The Sahel

Harshen Hausa

A lingua franca across the Sahel.

Beginner Intermediate Professional Kids yard Eré Karin magana

Yard school

A short path a child can clap.

Hausa is spoken across the Sahel. Special letters like ƙ and ɓ are sounds English does not have.

Open the kids yard

beginner

Wasula — vowels

Five vowels. Length matters. Hooked letters ɓ ɗ ƙ are signs, not decoration.

The five vowels a e i o u — short and long. Hooked letters ɓ ɗ ƙ — the signs English does not write.

beginner

Karin murya — tone and length

Hausa has tone. Length on a vowel is a sign: aa, ii, uu.

Signs on a word Hooks and long vowels in living words.

beginner

Sannu

Hausa greetings are a small ceremony.

Sannu Start gently. Sannu does a lot of work. Lafiya Health is the greeting. Sunana Offer your name, then ask.

beginner

Iyali

Home, parents, the table.

Uba da uwa Name the household. Abinci Ask for water. Sit. Eat. Kasuwa Count, then ask the price.

beginner · kids

Launuka — colours

Name the cloth and the sky. A path for children.

Ja da fari Red, white, black — the first three. Kore da shuɗi Green leaves, blue sky.

beginner · kids

Dabbobi — animals

The house yard: dog, cat, hen, goat, fish.

A gida Name the animals you already know. Abin da suke yi Run, jump, eat, drink, sleep.

beginner · wisdom

Karin magana — first sitting

Magana jari ce — speech is capital. Karin magana is how the capital grows. Towns may correct the form.

Karin magana — first sitting Five to keep in the mouth. Karin magana · sitting 3 Five more. Hear them. Say them. Karin magana · sitting 4 A third sitting. Still beginner.

beginner · kids

Jiuna — feelings

Happy, tired, hungry.

Yadda nake ji Name the face.

beginner · kids

Abinci — food

Rice, tuwo, milk.

Ina so in ci Ask at the table.

beginner · kids

Kirga — six to ten

Keep counting.

Shida zuwa goma After five.

beginner

Tambayoyi — questions

Who, what, where, why.

Wa da me Ask clearly.

beginner

Aikatau — daily verbs

Do, see, know, give, hear.

The core five The spine of a sentence.