Learn Hardcore Hausa: Yara suna shirin gasa ta karatu a makaranta. - The children are preparing for a reading competition at school.

Yara – children
- Plural of yaro (child).
- By itself it can mean children or the children, depending on context.
suna – they are (doing)
- From su (they) + na (progressive/aspect marker).
- Used for ongoing or current actions: suna shiri = they are preparing.
shirin – preparation (for/of)
- Base noun: shiri (preparation, planning).
- The final -n is a genitive linker, roughly “of”: shirin gasa ≈ preparation for the competition / the competition’s preparation.
gasa – competition / contest
- A noun here. Context and the following ta karatu show it means competition, not to roast.
ta – of / relating to (feminine linker)
- Agrees with gasa, which is grammatically feminine.
- Links gasa and karatu: gasa ta karatu = competition of reading / reading competition.
karatu – reading, study, schooling
- Here: reading (as in a reading or academic competition).
a – at / in
- A basic locative preposition.
makaranta – school
- Can be a school or the school, depending on context.

Literal structure:
Yara suna shirin [gasa ta karatu] a makaranta.
= Children are in the preparation [for a reading competition] at school.
Natural English: “The children are preparing for a reading competition at school.”

What exactly does suna shirin mean here? Is it a particular tense or aspect?

Suna shirin combines:

suna – present/progressive: they are (doing)
shirin – preparing / in preparation (for something)

So suna shirin gasa means “they are (currently) preparing for a competition.”
It implies an ongoing process, not just a plan.

Compare:

Za su yi gasa. – They will compete. (future event)
Za su yi shiri don gasa. – They will make preparations for the competition. (future preparation)
Suna shirin gasa. – They are (now) preparing for the competition. (preparation is happening or in progress)

So suna shirin is a present/progressive idea: the preparations are underway, or at least actively being arranged now.

Why is it shirin with an -n at the end, and not just shiri?

The -n on shirin is a genitive linker (often called annexation in Hausa). It shows that shiri is directly linked to the next noun:

shiri – preparation (on its own)
shirin gasa – preparation of/for the competition

So:

Yara suna shiri. – The children are preparing / in preparation (in general).
Yara suna shirin gasa. – The children are preparing for a competition.

You can think of shirin gasa as a single noun phrase: “competition-preparation” or “preparation for the competition.”

Another possible (more explicit) form is:

shiri na gasa – preparation of the competition

But in everyday speech, shirin gasa is shorter and very natural.

What is the function of ta in gasa ta karatu? Why not na karatu?

In gasa ta karatu, the ta is a linking word (genitive/associative particle) that agrees with the grammatical gender of gasa:

gasa is grammatically feminine, so we use ta.
If the head noun were masculine, we would use na.

Examples:

gasa ta karatu – reading competition (feminine head noun gasa)
wasa na yara – children’s game (masculine head noun wasa)

So gasa ta karatu literally means: > a competition that is about reading / competition of reading

This ta here is not a subject pronoun (“she/it”) in this sentence; it’s functioning as a genitive/linker that shows a relationship between gasa and karatu.

Could I say gasar karatu instead of gasa ta karatu? Is there any difference?

Yes, you can say:

gasar karatu
gasa ta karatu

Both can mean “a reading competition.”

The difference is mostly in form, not meaning:

gasar karatu
- gasa
  - -r (another type of genitive/possessive ending) + karatu
- Very common pattern: sunayen like gasar kwallon kafa (football competition), gasar kiɗa (music competition).
gasa ta karatu
- Uses the full linker ta (feminine) instead of just -r.
- Slightly more explicit: literally competition that is of reading.

In many everyday contexts they are interchangeable. You might hear both:

Yara suna shirin gasar karatu a makaranta.
Yara suna shirin gasa ta karatu a makaranta.

Both are natural.

Does yara mean “the children” or just “children”? How do I make it clearly definite?

Yara by itself is ambiguous between children and the children. Hausa often leaves definiteness to context.

