Learn Hardcore Hausa: Yara suna zaune a kan matakala suna hutawa. - The children are sitting on the stairs, resting.

Hausa normally uses this (subject pronoun + aspect marker) combination to show ongoing or current actions/states, instead of a separate verb like to be in English.

Why is suna repeated – suna zaune … suna hutawa – instead of saying it once?

Hausa usually repeats the subject+aspect marker for each separate verb phrase, even if the subject is the same:

Yara suna zaune a kan matakala suna hutawa.
→ literally: Children they-are sitting on the stairs they-are resting.

If you drop the second suna (Yara suna zaune a kan matakala hutawa), it sounds incomplete or ungrammatical to most speakers.

Repeating suna makes it clear that there are two simultaneous actions/states:

They are in a sitting position (suna zaune).
They are resting (suna hutawa).

It is similar to English saying “They are sitting and (they are) resting”, where the second are is optional in English but not in Hausa.

What is the difference between zaune, zauna, and zama?

All three are related to the idea of sitting, but they are different forms:

zauna – basic verb “to sit (down)”, often used for completed or punctual actions.
- Yara suka zauna. – The children sat (down).
zama – verbal noun / gerund-like form “sitting, staying, residing, becoming” depending on context.
- Zama a nan yana da daɗi. – Sitting/staying here is pleasant.
zaune – verbal adjective / state form, meaning “in a sitting position, seated”.
Used with the progressive marker for “are sitting (now)”:
- Yara suna zaune. – The children are (in a state of being) seated.

In your sentence suna zaune focuses on their current state (they are seated), not on the act of sitting down at that moment.

How would I say “they sat on the stairs” instead of “they are sitting on the stairs”?

To express a completed action (they sat down), you switch to a perfect/completive form, often with suka for 3rd person plural:

Yara suka zauna a kan matakala.
≈ The children sat (down) on the stairs.

Compare:

Yara suna zaune a kan matakala. – The children are sitting on the stairs. (current state)
Yara suka zauna a kan matakala. – The children sat on the stairs. (completed event)

What exactly does a kan mean, and is it different from akan?

a kan is a prepositional phrase meaning “on, on top of” in a physical, spatial sense:

a – general preposition (“in/at/on” depending on context)
kan – “top, surface”

Together: a kan matakala → on the stairs / on top of the steps.

About a kan vs akan:

a kan (two words) is the usual way to write the spatial phrase “on (top of)”.
akan (one word) is more often used for “about, concerning”:
- Muna magana akan wannan batu. – We are talking about this issue.

In everyday writing, people sometimes merge or separate them inconsistently, but the normative distinction is:

a kan tebur – on the table
magana akan tebur – talk about the table

In your sentence we clearly have the spatial meaning, so a kan is appropriate.

What does matakala refer to exactly – one step, many steps, or the whole staircase?

matakala generally refers to stairs/steps or a staircase as a whole, and in many contexts it can also be understood as “ladder”, depending on the situation.

In this sentence, a kan matakala is naturally understood as “on the stairs/steps”.
To talk about a single step/level, Hausa often uses mataki:
- mataki na farko – the first step / first level.

So:

mataki – one step/level
matakala – stairs/steps (the set of steps, or a stairway)

Context usually tells you whether someone means house stairs, steps outside, or a ladder.

There is no word for “the” before yara or matakala. How is definiteness expressed in Hausa?

Hausa does not have a separate definite article like English “the”. Nouns can be understood as definite or indefinite from context.

So:

Yara suna zaune a kan matakala can mean:
- Children are sitting on (some) stairs.
- The children are sitting on the stairs.

Which reading you get depends on what has been mentioned or is visible in the situation.

If you really want to emphasize a specific group or thing, Hausa can use:

Demonstratives: nan, can, wancan, etc.
- Yaran nan suna zaune a kan matakala. – These children are sitting on the stairs.
The “linker” ɗin / ɗin nan for specific, known nouns:
- Yaran ɗin suna zaune. – Those particular children are sitting.

But in many everyday sentences, a bare noun plus context is enough.

How does plurality work here with yara and suna?

Plurality is shown in both the noun and the subject marker:

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

The verb phrase then uses the plural subject+aspect marker:

suna (they are) for plural
yana (he is) / tana (she is) for singular

So:

Yaro yana zaune. – A child / the boy is sitting.
Yara suna zaune. – Children / the children are sitting.

The agreement between yara (children) and suna (they are) tells you clearly that the subject is plural.

Can I change the order of suna zaune and suna hutawa? For example: Yara suna hutawa suna zaune a kan matakala?

You can reorder the two verb phrases, and it will still be grammatical:

Yara suna zaune a kan matakala suna hutawa.
Yara suna hutawa suna zaune a kan matakala.

Both describe two ongoing actions/states: sitting and resting.

However, Hausa speakers usually keep the location phrase (a kan matakala) close to the first verb it belongs with. Your original order:

suna zaune a kan matakala (are sitting on the stairs)
then
suna hutawa (are resting)

sounds particularly natural because the place is most directly connected to the action of sitting.

Changing the order is possible, but might sound slightly less smooth, depending on the context and emphasis.

How would this sentence change if it was only one child, not children?

For one child, you make the subject singular and match the verb form:

Yaro yana zaune a kan matakala yana hutawa.

Changes:

Yara → Yaro (children → child/boy)
suna → yana (they are → he is)

If you wanted to emphasize that it is a girl, you could say:

Yarinya tana zaune a kan matakala tana hutawa.
(using tana for a feminine singular subject)