structure expressing future possibility or permission:

za ku iya ≈ “you will be able to / you can / you may.”

So the pattern is:

idan kun gama …, za ku …
“if/when you’ve finished …, you will …”

Here: “if/when you’ve finished your homework, you can (are allowed to) play outside.”

What is the role of iya in za ku iya yin wasa?

Iya is a verb meaning “to be able to, can; to know how to (do something well).”

za ku yi wasa – you will play
za ku iya yin wasa – you will be able to play / you can play

So iya adds the meaning of ability or permission. Without iya, it would simply predict that you will (in fact) play. With iya, it sounds like a rule: you are allowed to play once the condition is met.

Why is it yin wasa and not just yi wasa after iya?

After iya (“to be able to”), Hausa normally uses the verbal noun / gerund form of the verb.

Verb: yi – to do
Verbal noun: yin – doing

So:

yi wasa – (to) play (literally “do play”)
yin wasa – playing

Iya + verbal noun:

ina iya yin wasa – I can play
za ku iya yin wasa – you will be able to play / you can play

So yin is required here because iya takes the gerund/“-ing” form of the verb, not the bare verb.

Could I say za ku iya wasa instead of za ku iya yin wasa?

You might hear iya wasa in some contexts, but the most natural and clearly correct form here is:

za ku iya yin wasa

Because for “be able to do X”, Hausa strongly prefers:

iya + verbal noun (yin, tafiya, karatu, girki, ...)

Iya wasa is more likely to mean “to be good at playing (a particular game/sport)” rather than simply “to be allowed to play now.” So for this rule/permission idea, stick with za ku iya yin wasa.

What does a waje mean, and what is the function of a?

waje – outside, exterior, space/yard
a – a very common preposition meaning roughly “in, at, on” (location)

So a waje ≈ “outside” / “outdoors” (literally “at the outside”).

Compare:

a gida – at home
a cikin gida – inside the house
a waje – outside

So yin wasa a waje = “to play outside.”

Can I put the idan clause at the end, like in English: “You can play outside when you finish …”?

Yes. You can say:

Za ku iya yin wasa a waje idan kun gama aikin gida.

Both orders are natural:

Idan kun gama aikin gida, za ku iya yin wasa a waje.
Za ku iya yin wasa a waje idan kun gama aikin gida.

Just keep the structure inside each clause the same; only the position of the clause can change.

Why is there a comma after To? Is that required in Hausa?

The comma after To is a punctuation choice influenced by English-style writing:

To, idan kun gama … – To as a little introductory word, then a pause.

In practice:

Many writers use a comma after To/Toh at the start of a sentence.
Some might omit it in informal writing: To idan kun gama aikin gida …

It’s not a grammar rule of Hausa; it’s just normal punctuation to show a pause after that introductory particle.

Is it always written za ku with a space, or can it be zaku?

In careful/standard writing, it’s:

za ku iya yin wasa …

However, in informal writing (texts, social media, etc.) you’ll often see:

zaku iya yin wasa …

Both are widely understood when reading, but if you’re learning, it’s better to stick to the separated form (za ku) so you clearly see the future marker (za) and the pronoun (ku).

Could you show the whole sentence in a clearly singular form (informal “you”)?

Yes. For a single child, informally:

To a boy:
To, idan ka gama aikin gida, za ka iya yin wasa a waje.
To a girl:
To, idan kin gama aikin gida, za ki iya yin wasa a waje.

Meaning stays the same; only the gendered singular “you” forms change (ka/kin and za ka/za ki instead of kun/za ku).