In context, Yara suna shirin gasa ta karatu a makaranta is naturally understood as:

“The children are preparing for a reading competition at school.”

If you want to mark the children more explicitly, you can use the definite form:

yaran – the children
- Yaran suna shirin gasa ta karatu a makaranta.
  = The children are preparing for a reading competition at school.

So:

yara – children / the children (context decides)
yaran – clearly the children (already known or specific)

What exactly does karatu mean here? Is it only “reading”?

Karatu has a wider meaning than just “reading”:

reading (the act of reading text)
study / learning
schooling / education in general, in some contexts

In gasa ta karatu, it is usually understood as academic/reading work – for example:

reading aloud
answering school-related questions
showing one’s knowledge from study

So gasa ta karatu is best translated as “reading competition” or “academic competition”, depending on the context.

What does a makaranta imply? Is it “at school” in general, or “at a particular school”?

A makaranta literally means “at school / in a school.” It can be:

at school (in general) – as a place where children go to learn
at a school – some particular school, if the context is clear

Some nuances:

Yara suna shirin gasa ta karatu a makaranta.
→ Usually understood as “The children are preparing for a reading competition at school.”

If you want to be more specific:

a makarantar su – at their school
a makarantar gwamnati – at the government school
a makarantar nan – at this school

Also, a cikin makaranta means inside the school building, emphasizing being physically inside.

Can I move a makaranta to another position, like the beginning of the sentence?

Yes, Hausa word order is flexible for prepositional phrases, especially for emphasis or style.

All of these are possible, with slightly different focus:

Yara suna shirin gasa ta karatu a makaranta.
- Neutral: The children are preparing for a reading competition at school.
A makaranta yara suna shirin gasa ta karatu.
- Emphasis on the place: At school, the children are preparing for a reading competition.

For strong focus, Hausa often uses focus markers like ne/ce and the suke form:

A makaranta ne yara suke shirin gasa ta karatu.
= It is at school that the children are preparing for a reading competition.

But for a simple, neutral statement, the original order you gave is very natural.

What is the difference between suna shirin gasa and suna shirye don gasa?

They are close in meaning, but not identical:

suna shirin gasa
- Literally: they are in preparation for a competition
- Focus: the process of preparing is going on.
- They may still be planning, practising, arranging things, etc.
suna shirye don gasa
- shirye = ready (adjectival form)
- Literally: they are ready for the competition
- Focus: the preparation is (basically) complete; they are now in a ready state.

So:

suna shirin gasa – they are preparing for the competition (work in progress)
suna shirye don gasa – they are (already) ready for the competition (state of readiness)

I know gasa can also mean “to roast” food. How do I know it means “competition” here?

You’re right: gasa has at least two common meanings:

gàsa – to roast / grill (verb)
gása (or gásà, depending on analysis) – competition / contest (noun)

In ordinary writing, both are spelled gasa, so you rely on:

Grammar
- In your sentence, gasa appears after shirin, a noun: shirin gasa.
- That strongly suggests gasa is also a noun (“competition”), not a verb (to roast).
Context
- gasa ta karatu – competition of reading makes sense.
- “roasting of reading” does not.
Typical collocations
- gasar karatu, gasar kiɗa, gasar kwallon kafa – all standard competition phrases.

In teaching materials, you might see tonal marks to distinguish them (e.g. gàsa vs gása), but in everyday Hausa writing, context and sentence structure tell you which meaning is intended.

Can I drop Yara and just say Suna shirin gasa ta karatu a makaranta?

Yes, you can, if the subject is already clear from the context.

Suna shirin gasa ta karatu a makaranta.
= They are preparing for a reading competition at school.

Because suna already encodes they, Hausa commonly drops the explicit noun subject when it’s obvious who “they” are (e.g. if you’ve just been talking about the children).

However, if you are introducing the information for the first time or you want to be very clear, including Yara is better:

Yara suna shirin gasa ta karatu a makaranta.
= The children are preparing for a reading competition at school.