Wannan waƙar Hausa tana da ban sha'awa sosai, ina so in koya kalmomin ta.

This Hausa song is very interesting; I want to learn its words.

Breakdown of Wannan waƙar Hausa tana da ban sha'awa sosai, ina so in koya kalmomin ta.

• ne: to be
• so: to want
• sosai: very
• da: with
• wannan: this
• Hausa: Hausa
• kalma: the word
• koya: to learn
• waƙa: the song
• ban sha'awa: interesting
• ta: its

Questions & Answers about Wannan waƙar Hausa tana da ban sha'awa sosai, ina so in koya kalmomin ta.

What does Wannan mean here, and does it change for gender or number?

Wannan means this.

• It is the singular demonstrative for both masculine and feminine nouns:
  
  • wannan gida – this house
  • wannan waƙa – this song

For plural, Hausa uses a different form:

• waɗannan waƙoƙi – these songs

So wannan itself does not change for gender, only number (singular wannan, plural waɗannan).

Why is it waƙar Hausa and not just waƙa Hausa?

Waƙar Hausa is a possessive/genitive construction: Hausa song / song in Hausa.

• The base word is waƙa – song.
• When a noun directly modifies another noun (song of Hausa, Hausa song), the first noun takes a linking suffix:
  • For many feminine nouns ending in -a, the -a changes to -ar:
    • waƙa → waƙar
    • littafi → littafin (masculine example)
• So:
  • waƙar Hausa = Hausa song / a song in Hausa
  • Literally: the song of Hausa.

You normally cannot just say waƙa Hausa for this meaning; you must use the linker (-r/-n) on the first noun.

What is the role of tana in tana da ban sha'awa sosai?

Tana is ta + na, the feminine singular pronoun (she/it) plus the progressive/aspect marker na. Together tana often corresponds to “it is (currently)” or “it has” depending on the verb or phrase that follows.

Here:

• ta – she/it (feminine; refers back to waƙa, which is grammatically feminine)
• na – progressive marker (“is doing/being/having”)
• tana da – literally “it is with / it has”

So Wannan waƙar Hausa tana da ban sha'awa sosai is literally something like:

• This Hausa song, it has (is with) much interesting-ness
  → It is very interesting.

The feminine form tana is used because waƙa is a feminine noun.

What does ban sha'awa actually mean, literally and idiomatically?

Ban sha'awa is a fixed expression meaning interesting.

Literally, it comes from an older negative structure and can be analysed roughly as “not boredom / not lack of desire”, but in modern usage you should treat ban sha'awa as one adjective-like phrase meaning:

• interesting
• attractive (to the mind)
• engaging

So:

• wannan abu ban sha'awa ne/ce – this thing is interesting
• tana da ban sha'awa – it is interesting / it has interestingness

In your sentence, ban sha'awa describes the song.

What does sosai add to the meaning in ban sha'awa sosai?

Sosai is an intensifier, roughly very / really / extremely.

• ban sha'awa – interesting
• ban sha'awa sosai – very interesting / really interesting

You can use sosai after many adjectives or verbs:

• mai daɗi sosai – very nice/tasty
• ya gaji sosai – he is very tired

Why is it ina so in koya and not just ina so koya?

In Hausa, when so (“to want, to like”) is followed by another verb, that second verb usually appears in a subjunctive form with a small pronoun-like element in front of it.

For 1st person singular, the subjunctive marker is in (historically from ni / na):

• ina so in tafi – I want to go
• ina so in gani – I want to see
• ina so in koya – I want to learn

So the pattern is:

• ina so + in + [verb] – I want to [verb].

Just saying ina so koya (without in) is not the normal structure for “I want to learn.”

What does koya mean? Does it mean both “learn” and “teach”?

Yes, koya can mean both to learn and to teach, depending on the structure and context.

1. To learn (subject is the learner):

   • Ina so in koya Hausa. – I want to learn Hausa.
   • Yaro yana koya karatu. – The boy is learning to read.

