Learn Hardcore Hausa: A cibiyar koyarwa ta Hausa, malamai suna amfani da intanet da darasi kan layi. - At the Hausa teaching center, the teachers use the internet and online lessons.

A ≈ in / at / on (locative preposition).
So A cibiyar koyarwa ta Hausa means At the Hausa teaching center or In the Hausa teaching center.

Hausa has no word for the English indefinite article a/an. If you want to say a center, you normally just say cibiya and let context show that it’s indefinite.

Why is it cibiyar and not just cibiya? What does the ending -r do in cibiyar koyarwa?

Cibiya means center. When it is followed by another noun in a possessive/“of” relationship, it goes into the construct form (often called izafi in Hausa). For many feminine nouns ending in -a, this becomes -ar or -r.

cibiya → cibiyar = the center of …
A cibiyar koyarwa = At the center of teaching / training center

The -r here:

Marks a close link between cibiya and the word that follows (koyarwa).
Often also gives a sense of definiteness: it’s more like the center than just a center.

Other examples of this pattern:

mota (car) → motar makaranta = the school’s car / the car of the school
jami’a (university) → jami’ar Abuja = University of Abuja

What exactly does koyarwa mean, and how is it formed from the verb?

Koyarwa is a verbal noun / gerund based on the verb koya.

koya = to teach / to cause someone to learn
koyarwa = teaching / instruction (the activity or process)

So cibiyar koyarwa literally = center of teaching / teaching center.

Compare:

koyon Hausa = learning Hausa (from koyo, learning)
koyar da Hausa = teaching Hausa

What is the role of ta in koyarwa ta Hausa? Is it the same as na?

In koyarwa ta Hausa, the ta is a linking pronoun/particle that agrees with a feminine singular noun (cibiya, feminine). It works somewhat like “of” / “for” / “in” in English.

cibiyar koyarwa ta Hausa ≈ the teaching center for Hausa / Hausa teaching center

About ta vs na:

na is the general or masculine form: gidan boka na gari (house of a good herbalist).
ta is feminine singular, agreeing with a feminine head noun:
- mace ta gari = a virtuous woman (woman of goodness)
- cibiyar koyarwa ta Hausa = a teaching center of/for Hausa.

So ta doesn’t mean “she” here in the normal pronoun sense; it’s part of a descriptive/possessive link that also shows gender agreement.

Why is there a comma after Hausa? Does it change anything?

The comma in A cibiyar koyarwa ta Hausa, malamai suna… is just punctuation to separate the location phrase from the main clause.

A cibiyar koyarwa ta Hausa, malamai suna amfani…
= At the Hausa teaching center, the teachers use…

You could also write it without a comma in many contexts. It doesn’t change the grammar; it just makes the sentence easier to read.

How is malamai related to malami? How is this plural formed?

Malami means teacher. The plural is malamai = teachers.

The change:

malami → malamai

This is a common plural pattern in Hausa where -mi changes to -mai and you adjust the vowels:

bafillace (Fulani man) → fulani (not parallel) – ignore
Better parallel examples:

You will often see plural changes like:

bala’i → bala’o’i (for other nouns)

The key point: malamai is the standard plural form; you need to memorize it as teacher → teachers = malami → malamai.

What does suna express here? Is it “they are” or just a tense marker?

Suna is actually two pieces fused together:

su = they (3rd plural pronoun)
na = aspect marker for present/progressive / ongoing or habitual

So suna ≈ they are (doing).

In the sentence:

malamai suna amfani da intanet…
= the teachers are using / use the internet…

This form (subject pronoun + na) is used for present ongoing and also for regular/habitual actions, so it can translate as either are doing or do depending on context.

Why is it suna amfani da instead of a single verb meaning “use”?

Hausa very often uses a light verb (like yi = do) plus a verbal noun to express meanings that English packs into one verb.

The usual expression for to use is:

yin amfani da X = to make use of X / to use X

From that, you get finite forms like:

suna yin amfani da intanet = they use / they are using the internet

In everyday speech and some writing, people may drop the verb yi and say:

suna amfani da intanet

This is understood as “they are making use of the internet” even though the yi is omitted. So amfani da here still has the sense use of / using.

In amfani da intanet da darasi kan layi, what do the two da’s mean? Are they the same word?

They are the same word da, but they play slightly different roles.

amfani da intanet…
- Here da belongs to the expression (yin) amfani da X, which means “(to) use X” / “to make use of X.”
- So amfani da intanet = use of the internet / using the internet.
…da darasi kan layi
- This second da is functioning as “and”, joining two things being used:
- intanet (internet) da darasi kan layi (online lessons).

So structurally it’s:

suna amfani da [intanet] da [darasi kan layi]
= they use [the internet] and [online lessons]

Both da forms are identical in sound and spelling, but you understand their function from context.

What does kan layi literally mean, and can I use it with other nouns to say “online”?

Literally:

kan = on / upon / about (a preposition)
layi = line (from English “line”)

So kan layi literally = “on (the) line”, which is the Hausa way of saying online.

You can use kan layi with many internet-related nouns:

darasi kan layi = an online lesson
taron kan layi = online meeting
kasuwanci kan layi = online business
karatu kan layi = online study

It often comes after the noun, like an adjective: X kan layi = online X.

Is darasi singular here? How would you say “online lessons” instead of “online lesson”?

Yes, darasi is singular: a lesson / a class.

To say lessons, you use the plural darussa (or darussa with some spelling variation):

darasi kan layi = an online lesson
darussa kan layi or darussa na kan layi = online lessons

So you could say:

malamai suna amfani da intanet da darussa kan layi
= the teachers use the internet and online lessons (clearly plural).

Can I change the word order to put malamai first? For example: Malamai suna amfani da intanet da darasi kan layi a cibiyar koyarwa ta Hausa. Is that still correct?

Yes, that word order is also correct.

Two versions:

A cibiyar koyarwa ta Hausa, malamai suna amfani da intanet da darasi kan layi.
- Emphasis starts with the location: At the Hausa teaching center…
Malamai suna amfani da intanet da darasi kan layi a cibiyar koyarwa ta Hausa.
- Emphasis starts with the teachers and what they do: The teachers use the internet and online lessons at the Hausa teaching center.

Hausa allows the locative phrase (a cibiyar…) either at the beginning or end of the sentence, much like English “At the school, they teach…” vs “They teach at the school.” The meaning is the same; it’s mainly a difference of focus and style.