Learn Hardcore Hausa: Ni ina jin ƙamshi daga ɗakin girki yanzu. - I can smell a nice aroma from the kitchen now.

Ni ina jin ƙamshi... = I, I-am smelling...
You can also just say Ina jin ƙamshi daga ɗakin girki yanzu. This is fully correct and very common in everyday speech.

Using ni plus ina at the same time adds emphasis to the subject, like:

Ni ina jin ƙamshi... = Me, I’m the one who is smelling (it)...

So ni here is optional and emphatic, not required.

What exactly does ina jin mean here? Is it like “I am smelling” or “I smell”?

Ina jin is best understood as “I am experiencing (right now)”, and the type of experience comes from the noun after it.

ji / jin is a very general verb meaning to feel / sense / perceive.
With ina, it forms a progressive: ina ji / ina jin = “I am feeling / sensing / hearing / smelling / tasting.”

In this sentence:

ina jin ƙamshi = I am sensing smell → I am smelling or I can smell (right now).

So ina jin here is a present–continuous idea, like English “I am smelling”, but in many contexts it can be translated more naturally as “I can smell”.

Why is it jin and not ji in ina jin ƙamshi?

Ji is the basic verb “to feel/hear/sense.”
Jin is the verbal noun (like “feeling/hearing/sensing”).

In Hausa, the progressive is often formed with ina + verbal noun:

ina jin = I am sensing
ina ganin = I am seeing
ina shan = I am drinking

So ina jin ƙamshi is literally “I am (in the process of) feeling smell,” which we naturally translate as “I am smelling” or “I can smell.”

Does ƙamshi just mean “smell” in general, or does it imply a nice smell?

Ƙamshi usually implies a pleasant or nice smell: fragrance, scent, aroma.

ƙamshi = good/pleasant smell (perfume, good food, flowers, etc.)
wari = bad smell, stench.

So:

Ina jin ƙamshi daga ɗakin girki yanzu.
→ I can smell (a nice) smell from the kitchen now.

If you wanted to say “I smell a bad smell from the kitchen,” you’d probably use wari:

Ina jin wari daga ɗakin girki.

What does ɗakin girki literally mean? How is “kitchen” built up here?

Ɗakin girki is a noun phrase meaning “kitchen,” and it’s built from two words:

ɗaki = room
girki = cooking

Hausa often uses a “room of X” structure for specific rooms:

ɗakin girki = the room of cooking → kitchen
ɗakin kwana = the room of sleeping → bedroom

Grammatically, ɗakin is the “possessed form” (genitive/construct form) of ɗaki, showing a relationship with the next noun (girki). So:

ɗaki → ɗakin girki = room → the cooking-room (kitchen).

Why is daga used here? Could I just say ina jin ƙamshi ɗakin girki yanzu without daga?

Daga means “from” (source, origin).

In ina jin ƙamshi daga ɗakin girki yanzu, it shows where the smell is coming from:

ƙamshi daga ɗakin girki = smell from the kitchen.

If you remove daga, ɗakin girki might be understood as just “the kitchen” (possibly as the place where you are), not clearly as the source of the smell. The natural way to express “a smell from the kitchen” is with daga.

So:

Ina jin ƙamshi daga ɗakin girki yanzu. = I smell something (nice) from the kitchen now.

Is the word order fixed, or can I move yanzu or ni around?

The basic order is:

[Subject] + [Progressive (ina + verbal noun)] + [Object / Prepositional phrase] + [Time word]

Your sentence:

Ni (subject, emphasized)
ina jin ƙamshi (progressive verb phrase)
daga ɗakin girki (prepositional phrase “from the kitchen”)
yanzu (time: now)

You can move some elements, especially ni and yanzu, for emphasis or style:

Ina jin ƙamshi daga ɗakin girki yanzu. (very normal)
Yanzu ina jin ƙamshi daga ɗakin girki. (emphasizes “now”)
Ni yanzu ina jin ƙamshi daga ɗakin girki. (emphasizes “me” and “now”)

But you normally keep “ina jin” together and don’t split the progressive form.

How do I pronounce the special letters ƙ and ɗ in ƙamshi and ɗaki / ɗakin?

Hausa uses some “implosive” and “ejective” consonants that are different from plain English k and d.

ƙ (as in ƙamshi):
- This is an ejective k, often written as ’k in older texts (e.g., k’amshi).
- It’s pronounced like a sharper, tenser k, with a small glottal “pop.”
- Approximation: say k but with more force and a slight catch in the throat.
ɗ (as in ɗaki, ɗakin):
- This is an implosive d. The tongue position is similar to English d, but you slightly “pull” air inward.
- To begin, many learners just pronounce it like a strong English d; native-like ɗ comes with practice.

Pronouncing them distinctly is useful because ƙ and k, ɗ and d can distinguish different words in Hausa.

Does ina jin specifically mean “to smell,” or can it also mean other senses?

Ina jin by itself just means “I am feeling / I am sensing / I experience.” The exact sense comes from the noun that follows.

Common patterns:

ina jin ƙamshi = I smell (lit. I feel smell)
ina jin zafi = I feel heat / pain
ina jin sanyi = I feel cold
ina jin daɗi = I feel pleasure / I enjoy it
ina jin sauti = I hear a sound

So jin ƙamshi is the specific combination for smelling something.

Could I say Na ji ƙamshi daga ɗakin girki yanzu instead of Ni ina jin ƙamshi daga ɗakin girki yanzu? What’s the difference?

Yes, you can say:

Na ji ƙamshi daga ɗakin girki yanzu.

Difference:

Ina jin = progressive/imperfective:
- Focus on the ongoing experience: I am smelling / I can smell (right now).
Na ji = perfective (completed action) for “I”:
- More like I smelled / I have smelled (the event is seen as complete).

In many real-time situations, especially when you’re in the middle of the experience, Hausa likes ina jin. But if you’re reporting what just happened (you caught a whiff a moment ago), Na ji ƙamshi... fits well.

If ina jin already suggests a current action, do I really need yanzu (“now”)?

You don’t have to use yanzu. The progressive ina jin already points to present time.

Ina jin ƙamshi daga ɗakin girki.
→ I am smelling a (nice) smell from the kitchen.

Adding yanzu makes the “now” especially explicit, and can add emphasis, like:

Ina jin ƙamshi daga ɗakin girki yanzu.
→ I can smell something from the kitchen right now (at this moment).

So yanzu is optional, but natural and useful when you want to stress the timing.

Can I drop Ni and just say Ina jin ƙamshi daga ɗakin girki yanzu? Is that still correct?

Yes, and in fact that is the most common everyday form.

Ina jin ƙamshi daga ɗakin girki yanzu. = I am smelling a (nice) smell from the kitchen now.

The ina already tells you the subject is “I”, so:

Ni ina jin... adds emphasis: Me, I am smelling...
Ina jin... is the neutral, normal way to say it.

So both are correct; Ni is just for focus/emphasis.

How would I say “I do not smell anything from the kitchen now”?

The negative of the progressive in Hausa uses ba ... ba. A natural sentence would be:

Ba na jin ƙamshi daga ɗakin girki yanzu.
→ I am not smelling (any) smell from the kitchen now.

Notes:

na here is the progressive subject form for “I” used in negative:
- positive: Ina jin ƙamshi...
- negative: Ba na jin ƙamshi...
You can also add ni for emphasis:
- Ni ba na jin ƙamshi daga ɗakin girki yanzu.
  → Me, I don’t smell anything from the kitchen now.

The word wani ƙamshi (any smell) can be added if you want to stress “anything”, but ƙamshi alone is usually enough in context.