Learn Hardcore Hausa: Mutane suna saka sabuwar riga a biki. - People wear a new shirt/dress at a celebration.

Hausa does not use separate words like a / the as articles the way English does, so mutane on its own can mean people, the people, some people, depending on context.

Why do we say suna saka and not just su saka? What does suna mean?

Suna is a combination of a subject pronoun and an aspect marker:

su = they
na (here) = continuous / progressive aspect marker

Together: su + na → suna = they are (doing something).

So:

Mutane suna saka… = People are wearing / People wear…

If you said Mutane su saka sabuwar riga…, it would sound incomplete or like a different structure (e.g. a subordinate clause) rather than a normal main sentence in the present/progressive.

Is suna saka present continuous (are wearing) or habitual (usually wear)?

Suna saka can express both, depending on context:

Present continuous: Right now – “People are wearing new clothes at the party.”
Habitual/generic: “People (usually) wear new clothes at celebrations.”

In Hausa, context and sometimes time expressions decide whether it is understood as right now or habitual. The form suna + verb itself covers both meanings.

What does saka mean here, and how is it different from sa?

In this sentence, saka means to wear or to put on (clothes).

Hausa has both sa and saka, and in many contexts they overlap in meaning:

sa riga / saka riga = to wear/put on a shirt/dress

Subtle differences (which you’ll see more in extended usage):

sa is a very common verb meaning to put, to wear, to put on, also used in idioms.
saka also means to put into, to insert, to dress (someone), to wear, and can have a slightly more “inserting / putting into / putting on” feel.

In everyday speech, when talking about clothes, both are frequent, and learners will often hear saka riga or sanya riga (with a causative form) as well.

Why is it sabuwar riga and not riga sabuwa? Don’t adjectives normally follow nouns in Hausa?

You’re right that the basic pattern is:

noun + adjective: riga sabuwa = a new dress/shirt

But Hausa also has a very common pattern where the adjective appears before the noun in a construct/possessive-like form, especially with a few very frequent adjectives like “new”, “old”, “big”, etc.

So you get:

sabuwar riga = literally “the new-ness of dress” → “a new dress”
tsohon gida = old house
babban gari = big city/town

Both riga sabuwa and sabuwar riga are grammatical, but sabuwar riga is the more idiomatic everyday way to say a new dress/shirt.

Why is it sabuwar and not sabuwa? What is that final -r doing?

The base adjective is:

sabo (masc.) / sabuwa (fem.) = new

Riga is a feminine noun, so the adjective in its basic form is sabuwa:

riga sabuwa = a new dress/shirt

When the adjective comes before the noun in this “construct” form, Hausa adds a linking consonant (-n or -r) to the adjective, somewhat like the “of” relationship:

masculine: sabon littafi = a new book
feminine: sabuwar riga = a new dress/shirt

So:

sabuwa (fem. adjective on its own)
sabuwar (construct form before a feminine noun)

That final -r is the construct/ linker that ties the adjective to the noun following it.

Why is riga singular when mutane is plural? Shouldn’t it be riguna (plural)?

In Hausa, when talking about a general habit or a typical situation for a group, it’s very common to use a singular object even if the subject is plural.

Mutane suna saka sabuwar riga a biki is understood as:

“People wear (a) new dress/shirt (each) at a celebration.”

Each person has their own one new garment, so Hausa keeps riga in the singular. Using riguna would suggest multiple garments per person, or focus more on the quantity of clothes rather than the typical practice.

So:

Mutane suna saka sabuwar riga a biki.
= People wear a new dress/shirt at a celebration (each person).

What exactly does riga mean? Is it “dress”, “shirt”, or “clothes”?

Riga is a single upper-body garment, and the exact English word changes by context and dialect:

It can be dress, gown, robe, long shirt, tunic, top, etc.
It is not a general word for “clothes” (that would be tufafi or kayayyakin sawa).

In many everyday contexts, sabuwar riga is best translated as a new dress or a new shirt, depending on what people in that culture typically wear.

What does a mean in a biki? Is it like “in” or “at”?

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

a gida = at home / in the house
a kasuwa = at the market
a biki = at a celebration / at a party / at a ceremony

So Mutane suna saka sabuwar riga a biki means people wear a new dress/shirt at a celebration.

What does biki mean? Is it only “party”?

Biki means celebration, ceremony, festivity, and is especially common for:

weddings
naming ceremonies
festivals
big social celebrations

Depending on the context, you might translate biki as:

party,
celebration,
ceremony, or
festive event.

So a biki is something like “at a (festive) ceremony / celebration”.

Can the word order change? For example, can I say A biki mutane suna saka sabuwar riga?

Yes, Hausa allows fronting for emphasis, especially with place and time expressions.

Mutane suna saka sabuwar riga a biki.
= Neutral: People wear a new dress at a celebration.
A biki mutane suna saka sabuwar riga.
= Emphasis on “at celebrations”: At celebrations, people wear a new dress.

The core structure [Subject] + [suna] + [verb] + [object] stays the same, but you can move a biki to the front to highlight it. The sentence with A biki… is natural and often used when you’re contrasting with other situations (e.g. not at home, but at celebrations).

Is there any difference between writing suna and sunã?

In many practical texts, you’ll just see suna. But in more phonologically accurate writing, you may see a tone/length mark: sunã.

sunã indicates that the last vowel is long and often has a particular tone.

For everyday learning and communication, suna is perfectly fine and widely used. The meaning is the same in this context: they are (doing something).