Yara suna son hutu bayan darasi.

Children like a break after the lesson.

Breakdown of Yara suna son hutu bayan darasi.

• ne: to be
• yaro: the child
• so: to like
• bayan: after
• darasi: the lesson
• hutu: the break

Questions & Answers about Yara suna son hutu bayan darasi.

What does each word in Yara suna son hutu bayan darasi. literally mean?

Word by word:

• Yara – children
• suna – they are (3rd person plural, present/imperfective)
• son – liking / love / desire (a noun form of so)
• hutu – rest, break, holiday
• bayan – after (literally: at the back of)
• darasi – lesson, class

So the structure is literally: Children they-are liking rest after lesson.

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

Yara is plural: children.

The singular is yaro (boy/child).
Basic pattern:

• yaro – child (usually male, but often just “child”)
• yara – children

In this sentence, yara means children or the children, depending on context (Hausa has no separate word for “the”).

What does suna mean, and why do we need it?

Suna is the 3rd person plural subject pronoun + tense/aspect marker in the imperfective:

• su – they
• na – imperfective marker (used for present, ongoing, or habitual actions)

Combined as suna, it gives a present/habitual meaning: they are / they (usually) do.

So suna son hutu = they (habitually) like / want a break.
You cannot just say Yara son hutu; you need suna to carry tense and agreement.

Why is it son and not so in suna son hutu?

The base word is so (to like, to love, to want).
In this common pattern, it appears as son before the thing liked/wanted:

• Ina son ruwa. – I like / want water.
• Suna son hutu. – They like / want a break.

You can think of son here as a kind of “liking / love of”.
The -n is a linker that often appears between a noun and what follows it.

For learning purposes, treat suna son X as the normal way to say they like/want X.

Does suna son mean “they like” or “they want”? Which is more correct?

In Hausa, so/son covers both:

• emotional liking (to like, to love)
• desire (to want)

So suna son hutu can mean:

• They like a break (they enjoy having a break)
• They want a break (they desire a break)

Context decides which English verb is best. Both are natural translations.

What exactly does hutu mean here?

Hutu means:

• rest
• break
• time off
• holiday

In this sentence, with bayan darasi, the most natural English meaning is a break / some rest after the lesson.

Note that there is no article in Hausa; hutu can be understood as a break, some rest, or the break, depending on context.

How does bayan darasi work grammatically? Is bayan a preposition?

Yes, bayan works like a preposition meaning after (literally “at the back of”).

Structure:

• baya – back, behind
• bayan X – after X / behind X

So:

• bayan darasi – after (the) lesson
• bayan aiki – after work
• bayan makaranta – after school

You don’t add another linking -n here; bayan already contains it.

Why is there no word for “the” in Yara suna son hutu bayan darasi.?

Hausa does not use separate words like “the” or “a”.

Definiteness (the vs a) is understood from context, and sometimes from suffixes or pronouns, but here:

• yara can be children or the children
• hutu can be a break, some rest, or the break
• darasi can be a lesson or the lesson

So the same Hausa sentence can be translated in several natural ways, e.g.:

• The children want a break after class.
• Children like having a break after the lesson.

Can I change the word order and say Bayan darasi, yara suna son hutu?

Yes. Both are natural:

• Yara suna son hutu bayan darasi.
• Bayan darasi, yara suna son hutu.

Putting bayan darasi at the beginning is like English “After class, the children want a break.”
It slightly emphasizes the time (after class), but the meaning is the same.

Could I drop yara and just say Suna son hutu bayan darasi?

Yes, you can.

• Suna son hutu bayan darasi. – They like/want a break after class.

This is fine if it is already clear who “they” are from context.
Including yara just makes it explicit: The children.

What are the other subject forms related to suna, like for “I” or “he/she”?

Here is the imperfective (present / habitual) set that matches suna:

• ina – I am / I (usually) do
• kana / kina – you (m/f) are / you do
• yana – he is / he does
• tana – she is / she does
• muna – we are / we do
• kuna – you (pl) are / you (pl) do
• suna – they are / they do

Examples with son hutu:

• Ina son hutu bayan darasi. – I want a break after class.
• Yana son hutu bayan darasi. – He wants a break after class.
• Suna son hutu bayan darasi. – They want a break after class.