2. To teach (subject is the teacher, often with an object pronoun or a person as object):

   • Zan koya maka Hausa. – I will teach you Hausa.
   • Malam ya koya musu lissafi. – The teacher taught them mathematics.

In your sentence, ina so in koya kalmomin ta clearly uses koya in the “learn” sense: I want to learn its words/lyrics.

How is kalmomin ta formed, and why is there a space between kalmomin and ta?

Breakdown:

• kalma – word
• kalmomi – words (plural)
• kalmomin – kalmomi
  • -n (linker/genitive suffix)
• ta – her/its (feminine 3rd person singular pronoun)

So kalmomin ta literally means “the words of it/her” → its words / her words.

Orthographically, you will see two common spellings:

1. kalmomin ta (separate pronoun)
2. kalmominta (pronoun attached as a suffix)

Both are used, though the attached form is very common in writing:

• ina so in koya kalmominta – I want to learn its words/lyrics.

In either case, ta refers back to waƙa (the song), which is feminine, so the pronoun must also be feminine (ta).

Why is the pronoun referring to waƙa feminine (ta, tana)?

Hausa nouns have grammatical gender (masculine vs feminine), and this affects:

• pronouns
• agreement with certain verbs
• sometimes adjectives or copulas

The noun waƙa (song) is feminine, so any pronoun referring back to it must be feminine:

• ta – she/it (feminine)
• tana – she/it is (feminine progressive)
• kalmomin ta / kalmominta – her/its words

If the noun were masculine, you would see ya / yana instead of ta / tana:

• Wannan littafin Hausa yana da ban sha'awa sosai.
  – This Hausa book is very interesting.
  (littafi is masculine, so yana, not tana.)

Could I say Wannan waƙar Hausa ban sha'awa ce sosai instead of tana da ban sha'awa sosai?

Yes, you can use ban sha'awa ce as a predicate adjective with the feminine copula ce, and it is grammatically fine:

• Wannan waƙar Hausa ban sha'awa ce sosai.
  – This Hausa song is very interesting.

Two useful patterns:

1. [Noun] tana da [quality]

   • Wannan waƙar Hausa tana da ban sha'awa sosai.
   • Literally “This Hausa song has a lot of interestingness.”

2. [Noun] ban sha'awa ce. (for feminine nouns)

   • Wannan waƙar Hausa ban sha'awa ce sosai.
   • Literally “This Hausa song is interesting.”

Both are natural; the tana da pattern often feels slightly more descriptive of possession/quality, but in practice both translate as “is interesting / is very interesting.”

What is the difference between ina so in koya kalmomin ta and ina son koyan kalmomin ta?

Both are correct, but they differ slightly in structure and nuance.

1. ina so in koya kalmomin ta

   • ina so – I want
   • in koya – (that) I learn
   • kalmomin ta – its words
   • More directly “I want to learn its words.”
     Focus on the act of learning as something you want to do.

2. ina son koyan kalmomin ta

   • ina son – I like / I love / I want (with a noun/gerund)
   • koyan kalmomin ta – the learning of its words (gerund phrase)
   • Feels more like “I like the learning of its words / I enjoy learning its words.”
     It can still be used for intention, but the structure is [liking/wanting] a noun-like activity, not a full verb.

Both would usually be translated into English as “I want to learn its words/lyrics,” but the first is more straight ‘want to do X’, while the second leans toward liking/enjoying the activity.

How are ƙ (in waƙar) and k pronounced, and what is the apostrophe in sha'awa?

• k – an ordinary voiceless k sound, like in English “kill”.
• ƙ – an implosive / glottalized k.
  To approximate it:
  • Start to say k but pull the tongue root slightly inward and release with a kind of inward gulp of air.
  • It is a distinct consonant in Hausa; k and ƙ can change meaning of words.

Example pair:

• karo – encounter
• ƙaro – to add/increase

The apostrophe (') in sha'awa represents a glottal stop (a brief closure in the throat, like the break in the middle of English uh-oh).

• sha'awa is roughly sha + [glottal stop] + awa
  Don’t run it as “shaa-wa”; there is a little “catch” in the throat between sha and awa.