Learn Hardcore Hausa: A sabon wata zan yi ƙoƙari in yi alheri fiye da da. - In the new month I will try to do more good than before.

A sabon wata = “In the new month” or “When the new month comes”.
You can think of it like English “in” in “in January”, “in the morning”.

So the structure is:

a (in/at) + sabon wata (new month).

Why is it sabon wata and not sabuwar wata, since wata (“month”) is feminine?

You’ve noticed something subtle.

In standard grammar, wata “month/moon” is grammatically feminine, so the “textbook-correct” form would be:
- sabuwar wata = “new month / new moon” (feminine agreement)

However:

In everyday usage, the phrase sabon wata is extremely common and feels almost fixed / idiomatic, especially in expressions about the new month or new moon.
Many native speakers use sabon wata so much that it sounds perfectly natural, even though it uses the masculine adjective form (sabon).

For learning purposes:

You can treat sabon wata as a very common idiomatic expression.
You may also see sabuwar wata, and it’s grammatically tidy, but sabon wata is not “wrong” in real usage.

What does zan mean in zan yi ƙoƙari?

Zan is the future marker and is historically a contraction of za ni:

za ni → zan = “I will / I am going to”

So:

zan yi ƙoƙari = “I will make an effort / I will try”

Other persons:

za ka → zaka = you (m.sg.) will
za ki → zaki = you (f.sg.) will
za su → zasu = they will

In writing, you often see them joined (e.g. zanyi) or separated (zan yi). Separated is clearer for learners.

Why is yi used twice: zan yi ƙoƙari in yi alheri? Is that repetition necessary?

The two yi’s are actually doing different jobs:

zan yi ƙoƙari
- yi ƙoƙari literally = “do effort”
- Idiomatically = “to make an effort / to try”
in yi alheri
- yi alheri = “do good / do good deeds / show kindness”

So the pattern is:

zan yi ƙoƙari (I will make an effort)
in yi alheri (so that I may do good)

Both yi are needed because:

ƙoƙari on its own is a noun (“effort”) that usually appears with yi.
alheri is also a noun (“goodness, kindness”) that typically appears with yi in this meaning.

You could change the second part (e.g. in zama mafi alheri, “to be better / kinder”), but you can’t simply drop yi in the existing structure.

What exactly does ƙoƙari mean, and how is yin ƙoƙari used?

ƙoƙari is a verbal noun meaning “effort, trying, attempt”.

The common expression is yin ƙoƙari (= yi + ƙoƙari), literally “doing effort”.

Uses:

Zan yi ƙoƙari. – I’ll make an effort / I’ll try.
Ka yi ƙoƙari ka kammala yau. – Try and finish today.
Yana yin ƙoƙari sosai. – He is really trying / putting in effort.

So in your sentence, zan yi ƙoƙari is a very natural way to say “I will try”.

What does in mean in in yi alheri? Is it like “if” or like “to / in order to”?

Here in is not the conditional “if” (which is usually pronounced idan or in in some contexts). In this sentence it marks a kind of subjunctive / purpose / “that I should” clause.

zan yi ƙoƙari in yi alheri ≈ “I will try so that I may do good / I will try to do good”

You can think of in here as:

Similar to English “that (I) …” in a purpose sense.
Roughly equal in meaning to “to” in “I’ll try to do good”, although the grammar is different.

Structure:

(zan) yi ƙoƙari – main clause
in yi alheri – subordinate clause, with an implied “I” as subject

The subject ni (“I”) is not repeated, but understood:

in (ni) yi alheri → “that I do good”

Why isn’t it don in yi alheri (“in order that I do good”)? Would that also be correct?

Yes, don in yi alheri would also be grammatical and clear:

zan yi ƙoƙari don in yi alheri
= I will make an effort in order that I do good / so that I can do good.

Difference in feel:

in yi alheri (by itself) is already a kind of purpose / result clause after yi ƙoƙari; it’s quite natural and concise.
Adding don (for / in order to) makes the purpose a bit more explicit, but it’s not necessary.

Both are acceptable; the version without don is just more streamlined.

What does alheri actually cover? Is it “good,” “kindness,” or specifically charity?

Alheri is a broad, positive word. Depending on context it can mean:

goodness (as a moral quality)
kindness, benevolence
good deeds
sometimes charitable acts or helpfulness

In your sentence:

in yi alheri fiye da da
= “to do more good / to show more kindness than before”

It does not have to be strictly financial charity; it can include:

helping people,
being kinder,
acting more morally, etc.

Often it’s paired with yi:

yi alheri – do good, act kindly, show kindness.

What is the role of fiye da in fiye da da?

Fiye da is the standard Hausa way to express comparison: “more … than …”.

fiye – “more”
da – “than”

Examples:

Yana da arziƙi fiye da ni. – He is richer than me.
Ta fi ka wayo. / Ta fi ka wayo fiye da ka. – She is smarter than you.

In your sentence:

fiye da introduces what you’re comparing against:
- in yi alheri fiye da da
  = to do good *more than (I did) before*.

Why are there two da’s in fiye da da? Is that a mistake?

It looks strange at first, but it’s actually two different “da”’s that happen to be written the same:

fiye da – “more than” (da = “than” in comparisons)
dā / da – an adverb meaning “before / formerly / in the past”

Because tone and length are usually not marked in ordinary Hausa spelling:

dā (long vowel) “before” is often written just as da.
So fiye da dā (more than before) commonly appears as fiye da da.

Meaning:

in yi alheri fiye da da
≈ “that I may do good more than before / more than I did in the past.”

If you add tone/length marks to make it clearer, you might write:

fiye da dā – more than before.

Is any pronoun missing in in yi alheri fiye da da? Where is “I”?

The “I” (ni) is understood, not spoken.

Full underlying idea: in (ni) yi alheri – that I do good.

Hausa often omits subject pronouns in subordinate clauses when they are the same as the subject of the main clause, especially with in in this kind of structure.

So the logic is:

zan yi ƙoƙari – I will make an effort
in yi alheri – (so that) I do good
(no need to repeat ni, it’s understood to be the same “I”)

How is ƙ in ƙoƙari different from normal k in Hausa pronunciation?

Hausa distinguishes k and ƙ:

k – a plain voiceless [k], like in English “kit.”
ƙ – an implosive / glottalized k-like sound, produced with a slight inward movement of air.

For many learners:

You can start by making ƙ a “tenser” k with a bit of glottal closure and a slight inward gulp of air.
Minimal pairs exist where k vs ƙ change meaning, for example in some dialects:
- kasa vs ƙasa (land/ground vs failure, depending on context)

In ƙoƙari (effort, trying), both consonants are ƙ, so you should avoid pronouncing them as plain k if you want to sound more natural.

Could the sentence be reordered, like putting zan yi ƙoƙari first: Zan yi ƙoƙari a sabon wata in yi alheri fiye da da?

Yes, that reordering is acceptable and understandable:

Zan yi ƙoƙari a sabon wata in yi alheri fiye da da.

Differences:

Original: A sabon wata zan yi ƙoƙari…
→ Slight emphasis on “in the new month” (setting the time frame first).
Reordered: Zan yi ƙoƙari a sabon wata…
→ Starts by emphasizing “I will make an effort”, then specifies when.

Both orders are natural. Hausa word order is fairly flexible for fronting time expressions like a sabon wata.