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Yara suna yin yawo a hankali bayan an gama darasi.

Yara suna yin yawo a hankali bayan an gama darasi.
The children take a walk slowly after the lesson is finished.

Breakdown of Yara suna yin yawo a hankali bayan an gama darasi.

ne
to be
yaro
the child
yi
to do
a hankali
slowly
bayan
after
gama
to finish
darasi
the lesson
yawo
the walk
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Questions & Answers about Yara suna yin yawo a hankali bayan an gama darasi.

In this sentence, what does suna express, and how is it different from sun?

Suna is the 3rd person plural progressive / continuous form of the verb to be in Hausa.

  • Yara suna yin yawo...
    = The children *are walking / are strolling...* (an ongoing action)

By contrast, sun marks a completed action (perfective):

  • Yara sun yi yawo.
    = The children *have (already) walked/strolled.*

So:

  • suna → “are (doing)” / ongoing or habitual
  • sun → “have (done)” / completed
Why do we say suna yin yawo instead of just suna yawo or suna yi yawo?

The structure yin yawo is a very common Hausa pattern:

  • yi = “to do”
  • yin = verbal noun of yi (“doing”)
  • yawo = strolling, wandering around

So yin yawo is literally “doing strolling / going for a walk”, and functions as a set phrase meaning to take a walk / go strolling.

About the variants:

  • suna yin yawo – fully standard and very natural.
  • suna yawo – also heard; the yin can be dropped in casual speech, but yin yawo is clearer and more standard.
  • suna yi yawo – grammatically possible in some contexts, but sounds less idiomatic here; Hausa normally prefers yi
    • verbal noun (yin yawo) rather than yi
      • another verb-like form.

So if you want the most natural student-like sentence here, suna yin yawo is best.

What exactly does yawo mean? Is it just “walking”?

Yawo is broader than just “walking”:

  • Core meaning: strolling, wandering around, going about, roaming.
  • It often suggests walking without a very specific purposeful destination—more relaxed or aimless movement.

Examples:

  • Na fita yin yawo.
    I went out for a walk / to stroll around.
  • Yaro ya saba yawo a gari.
    The boy often wanders around town.

For simply “walking” as a physical action, you might also see tafiya (to go, to walk, to travel), but yawo has this “strolling/roaming around” nuance.

How does a hankali work here? What does it literally mean?

A hankali literally is:

  • a = “in/at/with” (a preposition)
  • hankali = mind, sense, awareness
  • hankali → hankali (a common pronunciation/spelling variant)

The phrase a hankali has become an adverbial expression meaning:

  • slowly, gently, calmly, often also carefully

So in the sentence:

  • ...yin yawo a hankali...
    = “...walking slowly/gently...”

The structure a + noun is very common to make adverb-like expressions of manner:

  • a hankali – slowly, gently
  • a firgice – in a panic, fearfully
  • a hankali sosai – very slowly / very gently
Can a hankali also mean “carefully” or “quietly,” not just “slowly”?

Yes. A hankali is flexible and can mean:

  1. Slowly

    • Ka yi tafiya a hankali.
      Walk slowly.

  2. Carefully / gently

    • Ka buɗe akwatin a hankali.
      Open the box carefully / gently.

  3. Quietly / softly (depending on context)

    • Ku yi magana a hankali, yara suna barci.
      Speak quietly; the children are sleeping.

The core idea is not rushed, not harsh, not loud—so English translations will vary: slowly, gently, quietly, carefully, depending on context.

What does bayan an gama darasi literally mean?

Breakdown:

  • bayan = after
  • an gama = “(someone/people) have finished / it has been finished”
  • darasi = lesson, class (the teaching session itself)

So literally:

  • bayan an gama darasi
    → after (it) has been finished (the) lesson
    → more natural English: after the lesson has finished / after the class is over.

It’s an impersonal, subjectless way of saying “after finishing the lesson / after the lesson was finished.”

What is an doing in bayan an gama darasi? Who is the subject?

An here is a special perfective marker often used in impersonal or passive-like constructions.

  • an gama ≈ it has been finished / (they/people) have finished (it)

No explicit subject is named. It’s like English:

  • “They say that...” (general “they”)
  • “It is finished.”

So in bayan an gama darasi:

  • The implied subject is people in general / the class / the teacher and students, but Hausa doesn’t need to say who exactly.
  • This is very natural when the specific subject isn’t important, and the event itself (“the lesson was finished”) is what matters.
Could we say bayan da suka gama darasi instead? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say:

  • Bayan da suka gama darasi, yara suna yin yawo a hankali.
    = After they finished the lesson, the children are walking slowly.

Differences:

  1. bayan an gama darasi

    • Impersonal; no explicit subject.
    • Focuses on the fact that the lesson is over.

  2. bayan da suka gama darasi

    • Subject is explicit (suka = “they [perfective]”).
    • Focuses more on them finishing the lesson.

Both are grammatical and natural. In your original sentence, the impersonal an gama is a bit more compact and neutral.

Where is the word “the” in this sentence? Why not Yaran suna yin yawo...?

Hausa does not have a separate word for “the” like English. Definiteness is usually shown by:

  • Context
  • Word endings (especially -n / -r for genitive or definite forms)
  • Pronouns, demonstratives, etc.

Compare:

  • Yara suna yin yawo...
    Can mean “Children are walking...” (general) or “The children are walking...” if context has already made them specific.

  • Yaran suna yin yawo...
    More clearly “The children are walking...” (these specific children previously mentioned), because yaran is the definite/genitive form of yara.

In many everyday contexts, yara will be naturally understood as “the children” due to context, even without -n.

Is it correct to say suna yawo instead of suna yin yawo in this meaning?

Yes, suna yawo is commonly heard and understood:

  • Yara suna yawo a hankali.
    = The children are strolling/wandering slowly.

However:

  • suna yin yawo is more explicitly the set phrase “to take a walk / to go strolling”, and is often preferred in careful or written language.
  • In speech, suna yawo can be slightly broader: just “they are out and about / moving around.”

So:

  • For learners, suna yin yawo is the safest and most clearly idiomatic choice here.
  • suna yawo is also fine, especially in casual speech.
What does darasi mean exactly? Is it “lesson” or “classroom”?

Darasi = lesson, class session, piece of teaching.

Examples:

  • Mun koyi sabbin kalmomi a darasi yau.
    We learned new words in the lesson today.

If you want to say “classroom” (the physical room), a more common word is:

  • aji = classroom, class group
    • Yara suna cikin aji.
      The children are in the classroom.

So in your sentence, darasi refers to the lesson itself, not the room.

How would I make this sentence negative, like “The children are not walking around slowly after the lesson is over”?

To negate suna (they are doing), use ba sa (they are not doing):

  • Yara ba sa yin yawo a hankali bayan an gama darasi.
    = The children are not walking around slowly after the lesson is over.

Structure:

  • Yara – children
  • ba sa – they are not (doing)
  • yin yawo – strolling / walking around
  • a hankali – slowly / gently
  • bayan an gama darasi – after the lesson has finished.