Ni ina so in ajiye kuɗi a asusun banki.

I want to put money in the bank account.

Breakdown of Ni ina so in ajiye kuɗi a asusun banki.

• ni: I
• ne: to be
• so: to want
• a: in
• asusun banki: the bank account
• ajiye: to save (money)
• kuɗi: the money

Questions & Answers about Ni ina so in ajiye kuɗi a asusun banki.

Why do we have both Ni and ina when they both seem to mean “I”? Isn’t that redundant?

In Hausa, Ni and ina both point to the first person singular, but they play different roles.

• Ni = the independent pronoun “I / me”
• ina = the subject pronoun attached to the verb, here meaning “I (am)” in the continuous aspect

In this sentence:

• Ni = adds emphasis or contrast (“Me, I want…” / “As for me, I want…”)
• ina so = “I want”

You can usually drop Ni and say simply:

• Ina so in ajiye kuɗi a asusun banki.

This still means “I want to deposit/save money in a bank account.”
Using Ni makes it sound more like:

• “I (as opposed to someone else) want to deposit money in a bank account.”

What exactly does ina so mean, and is it always translated as “I want”?

ina so literally breaks down as:

• ina – “I (am)” in continuous/imperfective aspect
• so – “to like / to want / to love”

So ina so can mean:

• “I want”
• “I like”
• sometimes “I love” (especially with people or things you care about)

The exact meaning depends on context and what follows:

• Ina so in ajiye kuɗi. – “I want to save/deposit money.”
• Ina son shayi. – “I like tea.”
• Ina son ki. – “I love you” (speaking to a woman).

In your sentence, because it’s followed by an action (in ajiye kuɗi), the most natural translation is “I want to deposit/save money…”

What is the function of in in in ajiye, and is it like the English “to” (as in “to deposit”)?

The in before ajiye is not the same word as English “in”. It’s actually a subjunctive subject pronoun meaning “that I (should)”.

• in here = “that I (should)” (1st person singular subjunctive)
• ajiye = “deposit / put aside / keep (safely)”

So:

• ina so in ajiye kuɗi
  = “I want (that I should) deposit/save money”
  which we translate naturally as “I want to deposit/save money.”

After verbs of wanting, needing, planning, etc., Hausa commonly uses this pattern:

• Ina so in tafi. – I want to go.
• Ina so in ci abinci. – I want to eat food.
• Ina so in saya mota. – I want to buy a car.

So you can think of in as “to” in English, but grammatically it is “I (subjunctive)”, not a preposition.

Could I say “Ni ina son ajiye kuɗi a asusun banki” instead? What’s the difference between so and son here?

Yes, Ni ina son ajiye kuɗi a asusun banki is possible, but it shifts the structure slightly.

• so is the bare verb “to want/like/love”
• son is so + -n, forming a verbal noun or “gerund-like” form, often translated as “the liking / the wanting / love of”

In:

• Ina so in ajiye kuɗi.
  – “I want to deposit money.” (verb so
  • subjunctive in)

In:

• Ina son ajiye kuɗi.
  – literally: “I am in the wanting/liking of depositing money.”
  – practically: “I like/want depositing money (as an activity).”

The ina son… pattern often sounds a bit more habitual or general (‘I like to…’, ‘I’m fond of…’), while ina so in… is more immediate/intention-focused (“I want to do X now/this time”). Context will decide which is more natural.

In everyday speech, Ina so in ajiye kuɗi is the more straightforward way to say “I want to deposit money.”

What does ajiye mean exactly? Is it specifically “to deposit (in a bank)” or more general “to keep/put aside”?

ajiye is a fairly general verb meaning:

• “to put down”
• “to put away”
• “to keep”
• “to store”
• “to set aside”

Examples:

• Ka ajiye littafin nan a tebur. – Put that book down on the table.
• Sun ajiye kuɗi don tafiya. – They set aside money for the trip.

In a financial context, ajiye kuɗi a asusun banki is naturally understood as:

• “to deposit money in a bank account” or
• “to save money in a bank account.”

There are also more explicit words:

• aɗana kuɗi – to store/save money
• ajiyar kuɗi – savings, money kept/deposited

But your sentence with ajiye is completely normal and clear in context.

