Learn Hardcore Hausa: Ni ina so in ga ƙanne na yau. - I want to see my younger siblings today.

Ni ina so in ga ƙanne na yau. – neutral but with a slight emphasis on “I”
Ina so in ga ƙanne na yau. – perfectly correct, a bit less emphatic

So Ni is not required grammatically; it just adds emphasis or contrast (e.g. “I want to see them today (even if others don’t).”)

What exactly does ina so mean – “I like” or “I want”?

The verb so in Hausa covers “like / love / want”, and context decides which English verb fits best.

Two very common patterns:

With another verb (using the subjunctive):
- Ina so in ga ƙanne na yau.
  → “I want to see my younger siblings today.”
  Here it’s about wanting to do something (a specific action).
With a noun (often as son = so
- genitive marker
-n):
- Ina son ƙofi. → “I like coffee / I love coffee.”
- Ina son ƙannenna. → “I love my younger siblings.”

So in your sentence, because ina so is followed by in ga (another verb), it is understood as “I want (to see)”, not just “I like.”

What is the function of in in in ga?

Here in is a subjunctive subject marker for “I” (1st person singular), not the “if” word.

ina so in ga… = “I want (that) I see…” → idiomatically “I want to see…”

Other persons follow the same pattern:

Ina so ka ga shi. – “I want you (sg.) to see him.”
Ina so ya ga su. – “I want him to see them.”

So in this structure:

ina so = “I want”
in = “I” (subjunctive)
ga = “see”

Together: Ina so in ga… → “I want to see…”

Why is it ga and not gani for “see”?

Hausa often has a short verb form and a long verbal noun form:

ga – finite verb “see” (used with tense/subject markers: na ga, zan ga, in ga, etc.)
gani – verbal noun “seeing”

Typical usage:

Na ga shi. – “I saw him.”
Ina so in ga shi. – “I want to see him.”
Ina son ganin shi. – “I like / want the seeing of him.” (more literally)

So after in (the subjunctive marker), you use the short form ga, not gani:

✔ Ina so in ga ƙanne na.
✖ Ina so in gani ƙanne na. (ungrammatical)

What exactly does ƙanne mean – brothers, sisters, or all younger siblings?

ƙanne means “younger siblings”, covering both brothers and sisters who are younger than you.

It does not include older siblings.
It refers to a group, not just one person.

Some related words:

ƙani / ƙanina – a younger brother / my younger brother
’yar’uwata – my sister (age can be older or younger; context decides)
yayye / yayuna – older siblings / my older siblings
’yan’uwana – my siblings/relatives (more general, no age implied)

So ƙanne na is specifically “my younger siblings.”

How does na work in ƙanne na? Why is it after the noun, not before?

In Hausa, possessive pronouns usually come after the noun they modify.

ƙanne na – “my younger siblings”
abokai na – “my friends”
yara na – “my children”

Here na is a possessive form meaning “my” placed after ƙanne.

You will also see a joined form:

ƙannena – “my younger siblings” (same meaning)

So both are used:

ƙanne na
ƙannena

Both mean “my younger siblings.” The joined form ƙannena is very common in writing; ƙanne na is also widely used in speech and some texts. The key point: in Hausa, “my” comes after the noun, not before as in English.

Can I say ƙannena instead of ƙanne na in this sentence?

Yes. Both are acceptable and natural:

Ni ina so in ga ƙanne na yau.
Ni ina so in ga ƙannena yau.

They both mean the same thing. Many speakers would probably use ƙannena in careful speech or writing because it’s the bound (joined) possessive form, but ƙanne na is also widely heard and understood.

Can the word yau (“today”) move to a different place in the sentence?

Yes. Yau is an adverb of time and can appear in several positions without changing the basic meaning.

All of these are correct:

Ni ina so in ga ƙanne na yau.
Ina so in ga ƙanne na yau.
Yau ina so in ga ƙanne na.

Differences are mostly about emphasis:

Yau ina so in ga ƙanne na.
→ Stronger focus on “today” (e.g. “Today I want to see them (not some other day).”)

In everyday speech, putting yau at the end, as in your original sentence, is very common and neutral.

Is Ni ina so in ga… the only way to say “I want to see…”?

No. There are a couple of very common alternatives, with slightly different nuances:

With subjunctive verb (like your sentence):
- Ina so in ga ƙannena yau.
  → Very common and natural for “I want to see my younger siblings today.”
With a verbal noun (more like “the seeing”):
- Ina son ganin ƙannena yau.
  Literally “I want the seeing of my younger siblings today.”
  In practice it can mean “I want to see / I would like to see / I enjoy seeing them.”
  It often sounds a bit more general or polished.

For everyday speech about a specific plan (like visiting them today), the pattern in your sentence (Ina so in ga…) is extremely common and very natural.

What tense/aspect is ina so? Why not use a future form like zan so?

ina so is the progressive form, but in Hausa it is also used for current states, wants, and preferences, so it often translates as simple present:

Ina so in ga ƙannenna yau.
→ “I want to see my younger siblings today.”

Other forms:

Na so in ga ƙannenna jiya.
→ “I wanted to see my younger siblings yesterday.” (past)
Zan ga ƙannenna gobe.
→ “I will see my younger siblings tomorrow.”

Zan so is possible but less common in this context; you normally just express the future on the main verb (zan ga, zan je in ga, etc.) rather than “I will want to…”

How is ƙanne pronounced, and how is ƙ different from k?

The letter ƙ represents an ejective k-sound, made with a little “pop” in the throat. It is not the same as plain k:

k – like English k in “cat”
ƙ – a tighter, “popped” k, made with a brief closure in the throat

A classic minimal pair:

kasa – “earth, soil”
ƙasa – “country, floor”

ƙanne is pronounced with this ejective ƙ, roughly like “kkan-ne” with a small glottal “kick” at the start. Getting this sound roughly right helps distinguish some important word pairs in Hausa.