Learn Hardcore Hausa: A gonar akwai tumatir ja, ganye kore da itatuwan ayaba masu yawa. - On the farm there are red tomatoes, green leaves and many banana trees.

Hausa doesn’t normally use a separate verb “to be” in simple present like English. Instead, it often uses akwai to say that something exists or is present somewhere:

A ɗaki akwai littafi. – There is a book in the room.
A gonar akwai tumatir… – There are tomatoes on the farm…

So the structure A [place] akwai [things] ≈ “There is/are [things] in/at [place].”

Why do we say “tumatir ja” and “ganye kore”, with the adjective after the noun?

In Hausa, adjectives normally follow the noun they describe:

tumatir ja – red tomatoes (literally: tomato red)
ganye kore – green leaves/greens (literally: leaf green)
mota babba – big car
gida ƙarami – small house

So the pattern is generally: NOUN + ADJECTIVE, unlike English, which usually has ADJECTIVE + NOUN (red tomato, green leaf).

Does the color word “ja” (red) agree with “tumatir” in gender or number?

Yes, color adjectives in Hausa have different forms, and they agree with the noun in gender/number, but in everyday speech, agreement is often relaxed, especially with loanwords.

For “red”, some common forms are:

ja – basic/masculine form
jar – usually feminine singular
ja-ja / jajaye – plural forms in some contexts

tumatir (tomato) is a loanword and is often treated as masculine, so tumatir ja is very natural. You might also hear tumatir ja-ja for “very red tomatoes” or emphasizing plurality, but tumatir ja is fine and common.

What exactly does “itatuwan ayaba” mean, and how is it built?

Breakdown:

itace – tree / wood
itatuwa – trees (plural)
itatuwan – “the trees of …” or “trees (of…)” (the final -n is a linker/definite ending)
ayaba – banana (also used collectively)

So:

itatuwa – trees
itatuwan ayaba – banana trees (literally “trees of banana”)

The structure is: [head noun] + -n + [possessor/description]
Here, itatuwa-n ayaba = trees-of banana.

What does “masu yawa” mean literally, and why is it used with “itatuwan ayaba”?

Literally:

masu – those which have / the ones that possess
yawa – abundance, plenty

So masu yawa ≈ “(ones) having plenty / numerous” → “many” / “numerous”.

In “itatuwan ayaba masu yawa”:

itatuwan ayaba – banana trees
masu yawa – that are many

Together: “banana trees that are many”, i.e. “many banana trees.”

You’ll also hear “da yawa” for “many / a lot”:

itatuwan ayaba da yawa – banana trees in large number

masu yawa is more like an adjective phrase attached directly to the noun (“numerous banana trees”).

Could I say “akwai tumatir ja a gonar” instead? Is the word order flexible?

Yes, you can say:

A gonar akwai tumatir ja…
Akwai tumatir ja a gonar…

Both are grammatical.

Rough nuance:

A gonar akwai… – starts by setting the location (“On the farm, there are…”).
Akwai… a gonar – starts with existence (“There are… on the farm.”).

In everyday speech, both orders are used. The original just foregrounds the farm as the setting.

How does “da” work in “ganye kore da itatuwan ayaba”?

da here means “and” when joining items, especially before the last item in a list:

Akwai tumatir ja, ganye kore da itatuwan ayaba.
– There are red tomatoes, green vegetables and banana trees.

Typical patterns:

X, Y da Z – X, Y and Z
doce da ayaba – sweets and bananas

Hausa often uses commas (in writing) plus one “da” before the final item. You generally don’t put da between every item in a long list like English “X and Y and Z”, unless you want a special emphasis or style.