Learn Hardcore Hausa: Idan kina so, za mu ci abinci tare da makwabta yau da yamma. - If you feminine want, we will eat with the neighbours this evening.

Idan is the basic conditional word meaning if (or sometimes when, depending on context).
In this sentence, Idan kina so = If you want.

You use Idan to introduce a condition, very much like English if:

Idan ka zo, zan tafi. – If you come, I’ll go.

There are other ways to express conditions in Hausa, but for a simple if-clause, Idan is the normal, very common choice.

In Idan kina so, what exactly does kina mean, and how is it used?

Kina is the 2nd person feminine singular progressive form, roughly you (female) are …-ing.
It usually comes before another verb or expression:

kina so – you (f) want / you (f) like
kina aiki – you (f) are working
kina magana – you (f) are talking

So Idan kina so literally has the idea If you (f) are wanting / if you (f) feel like it, which corresponds to If you want in English.

Why is kina used here? Does that mean the speaker is talking to a woman? How would it look for a man or for plural you?

Yes. Kina is specifically you (female, singular). The form changes with gender and number:

kana so – you (male, singular) want
kina so – you (female, singular) want
kuna so – you (plural) want

So, if the speaker is talking:

to a man: Idan kana so, za mu ci abinci…
to a woman: Idan kina so, za mu ci abinci…
to several people: Idan kuna so, za mu ci abinci…

Could you also say Idan kin so instead of Idan kina so? What is the difference?

Yes, Idan kin so is also possible, but the nuance is a bit different.

Idan kina so uses the progressive (kina) and feels like If you (f) want / if you feel like it in a more general, ongoing sense.
Idan kin so uses the perfective (kin) and can feel more like If you (f) have decided you want (to) or If you (f) wanted in a more completed/choice sense.

In everyday conversation, both can end up meaning practically If you’d like, but Idan kina so sounds a bit more open‑ended and polite.

What is the function of za in za mu ci abinci? Is za always needed for the future?

Za is the basic future marker. Za mu ci abinci means we will eat food.

Patterns:

zan ci – I will eat
za ka ci – you (m) will eat
za mu ci – we will eat

You normally need za to clearly mark ordinary future time.
Without za, mu ci abinci would usually be understood as let’s eat food or that we should eat food (a kind of subjunctive/hortative), not a simple future statement.

In za mu ci abinci, why do we need abinci after ci? Doesn’t ci already mean to eat (a meal)?

Ci means to eat, but by itself it doesn’t say what you are eating.
Adding abinci (food / a meal) makes it explicit:

ci abinci – eat food / have a meal
ci naman kaza – eat chicken meat
ci burodi – eat bread

In context, just za mu ci can sometimes mean we will eat (a meal) if it’s obvious, but za mu ci abinci is very clear and natural, especially for learners.

What is the difference between tare da makwabta and just da makwabta?

da makwabta = with the neighbors
tare da makwabta = together with the neighbors

Tare adds an explicit idea of togetherness / in company with.
Both are grammatically correct, but tare da emphasizes the shared activity:

za mu ci abinci da makwabta – we will eat food with the neighbors
za mu ci abinci tare da makwabta – we will eat food together with the neighbors (stronger sense of doing it as a group)

Is makwabta singular or plural? How do you say neighbor in the singular?

Makwabta (more precisely maƙwabta) is plural: neighbors.

Singular forms are:

maƙwabci – male neighbor
maƙwabciya – female neighbor

So:

tare da maƙwabta – with the neighbors
tare da maƙwabci – with a (male) neighbor
tare da maƙwabciya – with a (female) neighbor

Does mu in za mu ci mean we (including you) or could it also exclude the person you’re talking to?

Hausa mu covers both meanings; it does not distinguish inclusive vs exclusive we the way some languages do.

So za mu ci abinci could mean:

we (you and I / you all and I) will eat, or
we (some group I belong to, but not you) will eat,

depending on context. You work out whether the listener is included from the situation or from extra words like tare da ke (together with you (f)), etc.

Can we change the word order and say Yau da yamma za mu ci abinci tare da makwabta? Is that still correct?

Yes, that is completely correct.

Both are natural:

Idan kina so, za mu ci abinci tare da makwabta yau da yamma.
Idan kina so, yau da yamma za mu ci abinci tare da makwabta.

Moving yau da yamma earlier just shifts the emphasis slightly (putting more focus on this evening), but the basic meaning is the same.

What does yau da yamma literally mean, and how is it different from just da yamma or just yamma?

Literally:

yau – today
da yamma – in the evening / at evening So yau da yamma is literally today in the evening, which corresponds to this evening.

Differences:

yamma – evening (time of day, in general)
da yamma – in the evening
yau da yamma – this evening (today, in the evening)

So yau da yamma is more specific: this evening (today), not evenings in general.

Are there any pronunciation or contraction tips for saying za mu ci abinci tare da makwabta in real speech?

Yes. In everyday speech you will often hear some light contractions and smoothing:

za mu often sounds like one chunk, close to zamu
ci abinci flows together, roughly like chi abinci
tare da is usually pronounced smoothly as tareda
makwabta / maƙwabta often sounds like makwabta (with the b and t close together)

So you might actually hear something close to: Idan kina so, zamu ci abinci tareda makwabta yau da yamma.

As a learner, it’s fine (and good) to pronounce each word clearly; you’ll gradually get used to the faster, joined‑up spoken form.

Is the comma after Idan kina so required in Hausa writing, or is it just copying English punctuation?

The comma is not strictly required by Hausa grammar, but it is good, standard punctuation and works much like in English.

Hausa writers commonly put a comma after an initial Idan‑clause:

Idan kana so, zan je.
Idan kina so, za mu ci abinci…

So the comma is not a special grammatical marker; it’s a normal writing convention to show the pause between the if‑clause and the main clause.