Learn Hardcore Hausa: Ni ina aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu.

Ina is a combined form that already contains the idea of I + (am) in the middle of doing something. It is the 1st‑person singular form of the progressive/aspect marker (others are kana, kina, yana, tana, muna, kuna, suna).

So ina aiki by itself already means I am working.

When Hausa uses ni in front of ina, like Ni ina aiki..., it adds emphasis or contrast, a bit like:

Me, I’m working on the computer now.
I am the one who is working on the computer now.

Without emphasis or contrast, you can just say Ina aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu. and it is perfectly correct.

Can I leave out ni and just say Ina aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu? When should I include ni?

Yes, you can absolutely leave out ni:

Ina aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu. = I’m working on the computer now.

This is the normal, neutral version.

You include ni mainly for:

Emphasis / contrast
- Ni ina aiki, su suna wasa.
  I am working, they are playing.
- Ba kai ba, ni ne ina aiki a kan kwamfuta.
  Not you, I’m the one working on the computer.
Answering a question like “Who?”
- Wa ne yake aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu?
  Who is working on the computer now?
- Ni ina aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu.
  I am working on the computer now.

So: with ni = focused/emphatic; without ni = neutral.

What exactly is ina doing in this sentence? Is it just the verb to be, or does it mean something like the English -ing?

Ina is an aspect marker that indicates ongoing, continuous, or “in progress” action. It corresponds roughly to English am ...‑ing.

Ina aiki.
I am working. (right now / these days, depends on context)

So ina is not a simple equivalent of English am / is / are, and it is not a standalone verb like work either. It is a form that combines the subject and the idea of ongoing / current:

ina – I am (currently doing)
kana – you (m.sing.) are (currently doing)
kina – you (f.sing.) are (currently doing)
yana – he is (currently doing)
tana – she is (currently doing), etc.

You then add a verbal noun or appropriate complement after it (aiki, karatu, tafiya, etc.) to say what action is in progress.

So, ina functions more like the am ...‑ing pattern than a plain to be.

Why is the noun aiki used here instead of a verb like yi? How do I say I work / I am working in general?

In Hausa, many actions are expressed with a combination of:

a “light” verb yi (to do / make)
plus a verbal noun like aiki (work, working)

So yi aiki literally means do work, i.e. work.

With the progressive marker ina, you have a few natural options:

Ina aiki.
Literally: I’m in a state of work.
Idiomatically: I’m working.
Ina yi aiki.
Literally: I’m doing work.
Also: I’m working. (very common)
Ina yin aiki.
Here yin is the genitive form of yi, still meaning doing work.
This can sound a bit more explicit or careful in some contexts.

All three can be used, depending on dialect and style. Your sentence uses pattern 1:

Ni ina aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu.
I am working on the computer now.

The key idea: aiki is a verbal noun that already carries the work / working meaning, so you don’t have to show yi separately.

What does a kan mean exactly? Why not just a or some other preposition?

A kan is a compound preposition. Literally, it is:

a – at / in / on (general locative preposition)
kan – top, head, surface

Together, a kan means on (top of) or on / about depending on context:

Littafi yana a kan tebur.
The book is on the table.
Sun yi magana a kan aiki.
They talked about work.

In your sentence:

a kan kwamfuta = on the computer, in the sense of using the computer as a medium or platform.

You will also see it written as one word: akan kwamfuta. Both a kan and akan are common; writing them as separate words makes the structure clearer for learners.

Why not just a?

a kwamfuta would sound like in/at the computer and is usually not how on the computer (as a device/medium) is expressed.
For on a device (on TV, on the radio, on the computer), Hausa strongly prefers a kan / akan.

Compare:

Ina aiki a banki. – I work at the bank.
Ina aiki a kan kwamfuta. – I work on the computer.

Different prepositions choose different relationships (at vs on).

Is kwamfuta masculine or feminine in Hausa, and does the gender matter in this sentence?

In ordinary usage kwamfuta behaves as a feminine noun. Most nouns ending in ‑a in Hausa are feminine, and speakers usually refer back to kwamfuta with the feminine pronoun ta:

Kwamfuta ta lalace.
The computer is broken.

However, in your sentence, nothing has to agree with kwamfuta in gender, so its gender makes no visible difference:

No adjective agreeing with it
No pronoun referring back to it
No verb marked for its gender

So for Ni ina aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu, you don’t need to think about gender at all. It only becomes relevant when you later say things like it is new / it is slow / it is broken, etc.

