Learn Hardcore Hausa: Malami yana auna tsawo na tebur. - The teacher is measuring the height of the table.

Malami – teacher
yana – he is / it is (3rd person masculine singular, present continuous/progressive marker)
auna – to measure (also used for weighing)
tsawo – length, height
na – of, belonging to
tebur – table

So the structure is literally: Teacher he-is measuring length of table.

What exactly does yana do in this sentence? Is it like the English verb to be?

Yana is a combination of a subject pronoun (ya = he) and the continuous marker na.
Together, yana marks an action that is going on right now or around now, similar to English “is … -ing”.
So Malami yana auna … corresponds to “The teacher is measuring …”, not just “The teacher measures …” in general.

Could I say just Malami ya auna tsawo na tebur instead of Malami yana auna tsawo na tebur? What is the difference?

Yes, Malami ya auna tsawo na tebur is possible, but it changes the meaning.

yana auna = he is measuring (the action is in progress or very current)
ya auna = he measured / he has measured (the action is completed)

So:

Malami yana auna tsawo na tebur – The teacher is (currently) measuring the length of the table.
Malami ya auna tsawo na tebur – The teacher measured / has measured the length of the table.

What does auna mean here? Does it only mean measure, or can it also mean weigh?

Auna is a general verb for measuring, and it can include:

Measuring length or height
Weighing something
Measuring quantities (e.g. food, grain)

In this specific sentence, because it is followed by tsawo (length/height), auna clearly means to measure the length/height of the table.

Why do we say auna tsawo na tebur instead of just auna tebur?

Both are possible, but they are not identical in meaning:

auna tebur – measure the table (in some way: maybe its size, maybe its weight; it is vague).
auna tsawo na tebur – measure the length/height of the table specifically.

By adding tsawo na tebur, you clearly say which dimension or property of the table is being measured.

What is the function of na in tsawo na tebur?

Na is a linker/preposition that usually translates as of.
It connects two nouns in a relationship: tsawo (length) and tebur (table).
So tsawo na tebur literally means “length of (the) table”.
You will see na very often in Hausa between two nouns where English would use of.

Can I also say tsawon tebur instead of tsawo na tebur?

Yes, tsawon tebur is also correct and common, and it also means “the length of the table”.

tsawo na tebur – uses the free word na (“of”)
tsawon tebur – uses a linker -n attached to tsawo (tsawo + n → tsawon)

For everyday learning you can treat tsawo na tebur and tsawon tebur as practically equivalent. You will hear both patterns with many nouns.

What is the normal word order in this sentence? Could I say Malami tsawo na tebur yana auna?

The normal order in neutral statements is:

Subject – (progressive marker) – Verb – Object/Complement

So:

Malami (subject)
yana (progressive marker)
auna (verb)
tsawo na tebur (object phrase)

You cannot freely move tsawo na tebur in front of yana auna without changing the structure and using special focus constructions. For learners, stick to:

Malami yana auna tsawo na tebur.

How would this sentence change if the teacher is female or if there are several teachers?

Change Malami and yana to match gender/number:

Female teacher:
- Malama tana auna tsawo na tebur.
  - Malama = female teacher
  - tana = she is (3rd person feminine singular progressive)
Several teachers:
- Malamai suna auna tsawo na tebur.
  - Malamai = teachers
  - suna = they are (3rd person plural progressive)

The rest of the sentence (auna tsawo na tebur) stays the same.

Why is it Malami and not malamin? When would I see malamin?

In Hausa, adding -n (or -in, depending on the noun) can mark definiteness, roughly like “the”.

Malami – a teacher / teacher (in general)
malamin – the teacher (a specific one already known in the context)

So you could also say:

Malamin yana auna tsawo na tebur. – The teacher is measuring the length of the table.

Both forms are grammatically fine; the choice depends on whether you mean a/the teacher in context.

Does tsawo mean both length and height?

Yes, tsawo can cover both ideas, depending on context:

The height of a person or object
The length of something (how long it is)

So tsawo na tebur could be understood as height of the table or length of the table; context or a gesture usually clarifies which dimension is meant.

How is tsawo pronounced, especially the ts sound?

Tsawo is pronounced approximately:

ts – like the ts in English “cats”, but at the beginning of the word
a – like a in “father”
wo – similar to wo in “woke” but usually shorter

So you get something like TSA-wo.
The ts sound at the start is very characteristic of Hausa and appears in many words (e.g. tsoho, tsaya).

Is yana auna only present continuous, or can it also refer to the near future?

Yana auna primarily expresses an action that is happening now or around now, like English “is measuring”.
In some contexts, it can refer to something that is effectively arranged and expected to happen very soon (similar to English “He is measuring it tomorrow”), but that depends heavily on context.
For a clear future meaning, Hausa normally uses za plus a pronoun, for example:

Malami zai auna tsawo na tebur. – The teacher will measure the length of the table.