Learn Hardcore Hausa: A biki, mata suna yin kwalliya kafin su saka sabbin riguna. - At a celebration, women do make-up before they put on new clothes.

a = at / in / on (a general preposition for place or time)
biki = celebration, ceremony, party (often things like weddings, naming ceremonies, etc.)

Putting A biki at the beginning sets the scene: “At a celebration, …” or “During a celebration, …”.
You could also see A bikin aure = at the wedding, where bikin is the genitive form and aure means marriage.

Why do we have both mata and suna? Isn’t that like saying “women they are doing makeup”?

Yes, it looks redundant from an English point of view, but it’s normal in Hausa.

mata = women (full noun subject)
suna = they are (3rd person plural subject pronoun + continuous aspect)

Hausa commonly uses:

a full noun (mata)
plus an agreeing subject pronoun (suna)

So Mata suna yin kwalliya literally is:
Women they-are doing makeup / getting dressed up.

You can’t normally drop suna in this kind of sentence; you need the pronoun to carry the tense/aspect information.

What does suna mean here, and what tense or aspect is it?

suna is the 3rd person plural subject pronoun in the continuous/progressive aspect.

su = they
-na (attached here) = continuous/progressive marker → suna = they are …ing

So mata suna yin kwalliya can mean:

The women are doing makeup / getting ready (right now).
or, depending on context,
Women (typically) do makeup / get dressed up (a general habit at celebrations).

The continuous form in Hausa can cover both “right now” and repeated/habitual actions in the right context.

Why is it suna yin kwalliya, not suna yi kwalliya?

You can see both patterns in Hausa, but here yin is the verbal noun (like doing in English).

yi = to do
yin = doing (verbal noun form)

suna yin kwalliya literally: they-are doing-of decoration/makeup.

This subject pronoun + continuous + verbal noun pattern is very common and quite natural:

Ina yin aiki. = I am working / I am doing work.
Muna yin magana. = We are talking.

You can hear suna yi kwalliya, but suna yin kwalliya is very standard and slightly smoother/formal.

What does kwalliya mean? Is it just “makeup”?

kwalliya is broader than just makeup.

It covers the idea of:

beautification
dressing up
putting on makeup, jewelry, nice clothes, etc.

In this sentence, suna yin kwalliya can be understood as:

they are getting themselves ready / they are making themselves beautiful,
which naturally includes makeup, hair, jewelry, and so on, depending on the cultural context.

What does kafin mean, and why does it take su saka after it?

kafin means before (in time).

The structure here is:

kafin
- subject pronoun
  - verb
    → kafin su saka = before they put on / before they wear

So:

kafin = before
su = they
saka = to put on / wear (clothes, shoes, etc.)

Putting it into the sentence:

… suna yin kwalliya kafin su saka sabbin riguna.
→ … they are doing makeup / getting dressed up before they put on new dresses.

Is the su in kafin su saka necessary? Could you just say kafin saka?

In standard Hausa, you normally keep the subject pronoun after kafin when the subject is clear:

kafin su saka (before they put on)
kafin mu tafi (before we go)
kafin ya iso (before he arrives)

Dropping su (kafin saka) is not standard in this kind of finite clause. Without su, it sounds like the verb is missing its subject. So in careful speech and writing, kafin su saka is the natural form.

What’s the difference between saka and sa for “wear / put on”?

Both sa and saka can mean to put on / to wear, but usage can vary by dialect and context.

sa is very common and general:
- sa kaya = to wear clothes
- sa hula = to put on a cap
saka is also used, often interchangeably in many contexts, especially with clothes and shoes:
- saka riga = put on a shirt/dress
- saka takalmi = put on shoes

In this sentence, su saka sabbin riguna is completely natural. In many places you could also hear su sa sabbin riguna with essentially the same meaning. Local preference and style play a role.

What does sabbin mean, and how is it related to sabo?

The base adjective is sabo = new.

Hausa adjectives change form (slightly) to agree with number and definiteness. With a plural noun, sabo usually becomes sabbi (or sabbin before a noun):

sabbin riguna = new dresses (plural)
sabon riga = a new dress (singular, masculine form)
sabuwar riga = a new dress (singular, feminine pattern)

So in the sentence:

sabbin = new (plural form)
riguna = dresses (plural of riga)

Therefore, sabbin riguna literally = new dresses.

Why is it sabbin riguna and not riguna sabbin? Where do adjectives usually go?

In Hausa, adjectives normally come after the noun they describe.

riga sabuwa = a new dress
gida babba = a big house
mutane masu yawa = many people

So:

riguna = dresses
sabbin = new (plural adjective form)

Put together, sabbin riguna is actually adjective + noun, but functionally we read it as new dresses. You could also see riguna sabbi in some contexts, but sabbin riguna is a very common pattern where the adjective is in a construct form (linked closely to the noun).

What is the literal, word-for-word breakdown of the whole sentence?

A biki, mata suna yin kwalliya kafin su saka sabbin riguna.

a = at / in
biki = celebration / ceremony / party
mata = women
suna = they-are (3rd person plural continuous)
yin = doing (verbal noun of yi)
kwalliya = beautification / makeup / dressing up
kafin = before
su = they
saka = put on / wear
sabbin = new (plural form)
riguna = dresses (plural of riga)

Very literal:
At celebration, women they-are doing beautification before they put-on new dresses.

Natural English:
At a celebration, women do their makeup / get dressed up before they put on new dresses.

Could this sentence refer to a general habit (what typically happens at celebrations), or only to something happening right now?

It can express both, depending on context.

As a general statement / habit:
- At celebrations, women (typically) get dressed up before they put on new dresses.
As a specific ongoing situation:
- At the (current) celebration, the women are getting ready before they put on new dresses.

The form suna yin kwalliya allows for both a progressive meaning (“are doing”) and a kind of habitual/generic meaning, especially when combined with something like A biki that can be understood generally.