Learn Hardcore Hausa: A wannan shekara ina so in koyi Hausa sosai. - This year I want to learn Hausa very well.

In A wannan shekara, it roughly means “in / during this year.”
Hausa often uses a before time expressions:
- A yau – today / this day
- A jiya – yesterday
- A satin nan – this week

You can sometimes hear Wannan shekara without a, especially in casual speech, but A wannan shekara is the more natural, standard way to say “this year / in this year” at the start of a sentence like this.

Why does the time phrase A wannan shekara come at the beginning of the sentence?

In Hausa it is very common to put time expressions at the beginning of the sentence, even more than in English.

So instead of a literal “I want to learn Hausa very well this year,” Hausa naturally says:

A wannan shekara ina so in koyi Hausa sosai.
- literally: “In this year I want I-learn Hausa very much.”

You could also say Ina so in koyi Hausa sosai a wannan shekara, but the original order (time first) is very typical and sounds very natural.

What exactly does ina so mean? Is it like saying “I am wanting” in English?

Ina so is made of:

ina – the progressive / continuous marker (I am doing something)
so – to like / to want / love

Literally it looks like “I am wanting”, but in Hausa this is the normal, idiomatic way to say “I want.”

So:

Ina so in koyi Hausa sosai. – I want to learn Hausa very well.

It does not sound strange in Hausa the way “I am wanting” sounds odd in English. It’s the default way to express desire or preference.

I often see ina son as well. Should it be ina so or ina son here?

Strictly speaking, the most standard form is:

Ina son in koyi Hausa sosai.

Here’s why:

so is a verb/noun, and Hausa normally links it to what follows using a linking -n/-r sound:
- Ina son in koyi Hausa. – I want to learn Hausa.
- Ina son abinci. – I want food.

In everyday speech many people drop the -n and just say ina so, especially before a verb clause, so:

Ina so in koyi Hausa sosai.

is very common and acceptable in conversation. For careful or written Hausa, ina son in koyi Hausa is often preferred.

What is the little word in in ina so in koyi? Is it the same as the English word “in”?

No, Hausa in is completely different from English “in.”

Here, in is a subjunctive marker that you can think of as “that I” (or “for me to”) in English. It usually comes after verbs like so (want), iya (can), kara (increase / do more), etc.

Ina so in koyi Hausa sosai.
≈ “I want that I learn Hausa very well / I want to learn Hausa very well.”

With other persons:

Ina so ka koyi Hausa. – I want you to learn Hausa.
Ina so ya koyi Hausa. – I want him to learn Hausa.

So, in is part of the structure that introduces the second verb (koyi).

Why is it koyi and not koya or koyo? I see all of these forms.

They are related forms of the same root:

koya – the basic verb to teach / to learn (context decides which)
koyo – the verbal noun, learning, study
koyi – a subjunctive / perfective-like form used in patterns like this sentence

In our sentence:

Ina so in koyi Hausa sosai. – I want to learn Hausa very well.

The in + koyi structure is a subjunctive-like expression: “that I learn.”
Some patterns:

Zan koyi Hausa. – I will learn Hausa.
Ina ƙoƙarin koyo Hausa. – I am trying to learn Hausa.

So koyi is the right form after in in this type of clause.

Does Hausa need an article, like “the Hausa” or “a Hausa”?

No article is needed.

In Hausa, names of languages (and ethnic groups) are typically used without an article:

Ina koyo Hausa. – I am learning Hausa.
Yana koya Turanci. – He is learning English.
Sun iya Faransanci. – They know French.

So koyi Hausa is the natural way to say “learn Hausa.”

What does sosai add to the meaning? Is it more like “very,” “a lot,” or “well”?

Sosai is an intensifier. Its meaning depends a bit on the verb, but you can think of it as combining:

very / a lot / strongly / really well

In this sentence:

Ina so in koyi Hausa sosai.

you could translate it as:

I want to learn Hausa very well.
I want to learn Hausa a lot / really well.

With other verbs:

Yana jin Hausa sosai. – He understands Hausa very well.
Na gaji sosai. – I am very tired.

So here, “very well” is probably the best natural English equivalent.

Is it important that sosai comes at the end of the sentence?

Yes, sosai usually follows the verb phrase it is intensifying, and it very often appears near or at the end of the clause.

Ina so in koyi Hausa sosai. – normal, natural
Ina so sosai in koyi Hausa. – possible, but less natural here
Sosai ina so in koyi Hausa. – emphasizes how much you want it

Keeping sosai at the end of the clause (koyi Hausa sosai) is the most typical and neutral pattern.

The English meaning is future (this year), but there is no “will” like in English. Why isn’t za used here?

Hausa often relies on context, especially time expressions, to convey future time without explicitly using za (will / shall).

A wannan shekara ina so in koyi Hausa sosai.

Because of A wannan shekara, it clearly refers to a plan or intention during this year, so the idea is future, even though grammatically ina so is present/progressive (“I am wanting”).

If you want to make the future idea more explicit, you can use za with the learning verb:

A wannan shekara zan koyi Hausa sosai.
– This year I will learn Hausa very well.

Notice the difference:

Ina so in koyi Hausa sosai. – I want to learn Hausa very well. (focus on desire)
Zan koyi Hausa sosai. – I will learn Hausa very well. (focus on decision / action)

Could I move A wannan shekara to the end, like in English?

Yes, that is possible:

Ina so in koyi Hausa sosai a wannan shekara.

This is understandable and acceptable. However:

A wannan shekara ina so in koyi Hausa sosai.

sounds slightly more natural and typical, because Hausa likes to front time expressions. Both are correct, but native speakers often prefer putting A wannan shekara at the beginning.

Can I drop ina and just say So nake in koyi Hausa sosai?

Yes, that is another common structure, and it is correct, but it sounds a little more formal or emphatic:

So nake in koyi Hausa sosai.
literally: “It is wanting that I do, that I learn Hausa very well.”

Compare:

Ina so in koyi Hausa sosai. – everyday, very common
So nake in koyi Hausa sosai. – a bit more emphatic / careful

Both are good; the original sentence uses the more frequent spoken pattern.

Is there a more emphatic way to say “very, very well” instead of just sosai?

Yes. Common ways to intensify further include:

sosai-sosai – very, very much
- Ina so in koyi Hausa sosai-sosai.
kwarai sosai – extremely / very indeed
- Ina so in koyi Hausa kwarai sosai.

But for normal emphasis (the kind you’d use most), sosai by itself is perfect and very natural.