Ni ina son jirgin sama sosai.

I

Breakdown of Ni ina son jirgin sama sosai.

• ne: to be
• sosai: very
• so: to like

Questions & Answers about Ni ina son jirgin sama sosai.

Why are there two words for “I” in Ni ina son jirgin sama sosai (ni and ina)? Are both of them necessary?

Hausa often uses two kinds of pronouns together:

• ni = independent / stressed pronoun (I, as a full word)
• ina = subject marker for I in the present/habitual (literally something like I am)

In Ni ina son jirgin sama sosai, ni adds emphasis, like:

• Ni ina son jirgin sama sosai. = I really like airplanes (as opposed to someone else).

Grammatically, you only need ina to say I in this sentence. Ni is optional and used mainly for emphasis or contrast.

So can I just say Ina son jirgin sama sosai? Is that more natural?

Yes:

• Ina son jirgin sama sosai.

is a perfectly good, natural sentence. It already means I really like airplanes.

Differences:

• Ina son jirgin sama sosai. – neutral statement.
• Ni ina son jirgin sama sosai. – emphasizes I (maybe someone just asked who likes airplanes, or you’re contrasting with another person).

In everyday speech, you’ll hear Ina son… very often without ni unless there is a reason to stress the subject.

What exactly does ina mean? Is it the same as English ?