Learn Hardcore Hausa: Gajimare da yawa suna a sama yau.

Subject (who/what the sentence is about):
Gajimare da yawa → many clouds / clouds (that are) many
Here:
- gajimare = clouds (plural)
- da yawa = many / a lot (of)
Predicate (what is said about the subject):
suna a sama yau → are in the sky today

So a very literal word‑for‑word idea is:
Clouds many are in sky today.

Is gajimare singular or plural, and what is its singular form?

Gajimare is plural: it means clouds.

The singular form is girgije, meaning a cloud.

So:

girgije = cloud (singular)
gajimare = clouds (plural)

This is an example of an irregular (broken) plural in Hausa: the vowels and shape of the word change rather than just adding a simple ending.

What exactly does da yawa mean, and why does it come after the noun instead of before it like in English?

Da yawa literally comes from:

da = with / and / having (various related uses)
yawa = abundance, plenty

Together, da yawa functions as a quantifier and means many, a lot (of), much.

In Hausa, quantifiers like this usually come after the noun:

mutane da yawa = many people
kuɗi da yawa = a lot of money
gajimare da yawa = many clouds

So while English says many clouds, Hausa normally says clouds many (gajimare da yawa).

What does suna mean here? Is it the same as English “are”?

Suna is a combination of:

su = they (3rd person plural pronoun)
na = a marker that often indicates progressive / continuous aspect

So suna is roughly they are or they are (in a state of).

In this sentence, there is no separate verb like stay or sit. The pattern is:

[subject] + suna + [place]

This is a common Hausa way to express location or existence in the present:

Littattafai suna kan tebur. = (The) books are on the table.
Yara suna a gida. = The children are at home.
Gajimare da yawa suna a sama. = Many clouds are in the sky.

So suna is functioning like are for a plural subject that is being located somewhere.

Does suna always mean something like “are doing …” (progressive), or can it just mean “are” as in a simple state?

Suna has two main uses:

With an actual verb, it usually marks the progressive / continuous:
- Suna tafiya. = They are going / walking.
- Suna aiki. = They are working.
With a place expression (no separate verb), it expresses current location / existence:
- Suna nan. = They are here.
- Suna a gida. = They are at home.
- Gajimare da yawa suna a sama. = Many clouds are in the sky.

In the second type, English just uses “are”, not “are doing”, so you can think of it as a simple “are (located)” in that context.

Why is there no separate word for “they” before suna?

The pronoun “they” is already built into suna:

su = they
na = aspect marker
combined → suna

So you do not say:
✗ Su suna a sama.

You just say:
✓ Suna a sama. = They are in the sky.

In your sentence, the full structure is:

Gajimare da yawa suna a sama yau.
→ Many clouds they‑are in the sky today.

The subject noun gajimare da yawa identifies who the su in suna refers to, so you don’t add a separate su.

What does the little word a do in a sama, and can it be left out?

A is a very common preposition meaning roughly in / at / on depending on context.

a gida = at home / in the house
a kasuwa = at the market
a sama = up / in the sky / above

In a sama, it is best understood as in the sky or up above.

Can you leave it out?

suna a sama is the standard, clear form for “(they) are in the sky / up above.”
suna sama might occur in some speech, but a sama is safer and more clearly grammatical for a learner.

So for learning purposes, keep a: suna a sama.

What exactly does sama mean? Is it just “sky”?

Sama has a few related meanings, all to do with up / above:

the sky / heavens
the upper part / top
upwards, above (as a general direction)

With the preposition a, a sama is naturally read here as in the sky / up in the sky.

Examples:

Ya kalli sama. = He looked up / at the sky.
Tsuntsaye suna a sama. = Birds are in the sky / up above.

Can the word yau (today) go at the beginning of the sentence instead of the end?

Yes. Time expressions like yau are quite flexible in position.

You can say:

Yau gajimare da yawa suna a sama.
Gajimare da yawa suna a sama yau.

Both are acceptable and mean the same thing in ordinary conversation.
Putting yau at the beginning slightly emphasizes today:

Yau (as for today), many clouds are in the sky.

How would you say “There are many clouds in the sky today” using the Hausa word akwai?

You can also use the existential verb akwai (roughly there is / there are) like this:

Akwai gajimare da yawa a sama yau.

This literally feels like:

There exist many clouds in the sky today.

Both:

Gajimare da yawa suna a sama yau.
Akwai gajimare da yawa a sama yau.

are understandable and natural.
The akwai version leans more toward “There are …”; the suna version leans more toward “Many clouds are (located) in the sky …”, but in meaning they overlap heavily.

Why is it suna and not yana or tana in this sentence?

The form of this “are / is”‑type element must agree with the number (and sometimes gender) of the subject.

The main present‑tense location forms are:

yana = he is / it is (masc./non‑human singular)
tana = she is / it is (fem. / some singular nouns)
suna = they are (plural)

Since gajimare da yawa is plural (clouds), you use the plural form:

Gajimare da yawa suna a sama. = Many clouds are in the sky.

If the subject were singular, you would adjust:

Girgije yana a sama. = A cloud is in the sky.

Can you leave out suna and just say Gajimare da yawa a sama yau?

In full, standard sentences, you normally need the appropriate “to be (there)” element with locative expressions, so:

✓ Gajimare da yawa suna a sama yau. (correct and complete)
✗ Gajimare da yawa a sama yau. (feels incomplete / ungrammatical as a full sentence)

Hausa can sometimes drop such elements in very elliptical speech or in titles / captions, but for normal sentences you should keep suna.

How would you say “Today there aren’t many clouds in the sky” using this same pattern?

Two handy ways:

Negating the suna pattern:
- Gajimare da yawa ba su a sama yau ba.
  → Literally: Many clouds, they are not in the sky today.
Here:
- ba su … ba is the negative form corresponding to suna for they.
Using babu (“there is/are not”) with a noun:
- Babu gajimare da yawa a sama yau.
  → There are not many clouds in the sky today.

Both are good to know. The babu pattern is often the simplest for learners for “there is/are not …”.