Learn Hardcore Hausa: Ni ma ina alfahari da ku saboda kuna ƙoƙari kullum. - I am also proud of you plural because you make an effort every day.

Adding ni in front (Ni ina…) is used for emphasis or contrast, roughly like saying “Me, I am proud of you” or “I, too, am proud of you.”

So:

Ina alfahari da ku. = I am proud of you.
Ni ma ina alfahari da ku. = I am also proud of you / Me, I’m also proud of you.

The ni is not required for basic grammar; it adds focus/emphasis.

What exactly does ma mean, and where does it go in the sentence?

Ma usually means “also / too / as well / even”. It attaches to the word it is logically modifying, often right after a pronoun or noun:

Ni ma ina alfahari da ku. – I also am proud of you.
Ku ma kuna ƙoƙari. – You also are making an effort.
Su ma sun zo. – They also came.

Typical positions:

After a pronoun: ni ma, kai ma, ke ma, mu ma, ku ma, su ma
After a noun: Malamin ma ya zo. – The teacher also came.

Putting ma elsewhere is unusual; it normally comes right after the element being emphasised as “also”.

What is ina doing here? Is it like the English verb “to be”?

Ina is a progressive / continuous form that combines the subject “I” with an aspect marker. It does not behave exactly like the English “am”, but in this kind of sentence it often translates as “I am …”.

In short:

Ina = “I am (in the process / state of)…”
It’s used before verbs and certain stative nouns/expressions:
- Ina tafiya. – I am going / I am on my way.
- Ina jin daɗi. – I feel happy / I am enjoying it.
- Ina alfahari da ku. – I am proud of you.

So ina carries both the subject (I) and the progressive/stative aspect.

How does ina alfahari da ku mean “I am proud of you” if alfahari is a noun meaning “pride”?

Hausa often uses nouns of feeling or state with forms like ina, kana, suna, etc., to express “to feel X” or “to be X”:

Ina jin daɗi. – I feel pleasure / I am happy.
Ina fargaba. – I am afraid / I feel fear.
Ina ƙauna ta. – I love her (lit. I have love of her).

Similarly, alfahari is a noun meaning “pride”.
The structure:

Ina alfahari da ku.

is literally something like “I am (in a state of) pride with you”, but idiomatically it means:

“I am proud of you.”

So this is a very normal Hausa pattern: ina + [noun of feeling/state] (+ da + person/thing).

Why is it da ku and not just ku after alfahari?

The da here is a preposition that often means “with”, but in this kind of expression it functions more like “about / concerning / of”.

Alfahari da ku – pride with/about you → proud of you.

You must keep the da in this structure; you can’t say:

✗ Ina alfahari ku. (incorrect)

You can say instead:

Ina alfahari da kai. – I am proud of you (male singular).
Ina alfahari da ke. – I am proud of you (female singular).
Ina alfahari da ku. – I am proud of you (you plural or polite).

In all cases, it’s alfahari da + pronoun/noun.

Does ku refer to more than one person, or can it be used for just one person here?

Ku is fundamentally the 2nd person plural pronoun: “you (all)”.

However, in Hausa it is also used:

As a polite / respectful singular “you”, especially to adults or people of higher status.
In formal or affectionate contexts, even to one person.

So da ku can mean:

“of you all” (talking to a group)
or polite “of you (sir/ma’am)” (talking respectfully to one person)

Only context (who is being addressed, tone, situation) will tell you which one is meant.

Are there gender-specific singular forms of “proud of you” in Hausa?

Yes. When talking to one person, Hausa commonly distinguishes male and female pronouns:

To a man/boy (singular):
- Ina alfahari da kai. – I am proud of you (male sg).
To a woman/girl (singular):
- Ina alfahari da ke. – I am proud of you (female sg).
To several people or polite singular:
- Ina alfahari da ku. – I am proud of you (plural / polite).

So compared with English, Hausa often forces you to pick a gendered or plural form, unless you choose the polite ku.

What is the difference between saboda and words like don or domin for “because/for”?

All of these can introduce a reason or purpose, but there are some tendencies:

Saboda:
- Very common for “because” (reason, cause).
- Saboda kuna ƙoƙari kullum. – Because you keep trying every day.
Domin / don:
- Often used for “so that / in order to / for the purpose of”, but can also mean “because” in some contexts.
- Na yi haka domin in taimake ka. – I did that in order to help you.
- Na yi haka don na gaji. – I did that because I was tired.

In your sentence, saboda clearly marks a reason:
“I am proud of you because…”, so saboda is the most natural choice.

Why is it kuna ƙoƙari and not kuna yin ƙoƙari? Are both correct?

Both are possible:

Kuna ƙoƙari.
Kuna yin ƙoƙari.

In many expressions, Hausa can optionally drop the verb yi (“to do/make”) when it’s immediately before certain verbal nouns or common phrases.

Ƙoƙari is originally something you “do”:

Literal: kuna yin ƙoƙari – you are doing effort / making an effort.

But in everyday speech, people often shorten it to:

kuna ƙoƙari – you are making an effort / you try.

The shorter kuna ƙoƙari sounds completely natural and common in conversation. The version with yin is a bit more explicit or careful, but not wrong.

Is kuna expressing present continuous (“you are trying right now”) or habitual (“you usually try”)?

On its own, kuna is a progressive/continuous form:

Kuna tafiya. – You are going / you are on your way.

However, Hausa aspect is flexible and the actual meaning is strongly affected by context and adverbs.

In kuna ƙoƙari kullum:

kuna ƙoƙari – (you are) making an effort / trying
kullum – every day / always

Because of kullum, the whole phrase takes a habitual, repeated meaning:

kuna ƙoƙari kullum ≈ “you keep trying” / “you make an effort all the time / every day.”

So structurally the form is progressive, but in this context it describes an ongoing habit.

What does kullum literally mean? Is it “always” or “every day”? Where does it go in the sentence?

Kullum literally means something like “every day”, but in practice it can also mean “always / all the time / constantly”, depending on context.

Ina zuwa wurin aiki kullum. – I go to work every day.
Yana zagi kullum. – He is always insulting (people).

Position:

It is very common at the end of the clause, as in your sentence:
- kuna ƙoƙari kullum – you keep trying every day / all the time.
It can also be placed earlier for emphasis, but end-position is standard and natural.

How do you pronounce the ƙ in ƙoƙari, and how is it different from k?

Hausa distinguishes between k and ƙ:

k: a normal voiceless velar stop, like the k in English “cat” or “skin”.
ƙ: a glottalized / implosive velar stop. You slightly “pull” the sound inward; the closure is tighter and has a kind of “popping” quality.

Rough guidelines for ƙ:

Put your tongue in the usual k position.
Slightly tense your throat and glottalize the sound – like making a strong k with a bit of a “clicky” feel, not a plain breathy release.

In ƙoƙari, both consonants are ƙ, so they should both be pronounced with that glottalized quality, not like simple k. Native speakers strongly hear the difference, and mixing them up can sometimes change meanings.

Can I move the saboda-clause to the beginning, like in English “Because you keep trying every day, I am also proud of you”?

Yes. You can say:

Saboda kuna ƙoƙari kullum, ni ma ina alfahari da ku.

This is perfectly grammatical and natural. The meaning is the same; only the focus changes a bit:

Ni ma ina alfahari da ku saboda kuna ƙoƙari kullum.
- Focus on “I also am proud of you”, then gives the reason.
Saboda kuna ƙoƙari kullum, ni ma ina alfahari da ku.
- Brings the reason to the front for emphasis: “Because you try every day…”.

Both word orders are acceptable in Hausa.