Learn Hardcore Hausa: A lokacin da yara suna cikin gida, uwa tana hutawa. - When the children are inside the house, mother is resting.

A lokacin da literally means “at the time when …” and is often used to introduce a when‑clause.
You can say Lokacin da yara suna cikin gida… without the a, and it is still correct and common.

Nuance:

A lokacin da… – slightly more explicit “at the time when …”
Lokacin da… – “when …”, a bit lighter.

In everyday speech, both are used; the difference is very small in this sentence.

Why do we use suna and tana here? What do they do?

Suna and tana are subject + aspect markers:

suna = su + na → they + progressive → “they are …‑ing”
tana = ta + na → she + progressive → “she is …‑ing”

They show:

Who is doing the action
- su → they (the children)
- ta → she (the mother)
Aspect – ongoing or current action
- na here marks a progressive / continuous sense.

So:

yara suna cikin gida – “the children are (currently) in the house”
uwa tana hutawa – “the mother is (currently) resting”

Could I say yara suke cikin gida instead of yara suna cikin gida?

You’ll hear both in real language, but they are not exactly the same form:

suna – progressive marker in a main, neutral clause:
Yara suna cikin gida. – “The children are in the house (right now / in general).”
suke – a relative/contrastive form, often used:
- in relative clauses, or
- when emphasizing which children, where they are, etc.

Examples:

Yaran da suke cikin gida suna kallo.
“The children who are in the house are watching (something).”
YARAN nan ne suke cikin gida, ba waje ba.
“It’s THESE children who are inside the house, not outside.”

In your original sentence, suna is the most straightforward and neutral choice. Using suke there would introduce an extra nuance of emphasis or relativity that’s not needed.

Why is it cikin gida and not just a gida? Do they mean the same thing?

Both are possible, but there is a nuance:

a gida – “at home / at the house”
cikin gida – “inside the house, inside the home”

So:

yara suna a gida – “the children are at home.” (location, but not stressing “inside”)
yara suna cikin gida – “the children are inside the house.” (explicitly inside, not outside)

In this sentence, cikin gida emphasizes that they are inside (e.g. not playing outside).

Is uwa “a mother”, “the mother”, or “their mother”? There is no word for “the” in the Hausa sentence.

Hausa doesn’t use articles like English a/the.

Uwa simply means “mother”, and context tells you how to understand it:

In this sentence, a natural English translation is “the mother” or “their mother”, because:
- we just mentioned “the children”, and
- we usually assume “their mother” from context.

Possible translations:

“When the children are inside the house, the mother is resting.”
“When the children are inside the house, their mother rests.”

All of these come from the same Hausa uwa.

What is hutawa, and how is it related to the verb “to rest” in Hausa?

Hutawa is a verbal noun (sometimes called a “masdar” or gerund‑like form) from the verb huta (“to rest”).

huta – the basic verb, “to rest”
hutawa – “resting / rest” as an activity

In the construction tana hutawa:

tana – “she is (doing)”
hutawa – “resting”

So tana hutawa is literally “she is in a state of resting”, i.e. “she is resting.”

You can also hear tana huta, which is also understood as “she is resting.” In many contexts:

tana hutawa and tana huta are both acceptable, with hutawa sounding a bit more like an explicit “resting (as an activity).”

Can I change the word order and start with “the mother” instead?

Yes. You can say:

Uwa tana hutawa lokacin da yara suna cikin gida.

This is also natural and means the same thing:

“The mother rests when the children are inside the house.”

So you have two common patterns:

Subordinate clause first:
- A lokacin da yara suna cikin gida, uwa tana hutawa.
Main clause first:
- Uwa tana hutawa lokacin da yara suna cikin gida.

Both are fine in Hausa. Putting the “when…” part first is very common, as in English.

What tense or time does this sentence express? Is it “whenever” or “right now”?

The form suna / tana + (verb/locative) is present/progressive, but Hausa uses it quite flexibly.

A lokacin da yara suna cikin gida, uwa tana hutawa can mean:

Habitual / general rule (whenever):
“When(ever) the children are inside the house, the mother (usually) rests.”
Specific situation (this time):
“When the children are inside the house, the mother is resting.”
(e.g. describing what happens each afternoon right now)

The context decides whether you understand it more as:

a general habit (“whenever that happens…”), or
a specific ongoing situation.

What is the singular of yara, and how would the sentence change for just one child?

yaro – child (singular, usually male, but often used generically)
yara – children (plural)

To make the sentence about one child, you’d change the subject and the agreement marker:

A lokacin da yaro yana cikin gida, uwa tana hutawa.
“When the child is inside the house, the mother is resting.”

Changes:

yara → yaro (plural → singular)
suna (they are) → yana (he is)
(ya + na → 3rd person singular, usually masculine/generic)

Is the comma before uwa tana hutawa required in Hausa?

In everyday writing, punctuation in Hausa can be somewhat flexible, but:

It’s normal and helpful to use a comma between the “when…” clause and the main clause, just like in English:
- A lokacin da yara suna cikin gida, uwa tana hutawa.

You will also see it without a comma in informal writing, but using the comma is clearer and aligns with standard written practice.