Learn Hardcore Hausa: Yara suna karatu tsawon lokaci a makaranta. - The children study for a long time at school.

current ongoing:
Yara suna karatu. = The children are (currently) studying.
habitual (if context suggests a habit):
Yara suna karatu tsawon lokaci a makaranta. = The children (usually) study for a long time at school.

English separates they read (habitual) and they are reading (right now). Hausa often uses the same suna karatu and lets context decide which is meant.

What does karatu mean? Is it specifically reading or studying?

Karatu is a verbal noun that can mean:

reading (literally reading text)
studying / learning / school work (by extension)

Which meaning you get depends on context:

Na yi karatu da dare.
I studied at night. / I read (for school) at night.
Na yi karatu na littafi.
I read my book.

In a school context like:

Yara suna karatu tsawon lokaci a makaranta.
It naturally leans toward studying / doing school work, not just physically reading words.

Why is it karatu and not a verb like karanta?

Hausa often uses a verbal noun after forms like suna to express ongoing actions.

karanta = to read (the basic verb)
karatu = reading / study (verbal noun)

The structure is:

suna
- verbal noun
  suna karatu = they are reading / studying
  (literally: they-are in-reading/study)

Other examples:

suna magana = they are talking (from magana = speech, talking)
suna wasa = they are playing (from wasa = play)

So suna karatu is the normal way to say they are studying / they are reading.

What is tsawon lokaci literally, and how does it work here?

Literally:

tsawo = length
tsawon = its length / the length of …
lokaci = time

So tsawon lokaci literally means the length of time, but in usage it means:

for a long time
for a (certain) period of time

In the sentence:

Yara suna karatu tsawon lokaci a makaranta.
= The children are studying for a long time at school.

So tsawon lokaci functions like English for a long time / for a while / for a period of time.

Where is the English idea of “for” in this sentence? Why is there no separate word for?

The idea of “for” in for a long time is built into the phrase tsawon lokaci.

Hausa does not need a separate preposition for here.
tsawon already carries the sense of duration/length (of time).

So:

tsawon lokaci ≈ for a long time
(literally: the length of time)

Similarly:

tsawon kwana uku = for three days (literally: length of three days)
tsawon shekara = for a year

You do not say a tsawon lokaci here; tsawon lokaci by itself expresses the duration.

What does a makaranta mean exactly? Is a like at, in, or to?

A is a general preposition that often corresponds to in, at, or on in English, depending on context.

makaranta = school
a makaranta = at school / in school

In this sentence:

Yara suna karatu tsawon lokaci a makaranta.
= The children study for a long time at school.

Other examples:

Ina aiki a asibiti. = I work at the hospital.
Muna zama a Kano. = We live in Kano.

If you want to emphasize inside the school building, you can say:

a cikin makaranta = inside the school
But a makaranta is usually enough for at school.

Is the word order fixed? Can tsawon lokaci move to another position?

Basic word order is:

Subject – (subject marker/tense) – verbal noun – duration – place

So:

Yara (subject)
suna (they-are)
karatu (studying / reading)
tsawon lokaci (for a long time)
a makaranta (at school)

You can move tsawon lokaci for emphasis or style, but this is the most neutral order. Other possibilities:

Yara suna karatu a makaranta tsawon lokaci.
still means the same thing, with maybe a slight emphasis shift.
Tsawon lokaci yara suna karatu a makaranta.
puts more emphasis on for a long time.

All are understandable, but the original is very typical and clear.

How would the sentence change if it was only one child instead of children?

You would change both the subject noun and the subject marker to singular.

Examples:

One (unspecified) child:
- Yaro yana karatu tsawon lokaci a makaranta.
  The boy / the child is studying for a long time at school.
Specifically a girl:
- Yarinya tana karatu tsawon lokaci a makaranta.
  The girl is studying for a long time at school.

Notice:

yaro → yara (child → children)
yana (he is) / tana (she is) → suna (they are)

Why is it suna with yara? How does agreement work here?

Suna is used because yara is plural, and suna agrees with a plural subject.

Rough pattern:

ni (I) → ina (I am)
kai/ke (you sg.) → kana/kina (you are)
shi (he) → yana (he is)
ita (she) → tana (she is)
mu (we) → muna (we are)
ku (you pl.) → kuna (you (pl) are)
su (they) → suna (they are)

When the subject is a noun, Hausa uses the third person form that fits:

Yaro yana karatu… (singular, so yana)
Yarinya tana karatu… (singular, feminine, so tana)
Yara suna karatu… (plural, so suna)

How would I say The children studied for a long time at school (past tense)?

You would normally use a perfect/past form of the verb rather than suna karatu.

A natural version is:

Yara sun yi karatu tsawon lokaci a makaranta.

Breakdown:

Yara = children
sun = they (have) / they did (past marker with su)
yi = do
karatu = study / reading
tsawon lokaci = for a long time
a makaranta = at school

Literally: The children did study for a long time at school → The children studied for a long time at school.

How would I say The children will study for a long time at school (future)?

Use the future marker za plus the appropriate form of su and the verb yi:

Yara za su yi karatu tsawon lokaci a makaranta.

Breakdown:

za = future marker
su = they
yi karatu = do study
tsawon lokaci = for a long time
a makaranta = at school

So: Yara za su yi karatu tsawon lokaci a makaranta.
= The children will study for a long time at school.

Is there any difference between tsawon lokaci and na tsawon lokaci?

Both are used, but the contexts differ.

tsawon lokaci on its own often functions as for a long time:
- Yara suna karatu tsawon lokaci a makaranta.
  The children study for a long time at school.
na tsawon lokaci usually attaches to a noun to say for the duration of …:
- Aikin nan zai ɗauki na tsawon lokaci.
  This work will take a long time.
- Na jira ka na tsawon lokaci.
  I waited for you for a long time.

In your sentence, tsawon lokaci by itself is completely natural and standard.

How would I say The children often study for a long time at school? How do I express often?

You can add yawan or sosai-sosai, or use suna yawan to show frequency:

A natural option:

Yara suna yawan karatu tsawon lokaci a makaranta.

Here:

suna yawan karatu = they often study / they study a lot

You could also say:

Yara suna karatu tsawon lokaci a makaranta akai-akai.
(akai-akai = repeatedly / often)

Both sound natural, with akai-akai explicitly adding the idea of often.