Learn Hardcore Hausa: A darasin yau, malama ta rubuta haruffan Hausa daga A zuwa Z a kan allo. - In today’s lesson, the female teacher wrote the Hausa letters from A to Z on the board.

A is a preposition that usually means “in / at / on (time)”. Here it marks a time expression: A darasin yau = In the lesson of today.
darasi = lesson
darasin = the lesson (the final -n marks definiteness / linkage)
yau = today

So the whole phrase is “In today’s lesson”, with A functioning like English in when talking about time or an event.

Why is it darasin and not just darasi? What does the -n at the end do?

The final -n in darasin serves two closely related functions:

Definiteness: It often corresponds to “the” in English.
- darasi = a lesson
- darasin = the lesson
Linking to what follows: It links darasi to the following word yau in a genitive/possessive-like structure:
- darasin yau = the lesson of today / today’s lesson

So darasin is the “linked / definite” form of darasi used before another noun (yau) or when making it specific.

Could you rephrase A darasin yau in another way that still means “in today’s lesson”?

Yes. Two common alternatives are:

A darasi na yau – literally, in the lesson of today, using na to show the “of” relationship.
A darasin nan na yau – in this lesson of today (more emphatic / specific).

All of these: A darasin yau, A darasi na yau, and A darasin nan na yau can mean “in today’s lesson,” though the original is the simplest and most natural here.

What is the difference between malama and malami?

Both mean “teacher”, but they differ in gender:

malami = male teacher
malama = female teacher

In the sentence, malama tells you explicitly that the teacher is female. If the teacher were male, the sentence would be:

A darasin yau, malami ya rubuta haruffan Hausa daga A zuwa Z a kan allo.

Notice that then ya (he) is used instead of ta (she).

What exactly is ta doing in malama ta rubuta? Is it a pronoun?

Yes. ta here is a 3rd person singular feminine subject pronoun, meaning “she”.

malama = (the) female teacher
ta = she (subject pronoun)
rubuta = to write / wrote

In Hausa, even when you say the noun malama, you still use the pronoun ta before the verb:

Malama ta rubuta… = The (female) teacher, she wrote…

This doubling of noun + pronoun subject is normal and required in standard Hausa.

What tense/aspect is ta rubuta? Could it also mean “is writing” or “writes”?

ta rubuta is in the perfective aspect, usually translated as a completed action in the past:

Malama ta rubuta… = The teacher wrote… / The teacher has written…

It generally does not mean “is writing” or “writes (habitually).” For those you would say:

tana rubuta = she is writing (progressive)
ta kan rubuta or tana yawan rubuta = she usually writes / she tends to write (habitual, with extra markers)

So in your sentence, it’s clearly talking about a completed action: in today’s lesson, she (already) wrote the letters.

What does rubuta mean exactly? Does it include typing, or only handwriting?

rubuta basically means “to write”, especially to write by hand.

Traditionally, it refers to writing with chalk, pen, pencil, etc.
In everyday modern usage, people also use it for typing in many contexts, but if you want to be very explicit, Hausa can specify:
- ta rubuta da hannu – she wrote by hand
- ta tura saƙo ta waya / ta yi typing – she sent a message by phone / typed it (borrowing English typing is common).

In this sentence, because it’s “on the board”, rubuta clearly means writing with chalk/marker.

What is the base form of haruffan, and what does the -an ending show?

The base word is:

harafi = letter (of the alphabet)

Plural:

haruffa = letters

Then haruffan is haruffa with a final -n, which again marks definiteness / linkage:

haruffa = letters (in general)
haruffan = the letters, or letters of … (when linked to another noun)

In haruffan Hausa:

haruffan = the letters
Hausa = Hausa
haruffan Hausa = the letters of Hausa / Hausa letters.

So -n here plays a role similar to English “of” plus “the” rolled together.

How does haruffan Hausa work grammatically? Is there an “of” hidden in there?

Yes, you can think of it like that. Hausa often links two nouns by:

Putting the first noun in a linked / definite form (often with -n / -r), and
Putting the “possessor / qualifier” noun after it.

So:

haruffan Hausa = letters-of Hausa = Hausa letters / the letters of Hausa
littafin Hausa = book-of Hausa = a Hausa book / the Hausa book
muryar malama = voice-of the teacher (f) = the teacher’s voice

There is no separate word for “of”; the relationship is shown by form and order.

What does daga A zuwa Z mean, and can daga … zuwa … be used for other things than letters?

daga A zuwa Z means “from A to Z”.

daga = from
zuwa = to / up to

The structure daga X zuwa Y is general and very common. It can be used for:

Places:
- daga Kano zuwa Abuja – from Kano to Abuja
Times:
- daga ƙarfe biyu zuwa biyar – from 2 o’clock to 5
Ranges / amounts:
- daga mutane goma zuwa ashirin – from ten people to twenty

So daga A zuwa Z is just one example, using letters as the range.

What does a kan mean in a kan allo, and how is it different from just a?

In a kan allo, we have:

a = a general preposition: in / at / on
kan = top / surface / on top of
a kan together = “on (top of)”

So:

a kan allo = on the board (literally, on top at board)

By contrast, a alone can mean:

in / at a place:
- a gidā – at home
in / during a time or event:
- a darasin yau – in today’s lesson

To be specific about being on a surface, Hausa often uses a kan (or the fused form akan in some spelling styles).

I’ve seen akan written as one word. Is a kan the same as akan?

Functionally, yes.

a kan and akan both commonly mean “on (top of)”, especially in everyday speech.
Many writers keep them separate as a kan (preposition + noun), but akan is also widely used in writing and is not wrong.

So you could see:

a kan allo
akan allo

Both will be understood as “on the board.”

Why is it allo and not allon for “the board”? Is the board definite or indefinite here?

allo means “board / slate / blackboard” (also used for a child’s wooden writing board in traditional schools).

allo = (a) board
allon = the / that specific board (linked/definite form)

In many real contexts, a kan allo will still be understood as “on the (classroom) board” from context, even without the -n.

If you want to be explicitly definite:

a kan allon – on the board (that we both know about)

Both are possible, but a kan allo is short and natural here; the definiteness comes from shared classroom context.

Can the order of the sentence be changed, for example moving daga A zuwa Z or a kan allo?

Yes, Hausa word order is somewhat flexible with these prepositional phrases, as long as the subject–pronoun–verb core stays intact. For example:

Original:

A darasin yau, malama ta rubuta haruffan Hausa daga A zuwa Z a kan allo.

Possible variants:

A darasin yau, malama ta rubuta haruffan Hausa a kan allo daga A zuwa Z.
Malama ta rubuta haruffan Hausa daga A zuwa Z a kan allo a darasin yau.
Malama ta rubuta haruffan Hausa a kan allo daga A zuwa Z a darasin yau.

All are understandable. The original order puts the time first (In today’s lesson…), then the range, then location, which is a very natural flow.