Learn Hardcore Hausa: Yara suna wasa a harabar masallaci bayan salla. - The children play in the mosque yard after the prayer.

So Yara suna wasa literally means “The children are (in the state of) play.”
In simple terms: suna marks that the action is going on now or happens regularly, similar to English are in “The children are playing.”

Why is the plural yara and not something like yaro-yaro?

Hausa has many irregular plurals, and yaro (child) is one of them.

yaro = child (singular)
yara = children (plural)

You just have to memorize this pair. It doesn’t use a simple suffix; the word changes form.
Another example of an irregular plural: mutum (person) → mutane (people).

Is wasa a verb meaning “to play”, or is it something else?

Grammatically, wasa is a verbal noun, but in many contexts it works like an English verb.

Basic expression: yi wasa = to play / to have fun
- Yara suna yi wasa. = The children are playing.
In everyday speech, yi is often dropped in the progressive:
- Yara suna wasa. (same meaning)

So here wasa behaves like a verb, but you can think of it literally as “play (as an activity)” – “the children are in (a state of) play.”

What does the preposition a do in a harabar masallaci?

a is a very common preposition in Hausa. It often corresponds to English in, at, or on, depending on the context.

a harabar masallaci = in/at the courtyard of the mosque

Some examples:

a gida = at home / in the house
a kasuwa = at the market
a makaranta = at school

So here a is marking the location where the playing is happening.

What exactly is haraba, and how does it become harabar masallaci?

haraba means courtyard, compound, or open yard, often in front of a building.

To link “courtyard” to “mosque”, Hausa uses a linking consonant (genitive linker):

haraba
- -r (linker) + masallaci
  → harabar masallaci = the courtyard of the mosque

So the structure is:

Noun 1 + linker + Noun 2
haraba + r + masallaci → harabar masallaci
(courtyard + of + mosque)

This pattern is very common:

gidan malam = the teacher’s house (literally: house-of teacher)
harabar makaranta = the school courtyard

What does masallaci mean, and is it specific to Islamic prayer places?

Yes. masallaci means mosque – a place specifically for Muslim prayer.

masallaci = mosque
coci / majami’a (depending on dialect/region) = church
masallatai = mosques (plural, though in everyday speech people may also say masallatai or use other plural patterns)

So in this sentence, the children are playing in the courtyard of a mosque, not just any religious building.

Does bayan salla mean only “after prayer”, or can it also mean “behind prayer”?

In this context, bayan salla clearly means “after the prayer” (a time meaning).

baya = back / behind
bayan X can mean:
- behind X (location), or
- after X (time)

Here, because we are talking about an activity happening later in time, it’s understood as after.

Examples:

bayan gida = behind the house (place)
bayan makaranta = after school (time)
bayan salla = after (the) prayer

What kind of prayer is salla referring to? Any prayer or a specific one?

salla usually refers specifically to the Muslim ritual prayers (salat) – the five daily prayers or similar congregational prayers in Islam.

salla = ritual Muslim prayer
addu’a = supplication / general prayer (talking to God, asking for help, etc.)

So bayan salla here naturally means after (the) Muslim prayer, most likely a congregational one at the mosque.

Can I change the word order, for example: Yara suna wasa bayan salla a harabar masallaci?

You can move the time and place expressions around to some extent, and people will still understand you.

Yara suna wasa a harabar masallaci bayan salla.
Yara suna wasa bayan salla a harabar masallaci.

Both are understandable. The original order (place then time) is very natural:

Where are they playing? → a harabar masallaci
When? → bayan salla

If you move them, try to keep the sentence clear and not too confusing. The safest, most neutral order is the one in the original sentence.

Could I leave out yara and just say Suna wasa a harabar masallaci bayan salla?

Yes, you can. Hausa often drops the full noun if it is clear from context, because the subject pronoun is still there.

Yara suna wasa… = The children are playing…
Suna wasa… = They are playing…

If it’s already understood that you are talking about children, you can just say Suna wasa… and it will be natural. The pronoun suna still shows that the subject is they (plural).

How would I say similar sentences with other persons, like I am playing or We are playing?

You change suna according to the subject pronoun:

Ni (I) → Ina wasa. = I am playing.
Kai / Ke (you, m/f singular) → Kana wasa. / Kina wasa. = You are playing.
Shi (he) → Yana wasa. = He is playing.
Ita (she) → Tana wasa. = She is playing.
Mu (we) → Muna wasa. = We are playing.
Ku (you plural) → Kuna wasa. = You (all) are playing.
Su (they) → Suna wasa. = They are playing.

So the pattern is: [pronoun + na] + verbal noun, e.g., suna wasa, muna wasa, ina wasa, and so on.

Is suna wasa only present continuous (“are playing now”), or can it also mean “they play (generally)”?

suna wasa can mean both, depending on context:

Present continuous / right now
- Yanzu yara suna wasa. = Right now, the children are playing.
Habitual / regular action
- Kullum bayan salla yara suna wasa a harabar masallaci.
  = Every day after prayer, the children play in the mosque courtyard.

Hausa does not always distinguish strictly between “are playing” and “play (regularly)” in the same way English does; suna + verbal noun covers both ongoing and habitual present, and the context tells you which one is meant.