Learn Hardcore Hausa: A taron makaranta, malama ta nemi shawarwari daga iyaye kan sabon tsari na darasi. - At the school meeting, the female teacher asked for suggestions from parents about the new plan for the lesson.

A taron makaranta = At / during the school meeting.
It does not mean the English article “a”; Hausa has no article spelled a.
The exact English preposition you choose (“in, at, during”) depends on context; they all come from a in Hausa.

Why is it taron makaranta instead of just taro makaranta or taro na makaranta?

This is about the Hausa genitive linker (the “of” relationship):

Base noun: taro = meeting
Genitive linker: na = of
When na links to a previous noun ending in a vowel, it usually contracts and attaches as -n:
- taro + na makaranta → taron makaranta = “school meeting” / “meeting of the school”

You could say taro na makaranta and be understood, but taron makaranta is the normal, fluent form.

Does makaranta only mean “school”?

Primarily, yes, makaranta means “school” (the place or institution).

Depending on context, it can also refer more broadly to learning / schooling / Qur’anic school, but in this sentence it is naturally understood as “school” (the institution), so taron makaranta is a school meeting.

What does malama mean exactly, and is there a masculine version?

malama is a female teacher.

malami = male (or generic) teacher
malama = female teacher

So the sentence specifically tells you the teacher is female.

What is the function of ta in malama ta nemi?

ta is the 3rd person singular feminine subject marker in the perfective aspect.

ta nemi = “she asked / she sought”
For a male subject, you would have ya nemi = “he asked / he sought”

In standard Hausa, a full sentence in the past or completed action normally needs this kind of subject marker:

Malama ta nemi… = The (female) teacher asked…

What’s the difference between nemi and something like tambaya when talking about “asking”?

nemi means “to seek / to ask for (something)”, while tambaya is about asking a question.

ta nemi shawarwari = “she asked for suggestions / she sought advice” (she wants people to give her advice)
ta yi tambaya = “she asked a question” (she posed a question itself)

So in this sentence, nemi is correct because she is asking for advice, not asking a question.

Is shawarwari singular or plural, and what is the singular form?

shawarwari is plural.

Singular: shawara = “advice / suggestion”
Plural: shawarwari = “advices / suggestions”

In natural English, we say “advice” as an uncountable noun, but Hausa marks the plural: shawarwari shows there are multiple suggestions.

How does daga iyaye work, and what does iyaye mean?

daga is a preposition meaning “from”.
iyaye means “parents” (and sometimes “elders,” depending on context).

So daga iyaye = “from (the) parents”, i.e. she is seeking suggestions from parents.
There is no separate word for “the” here; definiteness is understood from context.

What does kan mean in kan sabon tsari na darasi? Is it the same as akan?

Here kan is a preposition meaning “about / regarding / on the topic of”.

kan sabon tsari na darasi = “about the new lesson plan / new lesson structure”

You’ll often see kan and akan used similarly for “about / concerning”. In many contexts they’re interchangeable in everyday speech, and kan here is very natural.

How should I understand sabon tsari na darasi as a phrase?

Break it down:

sabo = new
sabon = “new” with the linker -n, because it’s directly modifying the noun tsari
tsari = arrangement / structure / plan / system
tsari na darasi = “plan/structure of the lesson” → lesson plan / lesson structure

So sabon tsari na darasi = “a new lesson plan / a new lesson structure / a new way of organizing the lesson”.

Why is it sabon tsari, not tsari sabo like in English “plan new”?

In Hausa, adjectives usually follow the noun, but “new” (sabo) is one of the common adjectives that often comes before the noun with a linker when it’s closely tied to it:

sabon tsari = new plan
tsohon tsari = old plan

There are several patterns, but in practical terms, you should learn sabon + noun as the normal way to say “new X” (new car, new idea, new plan, etc.).

How is definiteness (“the teacher”, “the parents”) expressed here, since there’s no word for “the”?

Hausa usually relies on context and structure, not a separate word like “the”. In this sentence:

malama ta nemi… — the presence of a specific subject (plus the context of a known school meeting) makes it naturally understood as “the teacher”.
daga iyaye — in the context of a school meeting, iyaye is most naturally understood as “the parents” (of the pupils), not just random parents.

If you absolutely needed “a certain teacher”, you might say wata malama (“a/some teacher”), but it isn’t necessary here.

Could this sentence be made more impersonal, like “Advice was requested from parents…”?

Yes. You could use the impersonal/passive-like construction with an:

A taron makaranta, an nemi shawarwari daga iyaye kan sabon tsari na darasi.

This means roughly “At the school meeting, (people) requested suggestions from parents about the new lesson plan.”
Your original sentence malama ta nemi… makes it explicit that the teacher is the one who asked.