Learn Hardcore Hausa: A kotu mutane kan saurari lauyoyi cikin shiru. - In court people usually listen to the lawyers in silence.

In A kotu, it means “in/at court” (i.e. in the courtroom / in the law court).
Whether you translate it as in or at in English is mostly a stylistic choice; Hausa a itself doesn’t sharply distinguish the two here.

Also note:

Normally it’s written a kotu, with lowercase a, but it’s capitalized here only because it’s at the start of the sentence. Grammatically it’s just the preposition a
- the noun kotu.

Why does the sentence start with A kotu instead of Mutane? Is that word order special?

The order A kotu mutane kan saurari lauyoyi cikin shiru front‑loads the place information (“In court”) for emphasis, something like:

“In court, people usually listen to the lawyers in silence.”

Standard unmarked order would be:

Mutane kan saurari lauyoyi a kotu cikin shiru.

Both are grammatical. Hausa, like English, is basically SVO (Subject–Verb–Object), but it freely allows prepositional phrases like a kotu to be moved to the front for focus or to set the scene. So:

A kotu = a topicalized/foregrounded location: “As for in court / In the courtroom context …”

What exactly does mutane mean here? Is it “people” in general or some specific group?

Mutane is the plural noun “people / persons” (singular: mutum).

In this sentence, with no extra determiner, it has a generic meaning:

mutane ≈ “people (in general)” / “people (there)”

You can make it more specific with modifiers:

mutanen nan – these people / the people here
mutanen kotu – the people of the court / court people

But by itself here, mutane is indefinite and generic, matching English “people” rather than “the people.”

What does kan do in mutane kan saurari lauyoyi? Is it a verb like “can”?

Kan here is not the English modal “can.”
It’s a habitual aspect marker in Hausa.

Placed before a verb, kan usually means the action is habitual, customary, or typically true:

Mutane kan saurari lauyoyi…
≈ “People usually / generally / typically listen to the lawyers…”

Other examples:

Yara kan tashi da wuri. – Children usually wake up early.
Ina kan fita da yamma. – I tend to go out in the evenings.

So kan adds the nuance of “as a rule / as a habit / typically,” not ability.

Could we just say Mutane suna sauraron lauyoyi a kotu cikin shiru instead? What’s the difference from kan saurari?

Yes, Mutane suna sauraron lauyoyi a kotu cikin shiru is grammatical, but the nuance shifts slightly:

Mutane kan saurari lauyoyi…
- Uses kan + bare verb (saurari).
- Strongly suggests a habitual, customary pattern: “People usually / typically listen…”
Mutane suna sauraron lauyoyi…
- Uses suna + verbal noun (sauraro).
- Often felt as ongoing or broad present: “People are listening / people listen (these days / right now / in general).”

In many real contexts the difference is subtle, but:

kan + verb emphasizes habit/custom.
suna + verbal noun leans more to progressive / general present.

What’s the difference between saurari, saurara, and ji? Why saurari here?

All three are related to hearing/listening, but they differ:

saurari
- Meaning: to listen to (someone/something), with an object.
- It implies active, attentive listening.
- Pattern: Verb + direct object
  - Mutane kan saurari lauyoyi. – People (attentively) listen to lawyers.
saurara
- Meaning: to listen / pay attention / be quiet and listen.
- Often used without a direct object, or followed by ga:
  - Ku saurara! – Be quiet and listen!
  - Ka saurara ga ni. – Listen to me.
ji
- Very broad verb: to hear, feel, sense, experience, understand.
- As “hear”:
  - Na ji muryarsa. – I heard his voice.

In this sentence we need “listen to (the lawyers)” as a deliberate, respectful act. That’s why saurari (with laujoyi as its direct object) is the most natural choice.

What is lauwoyi exactly, and what’s the singular form?

Lauwoyi is the plural of lauya:

lauya – lawyer (singular)
lauwoyi / lauyoyi – lawyers (plural)

You’ll see both spellings lauwoyi and lauyoyi in practice; they refer to the same word and the same plural. It’s the standard plural pattern for many Hausa nouns ending in -ya, where the plural inserts -oy- (often written with or without that extra y).

So in the sentence:

lauwoyi = “the lawyers” / “lawyers” (context supplies definiteness).

Does lauwoyi here mean “the lawyers” or just “lawyers” in general?

Hausa doesn’t use an article like the or a/an. Nouns are bare forms, and definiteness comes from context.

In this sentence:

lauwoyi clearly refers to the specific lawyers present in court.
In natural English: “the lawyers” fits best.

So:

lauwoyi by form is just “lawyers”, but given the court context it’s understood as “the lawyers (in the courtroom)”.

What does cikin shiru literally mean, and why is it used for “in silence”?

Literally:

ciki – inside / interior
-n – linking/possessive particle (genitive marker)
shiru – silence / quietness

So cikin shiru literally is “in(‑side) silence” → idiomatically “in silence / quietly / in complete silence.”

This cikin + noun pattern is very common:

cikin duhu – in darkness
cikin farin ciki – in happiness / joy
cikin sauri – in haste / hurriedly

Here, cikin shiru describes the manner in which people listen: quietly, without speaking.

Why is there no word for “are” (as in “people are listening”) in the Hausa sentence?

Hausa doesn’t use a separate verb “to be” in the same way English does for verbal predicates.

In English: People are listening.
In Hausa: the aspect marker + verb combination does the job:
- Mutane kan saurari lauyoyi…
  Literally: “People kan listen to lawyers…”

Here:

mutane → subject (“people”)
kan → aspect marker (habitual)
saurari → main verb (“listen to”)

You don’t insert an extra verb equivalent to “are” before saurari. The structure subject + aspect marker + verb is complete on its own.

Can cikin shiru be placed earlier in the sentence, like A kotu cikin shiru mutane kan saurari lauyoyi? Does that change the meaning?

You can move cikin shiru, but you have to be careful about clarity and emphasis.

Possible orders:

A kotu mutane kan saurari lauyoyi cikin shiru.
- Neutral and natural: “In court, people usually listen to the lawyers in silence.”
A kotu cikin shiru mutane kan saurari lauyoyi.
- Still understandable, but it puts extra emphasis on the silent atmosphere in court.
- Feels like: “In court, in silence, people usually listen to the lawyers.”

The basic meaning does not change, but:

End position (…laujoyi cikin shiru) is the most usual for a manner phrase like “in silence.”
Earlier placement (A kotu cikin shiru…) gives stronger focus on the “in silence” part as a description of the court setting.