Learn Hardcore Hausa: Malami yana so mu nemi mafita ga kowace matsala da hankali. - The teacher wants us to look for a solution to every problem carefully.

In everyday Hausa, yana so is the normal way to express a present‑time or general desire: “he wants.”
Ya so on its own usually has a completed or past sense: “he wanted / he liked.”
So in this sentence, Malami yana so … is the natural way to say “The teacher wants …” now or in general.

How does mu nemi work, and why not muna nema or mu nema?

Mu nemi is a subjunctive form that expresses “that we (should) look for / seek.”

mu = we (subjunctive subject pronoun)
nemi = subjunctive form of nema (to search for / to look for)

After verbs of wanting/liking such as so, Hausa usually uses the subjunctive, not the ordinary present:

Malami yana so mu nemi … = The teacher wants us to seek …
muna nema would mean we are (currently) looking for, as a main statement, not as something the teacher wants us to do.

Mu nema is not correct here; the subjunctive needs the -i ending: nemi.

What is the role of mu here? In English we say “wants us to look for…”, but in Hausa it looks like “wants we look for…”.

In Hausa, mu is simply the subject of the subordinate verb nemi:

mu nemi = that we (should) seek / look for

So Hausa structures the idea like:

“The teacher is wanting [that] we seek a solution …”

There is no special “object form” (like English us) inside this clause. Instead, so (“want”) takes a clause as its object, and in that clause mu behaves like a normal subject pronoun.

What does mafita mean exactly? Is it just “solution”?

Mafita literally comes from the root fita (to go out / exit).

mafita = a way out, exit, way of getting out of a problem

By extension, it means “solution, way out, resolution.”
So in this sentence mu nemi mafita is “that we look for a solution / way out.”
The word often carries the nuance of finding a practical way out of difficulties, not just an abstract answer.

What does ga do in mafita ga kowace matsala? How is it different from other prepositions like zuwa or don?

Here, ga links mafita (solution) with what it is a solution for:

mafita ga kowace matsala = a solution *to/for every problem*

Rough guide to contrasts:

ga often marks the target or beneficiary: to, for
zuwa is more literally “to/towards” a place, time, or point (zuwa gida – to home)
don is often “for, because of, in order to” with a stronger sense of purpose or reason (don ku – for you, don in yi – so that I do / in order that I do)

In this sentence, ga is the normal way to express “solution to a problem.”

Why is it kowace matsala and not kowane matsala? What does kowace mean?

Kowane / kowanne means “every/each (masculine)”, while kowace is the feminine form:

kowane/kowanne = every/each (masculine noun)
kowace = every/each (feminine noun)

The noun matsala (problem, difficulty) is grammatically feminine, so the quantifier has to agree:

kowace matsala = every problem (literally: each-feminine problem).

Using kowane matsala would be ungrammatical for standard Hausa.

How do we know that matsala is feminine, and does that change anything else?

Many Hausa nouns ending in -a are feminine, and matsala (problem, issue) is one of them.
Feminine gender affects:

agreement with words like “each/every”: kowace matsala
adjectives and some numerals: they take feminine forms when modifying matsala

For example:

matsala mai yawa – a big problem (feminine agreement in some contexts)
matsaloli biyu – two problems (plural form matsaloli still treated as coming from a feminine singular).

In this sentence, the clearest visible effect is kowace instead of kowane.

What does da hankali mean here? Is it the same as a hankali?

Da hankali literally means “with mind/intelligence/sense.”
In this sentence it means “carefully, thoughtfully, intelligently.”

da = with
hankali = mind, sense, intelligence

So da hankali = with (your) mind engaged → “using your head.”

A hankali can also mean carefully, but its core idea is “slowly, gently, calmly.”
So:

da hankali → using intelligence, with careful thought
a hankali → slowly, gently, not rushed / not violently

Here da hankali is more appropriate because the teacher wants thoughtful problem‑solving, not just slowness.

Could the sentence be reordered, for example Malami yana so da hankali mu nemi mafita ga kowace matsala?

That reordering would not be natural. The normal structure is:

Malami (subject) yana so (main verb) mu nemi mafita ga kowace matsala da hankali (what he wants us to do).

The phrase da hankali belongs logically with mu nemi mafita – it modifies how we search for a solution.
Splitting it off and placing it right after so sounds wrong or at least very awkward to native speakers.
So you should keep da hankali towards the end, attached to the action of nemi mafita.

Could we leave out da hankali? How would that change the meaning?

If you remove da hankali, you get:

Malami yana so mu nemi mafita ga kowace matsala.
The teacher wants us to look for a solution to every problem.

This is still correct Hausa.
Adding da hankali adds the nuance of how the teacher wants it done: carefully / thoughtfully / intelligently.
Without it, the focus is just on the requirement to find solutions, not on the manner of thinking.

Can you break the whole sentence down word by word?

Malami – teacher
yana (ya na) – he is (doing) … → progressive aspect
so – to want / like / love
mu – we (subjunctive subject pronoun)
nemi – seek, look for (subjunctive form of nema)
mafita – solution, way out
ga – to, for (linking solution to what it is a solution for)
kowace – every, each (feminine)
matsala – problem, issue (feminine noun)
da – with
hankali – mind, sense, intelligence

Overall sense: “The teacher wants us to look for a solution to every problem carefully / thoughtfully.”