Learn Hardcore Hausa: Hausa shi ne harshen da nake so mafi yawa yanzu. - Hausa is the language that I like the most now.

So a close literal sense is:
Hausa it is the‑language that I‑am liking most much now.
Natural English: Hausa is the language I like the most now.

Why do we need both shi and ne? Why not just one of them?

Shi and ne play different roles:

shi = a pronoun referring back to Hausa (“it / he”).
ne = a copula/focus marker that works like “is” in this type of sentence, and also adds focus/emphasis.

In equational sentences of the type “X is Y”, Hausa often uses:

X + pronoun + ne/ce + Y

Here:

Hausa shi ne harshen …
= Literally: “Hausa, it is the language …”

You could in some contexts say just Hausa ne harshen da nake so mafi yawa yanzu, and people will understand, but the pattern X shi ne Y is very common and sounds very natural. The shi makes the structure clearer and more natural in speech.

What exactly does harshen mean, and why is it not just harshe?

harshe = “language”
harshen = “the language” / “the language of …”

The ‑n (or ‑n/‑r/‑n depending on the word) is a genitive/definite ending. It often means:

“the [noun]”
or “the [noun] of …”

In this sentence:

harshen da nake so
= “the language that I like”

So harshen emphasizes that we are talking about a specific language, the one defined by the clause da nake so (“that I like”). Just harshe da nake so is not the normal form here; harshen is what you expect.

What is the role of da here? I thought da means “and” or “with”.

Da is very flexible and has several main uses in Hausa:

“and” – joining nouns:
- Ali da Aisha – Ali and Aisha
“with” – expressing accompaniment or instrument:
- Ina zuwa da shi – I am going with him
Relative marker “that/which/who” – introducing a relative clause:
- mutumin da na gani – the man that I saw
- abin da kake so – the thing that you like

In harshen da nake so, da is the relative marker:

harshen da nake so
= “the language that I like”

So in this sentence, da does not mean “and” or “with”; it’s functioning like English that/which in a relative clause.

Why is it nake so and not ina so for “I like”?

Both relate to the same verb idea so (“to like, love, want”), but they appear in different environments:

In a main clause, you normally say:
- Ina so. – I like / I want.
In a relative clause introduced by da, you usually use the bound pronoun + ke form:
- da nake so – that I like / that I am liking

Technically:

na = 1st person singular subject pronoun (“I”)
ke = progressive/aspect marker used in relative (and some focused) clauses
Together: nake ≈ “I am (doing)” in a relative clause.

So:

Ina so Hausa. – I like Hausa. (main clause)
harshen da nake so – the language that I like. (relative clause)

Using ina so directly after da (da ina so) would be ungrammatical in standard Hausa. In relative clauses, you switch to forms like nake, kake, yake, etc.

What does so mean exactly here? Is it “love”, “like”, or “want”?

So in Hausa covers meanings that in English split between like, love, and want:

Ina son Hausa. – I like/love Hausa.
Ina son ruwa. – I want water. / I would like some water.

In da nake so mafi yawa, so means “to like” in the sense of “to prefer / to be fond of”. Given the context (talking about languages), like (the most) is the best English choice:

harshen da nake so mafi yawa
= “the language that I like the most” (or “that I love the most”)

How does mafi yawa work? Why do we need both words for “most”?

Mafi yawa is a common way to form a superlative/comparative:

mafi – marker for “most / more” (superlative/comparative)
yawa – “much, a lot, many”

Together:

mafi yawa ≈ “the most (much)” → “the most”, “the greatest amount”

Some examples:

Wannan shi ne abin da nake so mafi yawa.
This is what I like the most.
Wanne yare kake amfani da shi mafi yawa?
Which language do you use the most?

You usually don’t say just mafi alone. It works together with another word (yawa, so, adjectives, etc.) to create a comparative or superlative meaning. In this sentence, mafi yawa modifies the liking:

so mafi yawa – to like the most.

Why is mafi yawa placed after so? Could I say mafi yawa so?

The normal, natural order is:

so mafi yawa – “like the most”

In Hausa, degree words like kwarai sosai (“very much”), mafi yawa (“most”), often follow the verb or object they qualify:

Ina son Hausa ƙwarai. – I really like Hausa.
Ina amfani da shi sosai. – I use it a lot.

Here:

nake so mafi yawa
= “I like (it) the most”

Putting mafi yawa before so (mafi yawa so) would be ungrammatical or at least very odd. The degree phrase naturally comes after so.

Why is yanzu (“now”) at the end? Can it appear somewhere else?

Sentence‑final position for time expressions like yanzu (“now”), gobe (“tomorrow”), dazu (“earlier”) is very common in Hausa:

Zan tafi gida yanzu. – I will go home now.
Ina aiki yanzu. – I am working now.

In your sentence:

Hausa shi ne harshen da nake so mafi yawa yanzu.
= “Hausa is the language I like the most now / these days.”

You could sometimes move yanzu earlier for emphasis, for example:

Yanzu Hausa shi ne harshen da nake so mafi yawa.
“Now, Hausa is the language I like the most.”

Both are understandable, but the original order (time at the end) is very natural and neutral.

Why isn’t there a separate “I” pronoun like ni in da nake so?

Hausa has two kinds of pronouns:

Independent pronouns (used for emphasis, contrast, alone):
- ni – I
- kai/ke – you
- shi – he/it, ita – she/it, etc.
Bound subject pronouns (attached to verbs/aspect markers):
- na – I
- ka/ki – you
- ya – he, ta – she, etc.

In nake, the “I” is already included:

na (I) + ke (progressive marker) → nake

So da nake so already literally contains “I”:

da nake so ≈ “that I‑am liking”

If you added ni as well (da ni nake so), it would sound wrong or at least very odd here. You only add ni for special emphasis or in certain constructions, not in a regular relative clause like this one.

Why is it shi ne and not ce ce or ta ce? How does gender agreement work here?

In Hausa, the copula/focus particles agree with the gender and number of the focused noun:

For masculine / non‑feminine (including many inanimate nouns): ne
For feminine nouns: ce

Also, the pronoun agrees:

masculine: shi ne
feminine: ita ce

Harshe (language) is treated as masculine in Hausa grammar, so:

Hausa shi ne harshen … – Hausa, it (masc.) is the language …

Compare:

Ingilishi shi ne harshen da nake amfani da shi a aiki.
English is the language I use at work.

If the subject were a feminine noun, you would use ita ce:

Faransanci shi ne harshen? → actually shi ne too, because harshe is masculine;
but for a feminine noun like mota (car):
- Waccan ita ce motar da nake so mafi yawa.
  That one is the car I like the most.

So shi ne here is correct because it agrees with harshen (masculine).

Is there another common way to say the same idea in Hausa?

Yes, a very common and slightly simpler alternative would be:

Hausa shi ne yaren da na fi so yanzu.

Breakdown:

yare – language (synonym of harshe; yaren = “the language”)
na fi so – I like more / I prefer (literally “I surpass in liking”)

Na fi so is another standard way to say “I like more / I prefer”, and in context na fi so yanzu can mean “I like (it) the most now”.

So you have two natural options:

Hausa shi ne harshen da nake so mafi yawa yanzu.
Hausa shi ne yaren da na fi so yanzu.

Both mean essentially: Hausa is the language I like the most now.