What is special about the word kuɗi? Why does it have that dotted ɗ, and is there a singular form of “money”?

kuɗi means “money” (as a mass noun, like English “money”).

About the spelling and sound:

• ɗ is a special consonant in Hausa, a “implosive d”, pronounced by pulling air inward slightly while saying d.
  It is not the same as plain d.
• So kuɗi is distinct from a hypothetical kudi (which would be pronounced with a normal d).

Number:

• In modern usage, kuɗi works like “money” in English:
  • You usually don’t worry about singular vs plural; kuɗi just means money.
• Historically, kuɗi is plural (of kuɗi or kuɗɗi), but learners can safely treat kuɗi as uncountable “money”.

If you want to say “the money”, you add the definite ending:

• kuɗin or kuɗin nan – “the money / this money”

Example:

• Ina so in ajiye kuɗin a asusun banki.
  – I want to deposit the money in the bank account.

What does the preposition a do in a asusun banki? How is it different from cikin?

The a before asusun banki is a preposition usually translated as:

• “in”
• “at”
• “on” (depending on context)

So:

• a asusun banki = “in a/the bank account”

a is quite general. cikin is more like “inside (the inside of)” and is often stronger or more concrete.

Comparison:

• Ina zaune a gida. – I live/I'm sitting at home.
• Ina ajiye kuɗi a asusun banki. – I deposit/save money in a bank account.
• Ajiye littafin cikin jaka. – Put the book inside the bag.

You could hear:

• in ajiye kuɗi cikin asusun banki,
  but a asusun banki is the normal, natural way to say “in a bank account.”

Why is it asusun banki and not something like asusu na banki? What does asusun mean?

asusu means “account / fund / store / container (for money, etc.)”.
When we say asusun banki, we have:

• asusu
  • -n (linking/genitive suffix) → asusun
• banki – “bank”

So asusun banki literally is “the account (of) bank” = “a/the bank account”.

Hausa often links two nouns like this:

• moton baba – my father’s car (mota + -n + baba)
• asusun gwamnati – government account
• asusun banki – bank account

You could say:

• asusu na banki – also “bank account,” using na as the linker,

but asusun banki with the -n suffix is very common, natural, and slightly more compact.

Can I leave out some words and still be understood? For example, can I just say “Ina so in ajiye kuɗi a banki”?

Yes, you can simplify in a few ways:

1. Drop Ni (the independent pronoun):

   • Ni ina so in ajiye kuɗi a asusun banki.
   • Ina so in ajiye kuɗi a asusun banki. ✅ (fully natural)

2. Replace a asusun banki with a banki if you’re not being specific about an account:

   • Ina so in ajiye kuɗi a banki.
     – literally “I want to deposit/save money at a bank.” – This is also correct and commonly used.

So:

• Ina so in ajiye kuɗi a banki. – “I want to deposit money at the bank.”
• Ina so in ajiye kuɗi a asusun banki. – “I want to deposit/save money in a bank account.”

Your original sentence is a bit more explicit about an account, but the shorter version is perfectly fine for everyday speech.

How would I say “I want to deposit the money in the bank account” instead of just “money”?

To say “the money”, you make kuɗi definite:

• kuɗin = “the money”

So you’d say:

• Ina so in ajiye kuɗin a asusun banki.

Breakdown:

• Ina so – I want
• in ajiye – to deposit/save (that I should deposit)
• kuɗin – the money
• a asusun banki – in the bank account

If you want to be extra clear:

• Ina so in ajiye kuɗin nan a asusun banki.
  – “I want to deposit this money in the bank account.”

Does Ina so in ajiye kuɗi a asusun banki sound like a general habit (“I like saving money in a bank account”) or a specific intention (“I want to save/deposit money now”)?

By default, Ina so in ajiye kuɗi a asusun banki is understood as a specific intention:

• “I want to deposit/save money in a bank account (now / on this occasion / in this situation).”

If you wanted to talk more about a habit or preference, you might say:

• Ina son ajiye kuɗi a asusun banki.
  – “I like to save money in a bank account / I’m in the habit of saving money in a bank account.”

Context, tone, and extra words (like kullum = always, yawan lokaci = often) help clarify whether it’s a general habit or a particular plan, but your original sentence is naturally heard as a concrete intention.