Ni ina yi kallo a talabijin yanzu.

I am watching television now.

Breakdown of Ni ina yi kallo a talabijin yanzu.

• ni: I
• ne: to be
• yanzu: now
• a: on
• talabijin: the television
• kallo: to look at

Questions & Answers about Ni ina yi kallo a talabijin yanzu.

Why do we have both Ni and ina? Aren’t they both I?

Yes, both relate to I, but they are different kinds of pronouns:

• Ni = independent/emphatic pronoun (I / me)
• ina = subject marker + progressive marker for I (something like I am …‑ing)

In this sentence:

• Ni puts extra emphasis on the subject: Me, I’m watching TV now.
• ina is the normal way to mark I in the present continuous.

You do not have to use both. In a neutral statement, you can simply say:

• Ina yi kallo a talabijin yanzu. – I am watching TV now.

Adding Ni is more like contrast or focus:

• Ni ina yi kallo a talabijin yanzu. – As for me, I’m watching TV now (not doing something else / not someone else).

Could I drop yi and just say Ina kallo a talabijin yanzu?

Yes, you can. In everyday speech you will often hear:

• Ina kallo a talabijin yanzu.

Here:

• kallo is a verbal noun meaning watching / looking.
• ina kallo works like I am watching.

So you have two very common patterns:

1. Ina yi kallo. – literally I am doing watching.
2. Ina kallo. – literally I am watching.

Both are natural, and both can take a talabijin (on TV) after them.

So what exactly is yi doing in ina yi kallo?

Yi is a very common “light verb” in Hausa, meaning to do / to make. It often combines with a verbal noun:

• yin aiki – doing work, working
• yin magana – doing speech, speaking
• yin dariya – doing laughter, laughing
• yin kallo – doing watching, watching

In ina yi kallo:

• ina – I am (progressive)
• yi – do
• kallo – watching / a look

The whole chunk ina yi kallo is understood as I am watching. The yi itself is not translated directly into English; it just helps build the expression.

I’ve also seen Ina kallon talabijin yanzu. Is that different from Ni ina yi kallo a talabijin yanzu?

Yes, it’s a slightly different structure and is actually more textbook‑standard for “I am watching TV now.”

1. Ni ina yi kallo a talabijin yanzu.

   • literally: Me, I am doing watching on the television now.
   • focus on the action of watching, with the location given by a talabijin.

2. Ina kallon talabijin yanzu.

   • kallon talabijin = watching of television / TV‑watching
     
     • kallo (watching) + ‑n (linker) + talabijin (TV)
   • literally: I am watching‑of television now.

In meaning, both are essentially I am watching TV now, but:

• Ina kallon talabijin yanzu is shorter and very idiomatic for “watching TV”.
• Ni ina yi kallo a talabijin yanzu sounds more like “I am watching (something) on the TV now”, with extra emphasis on Ni.

Why is the preposition a used for on TV? Doesn’t a usually mean in / at?

a is a general locative preposition. Depending on context, it can correspond to:

• in (in a place)
• at (at a place)
• on (on a medium, like TV, radio, phone)

In expressions like on TV, Hausa uses a:

• a talabijin – on TV
• a rediyo – on the radio
• a waya – on the phone

So:

• Ina kallo a talabijin yanzu. = I am watching on TV now.

Could I say a kan talabijin instead of a talabijin for on TV?

Usually, no. For the idiomatic meaning on TV (as a medium of broadcasting), Hausa uses simply:

• a talabijin

a kan literally means on top of (physical contact/surface). That would sound more like:

• on top of the television set (physically sitting on it, standing on it, etc.)

So:

• Ina kallo a talabijin. – correct for I am watching (it) on TV.
• Ina kallo a kan talabijin. – would normally be interpreted as on top of the TV, not “on TV” as a medium.

Where can I put yanzu in the sentence? Does it have to be at the end?

No, yanzu (now) is quite flexible in position. All of these are possible:

• Yanzu ina kallon talabijin.
• Ina kallon talabijin yanzu.
• Ni yanzu ina kallon talabijin.

Typical, very natural options:

• Ina kallon talabijin yanzu.
• Yanzu ina kallon talabijin.

Putting yanzu at the end is very common, but it can also come at the beginning for emphasis on the time: Right now, I’m watching TV.

Does ina (yi) kallo mean only I am watching (right now), or can it also mean a general habit like I watch?

Ina (yi) kallo is primarily a progressive / continuous form, like I am watching. But, like English, present continuous can also be used for:

• actions happening around now (not necessarily at this exact second)
• repeated or habitual actions, if the context makes that clear

Some nuances:

• Ina kallon talabijin yanzu.
  Strongly suggests: I am watching TV right now.

• Ina kallon talabijin kowace rana.
  Means: I watch TV every day.
  (Here the habitual meaning comes from kowace rana – every day.)

For a clearly habitual meaning, Hausa also often uses the simple present with subject pronoun na:

• Ina kan kallon talabijin da yamma. – I usually watch TV in the evenings.
• Na kan kalli talabijin da yamma. – I tend to watch TV in the evenings.

But in everyday speech, ina kallon talabijin can be understood as either I’m watching (now) or I watch (habitually); the time expression and context tell you which one.

How would I say I watched TV yesterday and I will watch TV later?

Using more standard kallon talabijin:

• I watched TV yesterday.

  • Na kalli talabijin jiya.
    
    • na – past I
    • kalli – watched (from kallo / kallō / kalle verb)
    • talabijin – TV
    • jiya – yesterday

• I will watch TV later.
  Two common options:

  1. With the future marker zan:

     • Zan kalli talabijin daga baya.
       
       • zan – I will
       • daga baya – later

  2. With za ni spelled out (more careful speech):

     • Za ni kalli talabijin daga baya.

You could also keep the kallo structure:

• Zan yi kallo a talabijin daga baya. – I will do watching on TV later.

Do I always use kallo for watch? For example, watch a film, watch football?

Yes, kallo (and its verb kalla / kalli) is the standard word for watch / look at in many contexts:

• Ina kallon fim. – I am watching a film.
• Ina kallon wasan kwallon kafa. – I am watching a football match.
• Na kalli shirinsu jiya. – I watched their program yesterday.
• Za mu yi kallo a talabijin. – We will do some watching on TV.

Patterns you will see:

• Ina kallo … – I am watching … (direct object)
• Ina kallon … – I am watching‑of … (using the linker ‑n)
• Ina yi kallo a … – I am doing watching at/on …

All are normal; the choice often depends on style and what follows (object, location, etc.).

How should I pronounce talabijin and yanzu?

talabijin

• Syllables: ta‑la‑bi‑jin
• Rough English approximation: TA-la-BEE-jin
• The j is like English j in jam.
• Stress is usually light and even; Hausa is not strongly stress‑timed like English.

yanzu

• Syllables: yan‑zu
• Pronounce yan roughly like yan in yank, and zu like zoo (shorter).
• Rough approximation: YAN-zoo.

Native Hausa has tones, but many beginner courses don’t mark or focus on them at first. Listening to native audio and copying the rhythm will help a lot.

If I want to say I am watching my TV, how do I show possession?

You attach a possessive suffix to talabijin:

• talabijina – my TV
• talabijinka – your TV (to a man)
• talabijinki – your TV (to a woman)
• talabijininsa – his TV
• talabijininta – her TV

So:

• Ina kallon talabijina yanzu. – I am watching my TV now.
• Ni ina yi kallo a talabijina yanzu. – Me, I am watching on my TV now.