How is yanzu used? Can I move it to the beginning of the sentence or leave it out?

Yanzu means now / right now / at the moment.

Position is quite flexible:

At the end (as in your sentence – very common):
- Ina aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu.
  I’m working on the computer now.
At the beginning, to emphasize the time:
- Yanzu ina aiki a kan kwamfuta.
  Now I’m working on the computer.
  (often with a slight contrast: before I wasn’t, but now I am)
After the subject pronoun:
- Ni yanzu ina aiki a kan kwamfuta.
  I’m working on the computer now.

You can omit yanzu if the context already makes the time clear:

(Someone asks what you are doing right now.)
- Ina aiki a kan kwamfuta.
  I’m working on the computer.

There are also longer expressions like yanzu haka or a halin yanzu (both meaning roughly right now / at present), but plain yanzu is the most straightforward.

What is the basic word order in this sentence, and can I move pieces like yanzu or a kan kwamfuta around?

The underlying order here is:

(Optional emphasized subject) + progressive marker + verbal noun + prepositional phrase + time adverb

So:

Ni (emphasized I)
ina (1sg progressive)
aiki (working)
a kan kwamfuta (on the computer)
yanzu (now)

→ Ni ina aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu.

Word order is fairly strict about the core parts (progressive marker + verbal noun), but adverbials (time, place) have some freedom:

Yanzu ni ina aiki a kan kwamfuta.
Ni ina aiki yanzu a kan kwamfuta. (possible, though less neutral)
Ina aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu. (without ni)

What you cannot do is break up constituent chunks unnaturally, for example:

✗ Ina a kan aiki kwamfuta yanzu. (wrong: splits aiki from its meaning and scrambles order)
✗ Ina aiki kwamfuta a kan yanzu. (wrong: breaks a kan kwamfuta)

Think of a kan kwamfuta as one unit and yanzu as a movable time adverb that usually goes at the end or the beginning.

How would this sentence change if the subject were you, he, she, or we instead of I?

Only the subject pronoun (if used for emphasis) and the progressive form change. The rest (aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu) stays the same.

Here is a mini‑table:

I am working on the computer now.
- Ni ina aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu.
- Or neutral: Ina aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu.
You (male, singular) are working on the computer now.
- Kai kana aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu.
- Or: Kana aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu.
You (female, singular) are working on the computer now.
- Ke kina aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu.
- Or: Kina aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu.
He is working on the computer now.
- Shi yana aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu.
- Or: Yana aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu.
She is working on the computer now.
- Ita tana aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu.
- Or: Tana aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu.
We are working on the computer now.
- Mu muna aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu.
- Or: Muna aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu.
You (plural) are working on the computer now.
- Ku kuna aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu.
- Or: Kuna aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu.
They are working on the computer now.
- Su suna aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu.
- Or: Suna aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu.

Pattern:

Emphatic subject (Ni / Kai / Ke / Shi / Ita / Mu / Ku / Su) – optional
Progressive form (ina / kana / kina / yana / tana / muna / kuna / suna)
Then the rest of the predicate.

Are there any pronunciation tips for this sentence that English speakers often struggle with?

Yes, a few points help a lot:

Ni – pronounced like nee. Short and clean, not ni‑ai.
Ina – i‑na, both vowels clearly pronounced.
- Not ay‑na or ai‑na, but ee‑nah.
Aiki – two syllables: ai‑ki.
- The ai is a diphthong like in English eye.
- Don’t say ah‑iki; keep ai together: ai‑ki.
A kan – two separate words: a kan.
- a as in father.
- kan like kahn, with n clearly pronounced.
Kwamfuta – kwam‑fu‑ta.
- kw together; it is not k‑wam but a single sound kʷ.
- All syllables are short; don’t stress fu too heavily: keep it fairly even.
Yanzu – roughly yan‑zu.
- ya as in yard, but short.
- Final u is like oo in book, but very short, not yahn‑zoo.

Hausa rhythm is relatively even across syllables, and vowels are usually clear and not reduced (unlike English, which uses a lot of schwa). Saying each vowel clearly and keeping the syllables steady will make your Ni ina aiki a kan kwamfuta yanzu sound much more natural.