Learn Hardcore Hausa: Yara suna kallo yadda tsuntsaye ke tashi a sama daga taga. - The children are watching how the birds are flying in the sky from the window.

suna is a combination of the pronoun su (they) and the continuous aspect marker na (be -ing), written together as one word in standard Hausa spelling.
So:

su = they
na = (be) doing / progressive marker
su + na → suna = they are (doing something)

In this sentence, suna kallo means “they are watching / looking.”

Why is it kallo and not something like suna kallon tsuntsaye “are watching birds”?

kallo is a verbal noun meaning “watching / looking (at)” and often appears after the verb yi “to do” (e.g. suna yin kallo – “they are watching”).
Here, instead of taking a direct object (“watching birds”), kallo is followed by a clause introduced by yadda (“how / the way that…”):

suna kallo yadda… = they are watching how / the way that…

If you said suna kallon tsuntsaye, the focus would be just on watching the birds, without emphasizing how they are flying.

What does yadda mean here, and how is it different from ta yaya?

In this sentence, yadda means “how, the way that, as” and introduces a subordinate clause:

…kallo yadda tsuntsaye ke tashi…
= watching how the birds are flying… / the way the birds are flying…

ta yaya also means “how,” but it is mainly used in direct questions:

Ta yaya tsuntsaye ke tashi? – How do birds fly?

So:

yadda = “how / the way that” in statements and embedded clauses
ta yaya = “how?” in questions

What is the singular form of tsuntsaye, and how is the plural formed?

The singular is tsuntsu – “a bird.”
The plural is tsuntsaye – “birds.”

This is a common Hausa plural pattern where -aye is added (often with some change to the stem). So:

tsuntsu (sing.) → tsuntsaye (plur.)

Why is it tsuntsaye ke tashi and not tsuntsaye suna tashi?

Both are possible, but they are used in slightly different structures.

tsuntsaye suna tashi is an independent clause:
“The birds are flying / are taking off.”
tsuntsaye ke tashi here is part of a clause introduced by yadda, and ke acts much like a relative / progressive marker attached to the verb phrase in that subordinate clause.

In many dialects and in written Hausa, when the subject is a full noun (tsuntsaye, yara, etc.) inside a yadda / da yadda / yadda… clause, you very often see ke (or suke) instead of suna.
So yadda tsuntsaye ke tashi is very natural and roughly equals “how the birds are flying.”

What exactly does ke do in tsuntsaye ke tashi?

ke is an aspect/relativizer element that:

Marks the progressive / ongoing aspect (similar to “are …-ing”), and
Frequently appears in relative or subordinate clauses when the subject is a full noun.

So, in tsuntsaye ke tashi:

tsuntsaye = the birds
ke tashi = are (in the process of) flying / taking off

It’s similar in function to suke tashi, but shorter; many speakers use ke after a noun subject in such contexts.

What does a sama literally mean, and can it also mean just “up”?

a sama literally means “in/at the sky, above, up in the air.”

a = in / at / on (general location preposition)
sama = sky / above / top

So a sama can be translated as:

“in the sky”
“up above”
sometimes loosely just “up,” when the context is about the sky or air.

Here it describes where the birds are flying.

What is the function of daga in daga taga, and how is it different from a?

daga is a preposition meaning “from, out of, starting from.”

daga taga = “from the window” / “out of the window (as a vantage point)”

By contrast, a indicates location (“in, at, on”):

a taga would mean “at the window / by the window.”

So:

a sama = in the sky
daga taga = from the window (i.e., that’s where the watching is happening from)

Does daga taga mean “from the window” or “through the window”?

Literally, daga taga is “from the window.”
However, in a context like this (children watching, birds in the sky), it is naturally understood as “from/through the window” – the window is their point of view.

If you explicitly wanted “through,” some speakers might say ta taga (“through/by way of the window”), but daga taga is very commonly used and smoothly understood as “from/through the window” in this kind of sentence.

Why is it taga and not tagar here? Isn’t definiteness often marked with -r?

Yes, Hausa often marks a definite noun with a final -r / -n, for example:

taga = a window (indefinite)
tagar = the window (when followed by something, e.g. tagar ɗaki – “the window of the room”)

In simple prepositional phrases like daga taga, speakers may or may not mark definiteness depending on context and style. In more explicit contexts, you might hear:

daga tagar ɗaki – “from the window of the room”
daga tagar su – “from their window”

In your sentence, taga can be understood as “(the) window” from context, even without the -r.

Could the sentence be shortened to something like Yara suna kallon tsuntsaye a sama daga taga? What would change?

Yes, Yara suna kallon tsuntsaye a sama daga taga is grammatical and would mean roughly:

“The children are watching birds in the sky from the window.”

The difference is:

With yadda tsuntsaye ke tashi, you emphasize how / the way the birds are flying.
With kallon tsuntsaye, you simply state that they are watching the birds, without highlighting how they fly.

So the original sentence is more descriptive and focuses on the motion (“how the birds are taking off / flying”). The shortened one is more neutral: just watching birds.

Can the order of a sama and daga taga be changed, for example: Yara suna kallo yadda tsuntsaye ke tashi daga taga a sama?

You can move these prepositional phrases around somewhat freely, and Hausa speakers do vary the order. However, some orders sound more natural than others.

…ke tashi a sama daga taga. (original) – very natural: flying in the sky, and the children’s point of view is from the window.
…ke tashi daga taga a sama. – sounds a bit odd, because it can suggest the birds are flying “from the window up into the sky,” which isn’t what the sentence means.

So the original order a sama daga taga clearly separates:

a sama = where the birds are
daga taga = where the children are watching from.