Ina son salo da inganci.

I

Breakdown of Ina son salo da inganci.

• da: and
• so: to like
• inganci: the quality; effectiveness

Questions & Answers about Ina son salo da inganci.

What does ina mean in this sentence?

Here, ina marks first person singular and a present/imperfective-type aspect. In very practical learner terms, ina son ... is the common pattern for I like / I want / I love ..., depending on context.

So in this sentence, ina is the part that gives you I am / I do.

Is ina not supposed to mean where?

It can, but not here.

As a question word, ina? means where?
But in Ina son salo da inganci, it is clearly part of the verbal pattern ina son ..., so it means I like / I want ..., not where.

Context tells you which one it is.

Why is it son and not so?

This is a very common learner question.

The dictionary form is often given as so. But when it is followed directly by a noun, you often see the linked form son.

So:

• Ina so. = I want / I like.
• Ina son salo. = I like / want style.

That final -n is a normal Hausa linking feature before a following noun.